It’s a topic that everyone seems to have an option about – mixing wood tones. If you think you’re stuck with one type of wood throughout your whole house, think again. Different types of wood in a home create a lot of interest. Sound intimidating? Keep reading to find out tips for mixing wood tones in your home and you’ll soon be a pro at it.
Identify Your Dominant Wood Tone
Your dominant wood tone is simply the color of wood that’s used most in your home. Tone specifically is the warmth or coolness of your wood. The wood tone may appear in a large finish like wood floors, cabinetry, or windows. If there’s a room where you don’t have any of these finishes, take a look at your furniture. A large piece of wood furniture will most likely be your dominant wood tone, at least for that area.
Look at the Undertones
To find out what other wood complements your dominant wood tone, you’ll want to look at the undertone of the dominant wood. Take a look at your dominant wood in natural lighting if possible. You’re looking for either warm tones or cool tones. Warm tones will appear as yellow, orange, or red. You’ll find them in most unstained woods like walnut, white oak, red oak, and maple. Cool tones will appear as having a grayish cast to them. Woods with charcoal, bark, and sand stains will have cool tones.
Complement or Contrast Your Wood Tones
Once you’ve determined if your dominant wood tone is cool or warm, you can complement your wood tone by staying within the same family to give the wood in your home a cohesive look. Complementary colors look great together but they’re also not too similar to each other.
On the other hand, pick the opposite of your undertone to create something that’s one of a kind. The point here is to either complement or contrast your wood. You don’t want to pick a different wood that looks only slightly different.
Use Each Wood Twice
Add a bit of structure to your wood tone mixing by using each wood at least twice. This will add some cohesion and not make anything look too out of place. Even if these are small pieces of furniture or even accents, make sure that you are representing each wood at least twice.
Consider a Bridge Color
If you are mixing dark-toned wood with light-toned wood, consider adding a bridge color. This bridge color will be a medium-toned wood that “bridges” together your light and dark woods, creating an overall appealing look.
Add Neutral Furniture and Finishings
If you feel like you need to break up your wood tones, consider adding some painted furniture in a neutral color. Staying within the gray family is a great way to add some balance to your different wood tones.
Finishings can be a great way to tie everything together. Consider adding some white finishings or metal such as black or brass to give the eyes a break from the woods.
Place Textiles as Needed
An easy tip that makes a big difference in mixing wood tones successfully is to add textiles to the mix. Textiles can be a great way to bring different woods together and create a finished look. Rugs, pillows, and window treatments can all be used to bridge the different woods together. This is especially true of rugs, they can make great buffers between different tones of wood.
Now that you know successfully how to mix wood tones in your home, you’re all ready to apply it. Mixing wood tones can be such an interesting aspect of your space, don’t be afraid to experiment.
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