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Wood

There is something charming about wooden furniture that makes it a staple in practically every home. Usually associated with feelings of warmth, comfort, and richness, wooden furnishings can easily transform any room and make it feel more homely and inviting while at the same time offering high quality and a timeless look. When it comes to mixing and matching furnishings with different wood finishes, things can get a little tricky.

You want to create a look that looks stylish and cohesive, and for that to happen, you will need to consider a couple of factors. To help you out, we are listing a couple of useful tips for skillfully mixing and matching different wood finishes in your home decor.

Use wood finishes with common undertones

When looking to mix woods in the same room, the best place to start would be to identify the undertones. Different woods will have a different color temperature or undertone, and how you combine them will largely impact the overall feel of the room and whether it feels connected or not.

Your safest bet would be to use common undertones. There are wood finishes with warm undertones ( maple, walnut, white oak) – they are unstained, and they have a natural, warm feel. They’ll appear either red, yellow, or orange, and they can easily be mixed and matched. There are also wood finishes with cool undertones. These are stained woods, and they’re easy to combine, and with a variety of options to choose from (maple with charcoal stain, ash with sand stain, etc.), it’s easy to appeal to every taste. Using wood finishes with common undertones will result in a balanced look since all the tones will complement each other.

wood finishes Photo by R ARCHITECTURE on Unsplash

Add visual interest by creating contrast

Another way you can incorporate different wood finishes in your home decor and achieve a balanced look is to play with contrast. If you don’t want to be too bold, you can take a more subtle route and use pieces with dark and light wood finishes that are not as contrasting. For instance, you can go for combinations such as medium and dark or light and medium.

You can also create contrast by opting for pieces that have a different grain pattern and size. Varying wood grains will add interest to your interiors and have a significant impact on the overall appeal of the room regardless of the way you choose to incorporate wood into your interior space. If you are, however, drawn to a bolder, more dramatic look, you can go for a high-contrast mix, combining dark-stained finishes with pale ones.

Incorporate a unifying piece into the mix

This is a great tip for someone who’s just starting out and wants to make sure that all the elements are tied perfectly together. It can be as simple as adding one element that will act as a bridge between warm and cool tones in the room. 

A great example of “bridge” wood is, of course, reclaimed wood because of its uniqueness, character, and history, but some other great options include spalted sugarberry, zebrawood, and pieces with burled finishes. Because they contain a range of tones, they’ll act as a unifying piece for all the other wood finishes, creating visual balance and tying everything together into a cohesive whole.

wood finishes Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

Soften the transition with warm, cozy textiles

Every room can benefit from incorporating a wooden touch, but it is a good idea to add some textiles into the mix as well. Introducing a couple of layers will create a buffer between the woods and soften the transition from one tone of wood to another.

Area rugs are some of the decor pieces that are commonly used to soften the mix and create a soothing transition, acting as an effective layer of texture for rooms with wooden floors and plenty of wooden furniture while also upping the cozy factor in your home. 

Wrapping up

Using natural materials such as wood is a great way to infuse your interiors with a touch of nature and design spaces that exude warmth and comfort. Whether you prefer a rustic look or gravitate more towards modern design, no worries – wood blends with practically every style.

If you take the time to learn how to successfully mix wood finishes, you will be able to bring a sense of balance and cohesiveness into your interiors and take your home decor to a whole new level.

This season is all about bringing the outside in and taking the inside out. A need to connect with nature has never been more desirable than it is today when we have already stayed away from our natural roots far into the depths of technological innovations. One way to become one with Mother Nature once again is to introduce raw, natural materials into your house. Start by checking out some of our ideas on how to enhance your home in a nature-friendly manner.

Photo by Kam Idris on Unsplash

Incorporate wooden elements for the finishing touches

Wood is the ultimate finishing material and the reason that so lies in the many possible ways you can design it for any purpose you imagine. It can be transformed into anything from a raw and unstained cover with knots and grains to a marble-like surface. In any case, one thing is for sure – it looks great. Bringing wood into your home is one of the most efficient ways to reconnect your everyday space with nature. 

Aside from the finishing touches, you can use wood to completely cover your floors, ceilings, and walls, giving the room a rustic, cabin-like look. Wooden furniture is also very welcome since it is the most sustainable furnishing solution. 

Image by khiem tran from Pixabay

Enjoy a lifetime of quality flooring with concrete

If you want a truly long-lasting flooring solution, you should be on the lookout for sustainable decorative concrete which has become incredibly trendy in interior design. You can choose to have your concrete flooring done in different colors, but probably the most stylish choice would be to leave it raw and exposed. This type of flooring will definitely look the same for many years just as it looks today. 

