LIFESTYLE: Bungalow 56 on Mixing Wood Tones

Mixing Wood Tones

By Jessica Nicolls + Karyn Frazier Photos by Samantha Goh Photography

ood tones are a wonderful way to add warmth into a space and can make such a beautiful statement. There is a careful balance when mixing different wood tones into a room.Too much of one tone can make a design look flat, while too much of a variety can feel busy. Finding the perfect balance of tones to highlight and blend can be tricky, but we have some tips for finding the sweet spot.

1 | Start with the most prominent wood tone. Usually this is the flooring throughout the house. This can be a big decision as it will determine what other wood tones can be pulled into the space. If the flooring is a tile, the prominent wood tone could be in the cabinetry or a furniture piece.

2 | Identify the underlying tones in your main wood tone. There are quite a few different lighter and darker strands through a piece of wood. Some tones will be warmer and some will be cooler depending on the type of wood. We like to choose a light tone, a medium tone and a dark tone to create a palette for the space.

3 | Once all your tones have been identified it is time to start blending all the wood tones together! For example, in our Starpark Project we started with a lighter oak floor (our prominent wood tone), then blended in the island with a warmer, richer oak tone. This transition is subtle, but creates contrast between the floor and the island. Next we layered in a dark walnut finished table with black stained chairs for the dramatic pop.

Warmer wood flooring, lighter wood island for a clean Scandinavian look.

Mix toned wood floors, warm wood cabinets with darker toned barstools.