How to Mix Wood Tones in Your Home
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Wood tones come in different colours and shades due to the kind of wood it is. As there are many kinds of wood tones, matching it with your home interior can be difficult sometimes. Just because there are many kinds of wood tones does not mean it needs to be hard for you to try to match your wooden furniture pieces together.
Because most people don’t buy all their furniture at the same time and place, people are already known to mix wood furniture without knowing they were being stylish. “Since wood tones are in the ‘neutral’ category, it is relatively easy to mix them and achieve a visually pleasing result,” says interior designer Emily Davis. “But when in doubt, go for contrast. Mixing a dark wood (like ebony) with a light wood (like lime) will always look chic and intentional.”
“Mixing wood tones makes a room more inviting and effortless, rather than calculated and expected,” says Hannon Kirk Doody, designer at Hannon Douglas. “I would not shy away from putting together, for instance, a painted oak table and a Louis XVI walnut commode.”
As mixing wood tones into your home is nothing new, here are some ways you can mix it into your home nicely. The usual: it doesn’t have to be complicated.
NOT PICKING A DOMINANT WOOD TONE
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Mixing wood tones are perfectly acceptable and, more often than not, encouraged. It does help (if not always) to pick a dominant wood tone as a starting point. Picking a dominant wood tone as a starting point does help you pick your other furniture pieces into your home or that particular room.
Let’s say if you have wooden floors, this would be your dominant wood tone. If you do not have wooden floors, pick the largest furniture piece in the room as your wooden centre-piece instead.
Nothing says you have to go crazy mixing wood tones, especially when you are feeling out of your element. Pick a dominant wood tone if you like and let it anchor your space.
DON’T MATCH THE UNDERTONES
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Another helpful and useful tip for mixing wood tones is to match the undertones between different pieces. You can create a warm mid-tone for the interiors of your room. Do so by perusing antique wood pieces in a warm mid-tone shade, creating continuity through space.
Pay attention to whether your dominant wood tone is on the cooler or warmer side. Stay in the same family shade to create a coherent thread.
NEVER PLAYING WITH CONTRASTS
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People often try to mix wood tones by trying to match similar shades together. By contrast to popular opinion, the best thing to do is actually the opposite – play with contrast.
If you have dark wooden furniture pieces in your home, it can be complemented with light grey colours. On top of that, you can feature three different wood tones ranging anywhere from really light shades to really dark ones.
Playing with contrast will add visual characteristics to your room and it helps pieces complement each other. Make your rooms a little bit less boring there!
THROW ON A RUG
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It works. If your room has too much wood, you can break up your wood pieces and your floor with a rug. It can make a huge difference in all honesty, especially if your furniture and wood floors have a similar wood tone.
Take for example, if you have old wooden chairs or tools that looks washed out when placed directly above wooden floors. You can add on a contrasting rug on the floor in between to make your furniture stand out. At the same time, it helps ease the eyes as you can see where your furniture and the floor are.
PICKING ANCHOR PIECES
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Another great way for you to create an impact is by using larger pieces of wood furniture as your starting point. Mix it with two or three contrasting wood tones around it. Mix wood furniture such as a coffee table or a buffet table.
On top of those, you know you can always switch out wood accessories to see what appeals to you.
TUCK IT IN A CORNER
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If you feel you haven’t had space or a corner to put your wooden furniture, worry not. Survey your house to see how you can fit your wooden piece in nicely. It can be an alcove or a corner that fits perfectly. It will blend into space much more seamlessly.
Not forgetting to mention, tucking your wooden pieces to a dull area makes an attractive addition and corner to an eclectic living space.
PUT IT AGAINST A CLEAN BACKDROP
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Coming from putting your wooden furniture against a clean backdrop, this goes in the same direction but with less dramatic effect. Set dark wooden furniture against a beautifully clean, contemporary backdrop gives it a chance to shine.
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A pale, light coloured floor with smooth plastered walls and fresh paintwork create an immaculate backdrop against which your antique pieces can stand out. It can also have space to breathe. At the same time, it prevents them from looking like inherited afterthoughts and allows their shapes and tone to be appreciated.
FIND A NEW FUNCTION FOR YOUR WOODEN FURNITURE
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If it is an old furniture piece, why not invent a new role for it? It can quickly become a valued and exciting addition to your home. Have an antique chest you no longer have any use for it? Why not change, up-cycle, and have it plumbed to become a bathroom basin for your bathroom?
USE BRIGHT ART TO COVER
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If all else fails, you can always team your wooden furniture with bright furniture, then create an exciting juxtaposition with jazzy and bright-coloured artwork.
Hang the artwork close to the furniture to make the clash strong and deliberate. It is a simple and effective way to bring an antique piece into the current century.
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Conclusively, piecing your dark coloured wooden furniture together in a room does not have to be so difficult. With a bit of planning, your home should be fine.