Mixing Wood Tones
Look! It's happening! I made it to another post!! Let's celebrate with an air five... *BAM*...thanks for that. You're the best.
SO! I want to talk about something that I get questions on pretty often; mixing wood tones in your home. So many homeowners that I meet with assume that once they pick a wood finish in their home, be it cabinets, flooring, furniture, whathave you, that they are stuck with that finish throughout the home. That is absolutely a myth! Using the same wood tone everywhere, you run the risk of losing the warmth of the finish and the impact it can have in the space.
Here are a few key guidelines to mixing woods well:
Don't go crazy with it
Try to keep it to two to three different wood tones if possible.
Mixing wood tones is a great way to add texture and depth to your home, but you do need to do it within reason. The dark floor in this space is offset really well by the medium wood in the dresser and the legs on the chair, and repeated in the bathroom mirror.
Keep the furnishings the same tone
The first step to mixing woods well, is to keep your main furniture pieces in the same family.
​ Maintaining the same wood tones in your furniture keeps that as a prominte tone in the space and gives continuity so that you don't get too overloaded with different woods throughout your space.
Look at the undertones
The contrast here is nice as well, but what makes these wood tones play nicely together is the inherant warm undertones they share.
Soften the space with an area rug
While layering wood IS gorgeous and adds a lot of depth and texture to your home, it can also start to get a little heavy handed.
This space styled by West Elm has a lot of rich, warm wood tones in it, but becomes more inviting and softened with the addition of the plush rug and soft throw pillows.
Maintain balance
When you are using multiple wood tones, you want to maintain balance in the space with them.
(House Beautiful)
It is important to carry your different woods throughout the space to keep continuity and balance with your finishes. The bookcase in the corner of this room ties into the table base in the center of the room and the writing desk on the other side of the room while the flooring ties into the beams in the ceiling and the wall on the far left.
Well, there you have it. Some beautiful pictures of lovely spaces, and my thoughts added to the pool of the rest of the thoughts on the interwebz about mixing your woods. Don't be afraid to switch your cabinets up from your floors or your furniture. Just because you install one wood in your home, does NOT mean you are stuck with it for life. Find it some friends to mix it up and look good with.
Toolde-oo!!
- D
