Chances are you don't want a room filled with clashing wood finishes. A few pieces in the same finish does add a sense of symmetry and elegance, but unless you purchase a complete furniture set, you're hard pressed to find perfect matches. Looking at wood finishes as you would colors greatly expands your options, allowing you to bring an eclectic touch to your design. Does this Spark an idea?
Blending Together
Use wood finishes to create dramatic contrast or subtle accents. For a traditional motif, staying in the same family of tones works well. For medium-tone woods, add a hint of depth with darker, rich woods like mahogany, cherry and walnut. To lighten up a room, mix mid-tone woods with lighter pine, bamboo, oak or teak. With exceptions, it's best to avoid mixing light tones with the darkest hues.
Breaking It Up
The dark and light rule is broken to achieve a contemporary look. If you decide to mix very dark finishes with the lightest tones, however, follow the design principle of balance. If you have both dark- and light-stained pieces in a single room, using light-colored accent pieces on the dark furniture and warm, dark items on the lighter furniture (whether it be a throw, lamp or vase) will create a visual unity in the room while letting the difference in finishes create depth and texture.
Treating Them the Same
To create another type of visual unity, treat different wood finishes in the same manner. If you find a table with a lacquered mahogany finish, follow suit with other pieces in the room and give them a coat of the shiny treatment, or leave two pieces in a matte finish and two in a lacquered finish, for balance. For a rustic motif, strip wood pieces down to their natural finish or give them a salvaged look with peeled or cracked treatments. The difference in tone gives your room variety, but it's important not to go overboard by using the same treatment on every single piece. If you have a large piece with a natural treatment, do the same with one or two other smaller pieces -- preferably in other parts of the room. The point is to achieve visual balance.
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