I bought these curtains in blue. I have revere pewter by Benjamin Moore on my walls. The blue gives a nice contrast without an  overwhelming or too busy pattern.  The background color of these curtains is a greige so I believe the blue could go with gray or beige walls. Background  is definitely not white, if that's what you're looking for. I removed the grommets and paired mine with a canvas dropcloth with a 24" overhang and hung with clips. I used stitch witchery since I don't have a sewing machine. The curtains block out a good amount of light but without making the room too dark