Good design is comprised of many aspects, but perhaps the most important is making a space look like it came together effortlessly. It can take years of sourcing furniture and decor to curate a space you love, and many homeowners find that collected furniture and decor can be difficult to pair with one another. One of the most common design blunders is how to correctly mix wood finishes. There is a common misconception that in order for a room to feel right, all of the wood must be the same tone. Well, we’re to tell you that argument is completely incorrect, not to mention boring!
So how does one successfully mix and match wood tones in design? Well, aside of having a good eye or attending years of schooling, there are a few tips and tricks that can help. Mixing and layering any material is what creates a lived in, unique and interesting space, and is well worth the effort. We hope these six tips help ease the process for you, and give you plenty of direction as you decorate your home.
Tip #1: Pick Your Primary Wood
In most cases the primary wood will be your flooring, cabinetry color, or the largest piece of furniture in the room. Everything will be based off of this wood and it’s undertone, so it is important to get this right! Every other piece that is added into the space will contrast directly with this wood color and tone, so there are two important factors to consider here. First, identify if it is a dark, medium or light TONE. Second, what undertone (color) is this wood? Does it have a reddish hue? Perhaps more golden yellow? Make note of these two characteristics before moving on to tip number two. In this space above the primary wood is the flooring, which is a medium tone with caramel/yellow undertones. The choices of browns, tans and the pop of green on the bench seat all work with within the warm palette of this room, which was dictated by the flooring.
Tip #2: Add the Missing Tones
If you’re primary wood tone is light, then you will be looking for incorporate some medium to dark woods into the space. If you’re space is comprised of darker woods, look to breathe new life into it with some lighter tones. The goal is to create as much depth and balance as you can. A monochromatic room can feel flat or unfinished. Adding darker accents or lighter, cooler woods can change the whole look and feel of a space. In this cozy living room by Anastasia Casey, she has medium toned floors (primary wood), which she offset with a lighter wood couch, and a darker wood rattan stool.
Tip #3: Keep a Cohesive Color Palette
Color is everything in design, and it is important to remember that wood tones are still a part of your color palette! Woods and stains generally fall into two categories, warm and cool. If you’re room is filled with greens, reds and yellows, incorporate stains that fall into that warm family of colors. If the room is gray, black and blue, lean into more muted stains with gray or ebony tones. This helps the furniture, cabinets or flooring blend in seamlessly with the rest of the space, and compliment the colors you’ve selected instead of fighting with them. In the office space above, the gray wood floor is paired with a washed oak desk and darker wood chair to create contrast. This room stays “cooler” by keeping the walls neutral and the wood tones subtle.
Tip #4: Keep it to 2-3 Tones
In order to keep the design and feel of your home from feeling too scattered, try to keep the number of wood tones down to two or three. This will ensure that the spaces feel intentional and planned. It also makes it far easier to change the items around your wood pieces, i.e. furniture, decor and artwork. This living room mixes 3 woods together; a medium on the floor, dark on the furniture legs and table, and light on the cabinet in the corner. Notice how the brighter and warmer cabinet pops in this space against the darker tones.
Tip #5: Use Each Tone More Than Once
When pulling the room together, be sure that you are using each of your wood tones more than once in the space. If you choose a walnut table, you incorporate it with walnut picture frames, a coffee table, or the legs on your furniture. In this dining room, the dark wood table matches the dark wood flooring throughout the home, which is divided up by a lighter rug. The light wood chairs tie in with the light wood sideboard to create balance. The use of the rug to create balance leads perfectly into our sixth and final tip.
Tip #6: Balance Everything With Textiles
Fabrics, rugs, curtains and furniture are an integral part of successfully mixing wood tones. They serve as barriers, bridges, and buffers between the pieces in your room. Wood on wood can start to feel washed out or bland, but placing the perfect rug between the two creates contrast. This dining room designed by Kiel Aaron (@kielaaron) is the perfect example of this. The natural woven rug has bands of black and lighter neutrals running through it, which coordinate with the dark wood chairs and medium wood table. A runner breaks up the tabletop and coordinates with the lighter and brighter walls. A black light fixture brings the eye up onto the ceiling and mirrors the black from the chairs. The artwork also incorporates the blacks and tans found in the furniture.
We threw a lot at you, but hopefully these examples and suggestions were helpful and constructive! Design is entirely personal, so at the end of the day all that matters is that the spaces you create make you feel comfortable and happy. Be sure to check back in here on the blog for more design tips and tricks, and thanks so much for reading!
Until next time!
xx Kelly
*header image via Pinterest, if you know the actual source please let me know in the comments so I can give them proper credit!