There are several ways to use decorative concrete, but the most obvious choices are definitely driveways, pool surrounds, paths, and al frescos. By leaving the concrete design exposed, you’ll prevent slipping and also nail that natural look that fits perfectly in both an indoor and an outdoor landscape. 

Photo by Huy Phan from Pexels

Color your house with lavish greenery

Probably the healthiest way to invite nature into your home is to let the greenery in. Plants are not only lush stylish décor elements but they are also natural air purifiers, which gives them the title of number one must-have element in any eco-friendly, nature-oriented home. All kinds of flowers and potted plants are welcome and the more you have – the happier you will be.

Psychologists have shown that the color green has calming effects, which any Zen lover can confirm. While large plants and small indoor trees are more suitable accent items for bigger rooms, don’t forget that there are hanging plants that can easily fit in smaller rooms and look just as adorable.

Photo by Ksenia Chernaya from Pexels

Paint your home with the colors of the wind

When it comes to choosing a color palette, focus on the hues you can find in nature and forget about strongly pigmented RGB mutant colors. If your first thought is that you should make your home plain green and brown because these are the colors that first come to mind, remember that nature is much more colorful than that. You might find various shades of red quite interesting, such as brick red, burnt red or terracotta, while marine blues can complement these reddish tones in order to make the perfect blend with the wooden and sandy shades.

Mocha, beige and sage green are another winning combination for those of you who are fans of brighter hues. With just a bit of grey coming from the concrete flooring and a cozy fireplace, you will have yourself the ultimate nature color palette.

Photo by Alisha Hieb on Unsplash

Trust in the beauty of raw imperfection

Remember that the word “raw” can be translated into rough and imperfect. The art of incorporating raw elements into your home lies in leaving it unfinished – just like nature would. It’s not that often possible to see sharp corners and steep edges in nature, yet we tend to geometrize every part of our homes. In order to avoid this artificial setting, opt for curvy edges and imperfect finishes as much as you can.

 

Incorporating raw materials into your home will only bring you one step closer to nature, but consider this being only an intro into a more organic and eco-friendly lifestyle. Some further steps could be trying to reduce the amount of waste you produce, shopping for organic ingredients, and cycling to work. You will see how every new step towards a more natural way of living will only become easier.

Owning wood furniture means that you have to dedicate some time and effort to keep it clean and well-maintained. But, wood is used so that your furniture pieces can last for generations to come, if you make sure to get the dirt off and wax it regularly to keep the structure intact.

Keep Dusting Simple and Easy

Unless you dust your furniture every week, it will become harder to get it off afterwards, because the buildup can scratch your surface and some airborne particles can cause permanent damage as well. Though, depending on your furniture you need to choose the right dusting tool so that you do not cause any damage yourself.

Wood does not age well

After time your furniture will get worn out, and if you do not apply the right type of wax or oil, you will soon notice dulls and cracking. But, thankfully, it is not a hard thing to do on your own, and all you must look into is getting the right brand for the wood in your furniture. Moreover, if you want to update the color, you can get special mixtures to help revive it. Though, color change is inevitable, and you should leave it alone for some time to see if it is going to affect it or not.

Keep Away From All-purpose Cleaners

When it is time to clean wood pieces, try to avoid using all-purpose cleaners because they can contain chemicals which might cause damage. On the other hand, you need to stay away from water as much as possible, as it can really ruin the wood in your furniture. Though, if you run into a tough spot, make sure to use only a little bit and to dab it gently, so that you apply as little pressure as possible. Afterwards, make sure to dry it immediately with a soft clean cloth so that you do not leave any spots behind.

Fixing Up Minor Damages

It will be inevitable that your furniture suffers some scratches, but, it does not mean that you cannot fix some of the damages. Either using paste wax or a specified pen, you can correct minor visible scratches. But, if it is a deeper one, going well into the wood, you will have to use some kind of wood filler that will make the deep cut disappear. The secret to making most of the scratches vanish without much effort is to apply the fixing solution in layers rather that in one go.

Make Sure To Keep Furniture Away From Direct Sunlight

It is best to use some kind of curtains in your home that will block out most of the harmful rays of the Sun, because sunlight can potentially fade out the color of your furniture. Furthermore, if you leave any kind of accessories on your furniture, you will notice dark spots left behind after a long hot day. In order to avoid something like that happening, use cover cloths as well, because that way you will ensure a long life for your wood furniture.

Taking care of your furniture can be an easy task once you come up with a routine that will be simple to follow, however you have to stay consistent and you will have to make sure to pay attention to the small details. On the other hand, reacting quickly to any kind of damage done to your wood pieces can be evened out, but only if you stay vigilant with proper maintenance. Keep in mind that good care of your furniture will make it last longer.