22 Ideas To Mix Wood Finishes In Home Decor

Matching wood finishes is a very old-fashioned thing, furniture sets aren’t popular, besides it’s very difficult to match all the wooden surfaces in a space for many reasons. Allowing various wood finishes to coexist can result in a more eclectic, layered look that lends the right amount of texture and depth. Let’s find out how to mix wood finishes with style in your room.

Contrast Furniture And Flooring

Furnishings can get lost against the backdrop of a similarly toned wood floor. Break up the monotony by pairing light furniture with flooring that has a darker stain or vice versa. This way you’ll create a bright and chic contrast, which is characteristic of contemporary spaces – no old-fashioned ideas here!

a lighter wood floor and darker stained furniture with wooden frames create a contrasting and complementary look

light-colored wooden floor and a rich-colored bench and planter stand for a contrasting look

a rustic kitchen with a rich-colored wood floor and whitewashed vintage wooden chairs

a whitewashed wood floor and a weathered wood industrial coffee table for a bold combo

Douglas fir wood floor and graphite grey kitchen cabinets create a bold and chic modern look

rich-colored hardwood floors and white wood cabinets are a chic and classic kitchen combo

Pick A Dominant Feature

A dominant feature in your space will show off a tone that is the main statement. The most popular idea is a wood covered statement wall, which can take over the whole space giving it a tone. Another cool and much easier way to create impact is by using a larger piece of wood furniture, such as a coffee table or buffet, as your starting point and mixing in two to three contrasting wood tones around it.

a dark stained kitchen island is a dominant piece in the whole space, it makes a statement

a dark stained floor and a matching vanity are of a dominant dark tone, and the rest of the furniture is whitewashed

a navy wooden statement wall dominates over the space, the rest wood surfaces are light-colored

a floating geometric built-in bench between two navy cabinets that are secondary ones

Remember That Complementary Is Better Than Close

Not buying furniture sets usually solves the matchy-matchy issue, but lots of do-it-yourself decorators still try to get close, which is a mistake. Wood finishes that almost match look like you tried and failed. Mixing a variety of wood finishes that complement each other (though are different) looks like a deliberate design choice.

When you decorate with different wood finishes, you have to be careful about both their placement in the room and their proximity to each other. For example, if all of the dark woods end up one side of the room, that side will look too heavy and the room will appear lopsided. Instead, scatter finishes that are close in color throughout the room for a visually balanced look.

avoid any matching wood finishes, which looks too boring and old-fashioned, here a light-colored bench set and a grey-shaded floor

totally mismatching wooden chairs and a dining table create a bold and chic look

an eclectic dining space with various chairs and a dining table and lots of different finishes

a gorgeous vintage Scandinavian dining space with mismatching wood chairs and a table plus a light-colored wood floor

a light-colored wood floor, rich stained chairs and a black one for a bold and chic mix

the floor, chairs and a sideboard of complementary wood tones are great for an edgy feel

mix up dark stained or rich stained furniture throughout the whole space to make it balanced

Create Continuity With A Solid Color Palette

If you’re worried your mismatched wood grains have got out of hand, tie the different finishes and styles together with a cohesive color palette or one dominant color everywhere. Neutral color combos work best of all filling the whole space and balancing different looks of the furniture and floors but you may try many other ideas including color accents – bright pillows, ottomans and rugs.