Travertine is a warm, sandy neutral, and the single biggest mistake people make is pairing it with crisp white trim. Don't. Brilliant white drains all the warmth out of it and leaves the walls looking like tired magnolia — that dirty, dated look nobody wants.
The trick is to go tonal. Skip the white altogether and reach for woodwork in a deeper buff or ochre, a shade or two down from the wall. That contrast feels intentional and rich rather than washed out. Warm oak flooring and antique brass ironmongery finish the scheme off properly — brushed nickel or chrome would fight it.
For accents, you've got two strong routes. An old red brings depth and a slightly aged, country feel — think a deep tomato-soup red on a chimney breast or in soft furnishings. Or go olive if you want something quieter and more restful; olive sits beautifully against sandy tones because they're neighbours on the warm side of the wheel.
From the verified pairings: Mylands Arts Club No.281 (LRV 10.9) is a gorgeous deep accent — properly moody and grounding against all that warmth, ideal for a feature wall or joinery. Paint & Paper Library Blue Blood (LRV 16.4) is the more adventurous choice; a dark inky blue that creates real drama without going cold on you. And if you want something soft and unexpected as a complementary tone, Dulux Almost Pistachio (LRV 80.3) leans into that olive-adjacent territory while staying light and airy.
My practical tip: paint a big patch of Travertine alongside your chosen woodwork colour and live with it through a full day. North-facing rooms will pull it greener and flatter, so south light is where it really sings. And test your accent in a small dose first — a deep red or inky blue reads very differently at scale than it does on a tester card.