Mixing Different Woods In Same Room Can Work
Q. Our family room has a beige berber carpet, an end table and coffee table of white-washed pine, and a sofa in burgundy, navy and green plaid. We have finally found a TV/entertainment unit that has the proper dimensions plus the correct number of shelves, but it is in dark oak. We have looked everywhere for a white-washed cabinet to go with our tables but haven’t found one that suits us. Can we use the dark oak?
A. There have been many different wood trends over the years: warm maple, dignified pecan, handsome dark-knotty-pine, friendly white-washed pine and casual oak among them.
Most of us have acquired a piece or two from each of these periods. Mixing woods can sometimes seem quite a problem, for example, a favorite casual oak telephone table (that has all its cubby holes in the right places, and you can’t stand to part with it) looking uncomfortable beside the cherished walnut curio your mother gave you.
Our rooms need to function for us, but we also want them to look attractive. I advise two ways of mixing woods and still having a well-planned look.
The first method would not work for you, but in some rooms a neutral color scheme does the trick. With the upholstered pieces done in beiges, browns, tans and creams, the woods can be a variety of these neutrals also and it looks very pleasing.
A second method is to have a very definite and noticeable color scheme which takes charge of a room and lets the woods go unnoticed. An example would be a graceful traditional cherrywood Queen Anne chair upholstered in hunter green, looking very well in a contemporary light oak bedroom where the bedspread is in hunter green also.
With your burgundy, navy and green plaid sofa, I would use one of its bold colors and repeat it frequently around the room. You may choose navy throw pillows for the sofa, a navy leather recliner, and a big picture with a wide navy mat. Your different woods would go unnoticed in this room with its definite color scheme.
Your two white-washed tables could be a benefit. I often recommend using at least one piece of painted furniture in a room. This can show care and attention to a room much as a vase of fresh flowers.
I hope this helps you make a quick decision about this rare entertainment unit before it is sold to someone else.
Q. We recently built a new home and I am stumped over the front entry. It has a curved stairway and wall, with a coat closet around the corner under the stairs. The flooring in the entry is oak as well as are the stair bannister and spindles.
Because of the curved wall, it is a difficult place to hang anything. It is a fairly formal entry with a two-tiered gold and crystal chandelier and I don’t want to detract from this formal look. Do you have any ideas for me?
A. Here are some hints that may be helpful to you:
The entry is usually a small, but always important room. It is a transition room. It prepares people to leave the home and enter the out-of-doors, and vice versa. Going back and forth between a hard, open, sometimes uncomfortable area to a warm, comfortable, protective area can be quite a transition.
The sudden change in temperature, scenery, sound touch, and aromas can be made easier by the entry room. My advice is to blend outside/inside design in the entry. Use some soft, comfortable items like rugs, upholstered furniture, draperies, and wallpaper blended with outdoor items such as stone, tile, plants and windows.
Also consider the particular items that are needed in an entry:
A place to hang coats and hats
A surface for purses, packages or mail
A place to sit while waiting for someone or removing boots
A mirror for guests to check their appearance before entering the party (or for you to check your appearance some days before you go to the door).
The person who designed the hall-tree with bench, mirror, tabletop, and coat hooks all-in-one created the complete and movable entry. I often recommend this for people who don’t have an entry. It is a great piece of furniture to use beside a door.
Don’t worry about pictures on the wall. Your guests will not normally be looking at pictures here. They will be too busy saying hello or good-bye while removing or putting on their coats.
You do need a mirror and since you don’t have a wall for it, you might consider a carved oak or gold framed cheval (floor-standing) mirror nestled within the curve. A tall tree embracing the mirror will seem to say “outdoors coming up soon! Get ready!”
Beside this twosome, set a small upholstered chair to match your color scheme and an oak or marble pedestal to use as a tabletop. An Oriental rug in your chosen colors will add to the formal look and seem to say, “indoor wall-to-wall carpeting coming up next!”
Another idea would be a taller-than-average round table. It needs to be large enough to hold a gold framed mirror propped on an easel, and a vase of flowers. You would need a chair and a rug In this group also.
Now that you have the necessary items blended in outside/inside design, I think we can comfortably journey to another room in your beautiful home.