Great news! Contrary to what you might think, the wood finishes in your home do not have to match. Don’t worry if you have an eclectic mix of wood furniture. When done right, you can create a stunning room using a variety of wood tones, colours and styles in a way that would make an interior decorator proud. Using a variation in patterns, textures and shades is not only an eye-catching way to decorate a living room, dining room or bedroom, it’s also a practical way to decorate. Most people don’t buy all their furniture from one place or at one time. The unique finish is more interesting than the matchy-matchy look of the past. Read on to learn how to properly mesh a mish-mash of wood furniture with these 28 design rules.

1. 28 RULES FOR MIXING AND MATCHING
WOOD FURNITURE FINISHES

2. The wood finishes in your home do
not have to match

3. Most people don’t buy
all their furniture from
one place or at one
time
The unique finish is
more interesting than
the matchy-matchy
look of the past

4. Watch for Warm or Cool
1
The tone of the wood furniture in your room
doesn’t have to match exactly but you should look
for complementary undertones

5. Stick to the Same Wood
Family
2
By sticking to the same family of woods you create
cohesion – it’s an easy way to match a room

6. Mix it up with Different
Grains
3
You could use grain style and pattern as you would
fabric pattern in a room

7. Match the Grain in Rustic
Woods
4
Creating a rustic-themed room and your different
wood furniture pieces all have a prominent grain

8. Pick a Stunning Accent
Colour
5
Two entirely different pieces of wood furniture
work effectively together when you use a brilliant
shot of pink, purple, green or any other accent
colour on both pieces

9. Combine Styles with
Confidence
6
When mixing and matching your décor, be aware
that you can combine certain styles such as rustic
distressed with the smooth, sleek lines of
contemporary

10. Use the Rug Well7
One of the trickiest aspects of balancing a dining
room with a wood floor and different pieces of
wood furniture is what to do with the table

11. Keep it Simple8
If you have just a few different wood finishes in
your room it is easier to fashion a balanced look

12. Create a Focal Point
9
Choose one standout piece of furniture to be the
star in the room. Use contrasting, yet more muted,
wood tones and finishes around it

13. White’s Alright10
If your room is full of different wood finishes,
white is the calming, magical influence that draws
them all together and minimizes the busyness

14. Balancing Act11
Ensure two sides of the room are balanced with
wood furniture in similar tones so you create a
harmonious scene

15. Embrace Eclectic Textures
12
Try out a modern and fresh design for the living
room with high-shine floors and rustic, distressed-
style furniture

16. Create Flow Between Rooms
13
If your living room is decorated in a contemporary
style using a smooth, shiny wood finish and your
dining room is decked out in mahogany tones,
blend the two rooms together by using accessories
in one room that feature the wood tone in the
other

17. Repeat a Key Accent Shade
14
If you have a gorgeous shade of wood that you
want to showcase, repeat the accent in at least
two places in the room

18. Repeat Your Accent with
Accessories
15
The accent colour appearing on several different
wood finishes automatically matches them
together

19. Balance a Mish-Mash of Woods
with Neutral Colour16
If your room is full of different wood finishes it is a
good idea to stick to a neutral palette for the walls
and floors, in a natural wood shade

20. Use Different Finishes to Update
Your Look17
If you used to love industrial-style contemporary
furniture but now you appreciate a more rustic
look, you don’t have to throw out key pieces of
furniture

21. Create Space and Light
18
Mixing warm woods and dark tones with light,
white wood finishes to the walls and floor makes a
room look like a coastal cottage – fresh, light and
airy

22. Use the Floor and Furniture
for Contrast19
Make a dramatic impact with a dark wooden floor
and light wooden furniture, or vice versa

23. Play Up the Contrast
20
When all the other furniture is the same shade or
tone, add one highly contrasting piece to bring
dramatic impact to the design of the room

24. Accept that it’s not the Same
21
When you buy different pieces of furniture from
different sources you are bound to get different
finishes. But some people make the mistake of
trying to make each piece the same

25. Less Lacquer, More Mixing
22
When you avoid using heavily lacquered or shiny
woods you can mix and match more comfortably

26. Choose a Common Shape
23
It doesn’t mean that all your wood furniture has to
be the exact same shape, but you can unify a room
by choosing different finishes with the same shape
theme

27. Mix Painted and Natural
Finishes
24
Create interest and depth to a room by mixing
furniture pieces with a natural and a painted finish

28. Use Other Elements
25
Wooden floors look natural when they are in a
light shade. So long as the tone is not too orange
or red, the floor will mix naturally with other wood
shades

29. A Pale Floor Acts as a Neutral
26
An all-wood room can be a little overwhelming so
take a step back and add other hard surfaces to
the mix to create contrast and a sense of peace

30. Pull a Room Together Through
Theme27
You may have a lot of different styles of furniture
and different wood finishes but if your overall look
is consistent, you can use them all

31. Let Your Personality Shine
28
When it comes to decorating, there are no hard
and fast rules and that goes for mixing woods.
Inject your own personality

32. Oak Furniture Company is
your online oak furniture
specialist with our own
warehouse located in the
UK. Our ethos is to supply
furniture ranges that are
desirable yet affordable;
that are designed with
beauty, craftsmanship and
functionality in mind
More information
www.oakfurniturecompany.com/blog/mixing-and-
matching-wood-furniture-finishes
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