“I love to contrast dark wood with a light and airy neutral paint color," she says. "Cream, eggshell, and ecru all look really bright and crisp when contrasted with rich mahogany wood tones.

Not all white paint colors are created equally. So, when designer Molly Bruno is looking for a paint color to complement dark woods, her go-to is a warm white hue. “A warm white paint color has yellow ...