Natural beauty with a touch of wood

There is something about decorating with wood that is just so pleasing. Wood is warm and inviting, lending itself well to virtually any decor style. With its organic vibes and an abundance of personality and character, decorating with wood can move beyond just the basic flooring and furnishings.

From simple accessories, to lighting, beautiful contemporary bathroom faucets, wall and ceiling cladding, furniture, kitchen accents and much more, incorporating wood in your home, outside of flooring, is only limited by your creativity. As a designer, I love the versatile nature of wood, and how its nearly endless array of colours and grain options can complement, and sometimes even dictate, the style within a space. Whether you feel more comfortable with a light, airy and modern vibe or love the rich, dark more formal woods, I’m sure you can agree that the addition of wood accents to your home can create a depth in your design. However, working with wood is not just about simply incorporating it in your decor or using it creatively, it’s also about mixing wood types and tones to create a more stylish and elevate space.

When looking to mix and match your woods, the approach is no different than when you blend anything else, such as colour, textures or styles, it’s all about creating continuity or a story of sorts. You need to pay attention to key details such as grain, undertones and finish, to successfully blend your woods, as well as the overall style of the space and how the placement, usage, and proportion of your wood accents balance and complement the room.

Another way of mixing multiple wood tones can be by introducing contrasting colours. For example, a room with several shades of warm-toned woods can be pulled together and punctuated with a high-contrasting wood stained in a dark, almost black finish. This can complete the space by adding more depth to the design, while adding visual interest. Once you put together the palette that works for you, then all you really need to do is ensure you repeat the shades, at least two times, throughout to maintain continuity and structure within your space; this will make your room look well “pulled-together” without a lot of effort.

Mixing wood tones and decorating with wood in general is not as difficult as you may think, and it can create results that are truly stunning, edgy and stylish. Whether you decide to keep it simple by incorporating a few wood accessories or maybe barstools; or are a little more adventurous and looking to create more drama in your space with a beautiful walnut grain wall panelling or a wood inlay wallpaper the addition of wood elements will undoubtedly create a totally chic space in your home.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• If you can, keep your tones consistent when mixing woods, work in all warm or all in cool.
• Select one principal wood tone and one or two secondary wood tones when blending. The principal wood tone is usually the one that will occupy the most space, for example, flooring, wall feature, dining table.
• If there is a drastic difference between your floor colour and other furniture tones, the introduction of a patterned rug can help blend them together better.
• Don’t necessarily place similar tones of wood close together. It’s all about balance, consistency and harmony. Placement and moderation are key.
• Decorating with wood and mixing different types or tones of wood can be impactful, but ultimately, it’s only a part of the overall design of the space – colour, texture, pattern all still play an important part.