A soft color scheme can free up your decorating options whether it’s the neutral paint on your walls or the lighter finish of your wooden furniture and fixtures. Many contemporary homes and traditional period houses embrace the darker side of the wooden installations – a deep, almost-black espresso stain. Light wood tones are less striking but have their own charm. Let’s take a look what impact they can bring into your interior.
Using light-toned wood, especially for floors and ceiling, will make the entire room feel lighter and bigger than it actually is. Bright shades don’t absorb as much light as dark-toned fixtures. Rather, they help to spread the brightness around the surroundings, helping the space look airier and more open.
Uplift your entry by installing board and batten wainscoting. Keep the tone of the wood panels light to keep the place look spacious. The wainscoting decorations will add architectural interest to a nondescript space. Bring a periodical charm with an antique bench and a light fixture or artwork that evokes the memory of a past era. Nevertheless, if a traditional style is not your thing, polish the look with some modern accessories such as posters, wallpaper, or sleek wall-mounted lights.
Natural wood tones are pleasing to the eye. The toned down shades will bring a sense of serenity into a room and make it more relaxing. Most of the contemporary homes resort to soft and neutral shades. So, bringing pale wood furniture pieces will create a peaceful atmosphere because the subtle hues will complement each other and create a visual harmony. The contours of different items almost blend together that makes a room feel more open and larger. Remember that mixing up light tones with dark colors will create drama and excitement.
Dark-stained wood installations don’t show their grains, which may seem too monochromatic. If you want to add visual interest to a room, choose wooden furniture and other features in light tones. You can even create cool patterns such as parquet, basket-weave, or herringbone.
If you don’t have the budget for wooden floor and ceiling, at least choose some furniture pieces in pale-toned woods. Whether they are just a couple of chairs or a fairly sizable cabinetry, the place will feel breezy if you polish them in a soft wood shade. The natural tone will appear subtle and won’t make any contrasting effect.
Pale-stained wooden panels tend to feel organic. They feel untouched and raw, which impart a strong sense of nature. Pair them up with big windows or potted plants to create an indoor-outdoor feel. On the other hand, dark woods appear to be more manicured and create a restrained mood.
The light-colored woods also bring warmth into the indoor and make it more welcoming. Many modern interior designers favor incorporating warm hues such as fresh violets, blush pinks, sunny yellows, or warm off-whites into the home décor to create a cheerful atmosphere. Natural woods in a soft finish are opposite to the cold demeanor of dark espresso tones, and when you combine them with hot hues, they exude gentle warmth and create a relaxing mood.
Speaking of mingling together, pale-toned wooden floor and furniture items hide the unwanted elements such as dust or scratches very well. You can debate over whether it’s a good thing to keep the interior dirty, but it’s definitely a blessing if the floors don’t look dusty just a day after a thorough cleaning. Darker woods are not a good choice especially if you have children or pet in the house. They highlight scratches, stain, pet hairs, and dust, which means lots of moping, washing, and cleaning every day.
Super-dark floors and furniture pieces create a sense of drama and sophistication. Light-colored woods, on the contrary, soften the mood and introduce a warm, friendly vibe into your home. The ideas mentioned above will help you to figure out how to use the light-colored woods into your home décor.
