Tips for Using Wood as an Interior Design Element
Wood is perhaps one of the most popular interior design elements in the history of home decorating. This should come as no surprise, since wood has being used in the home long before the relatively modern inventions of plastic, sheet metal and other manmade things. But despite its long history of home use, many people still aren’t sure about how they can put wood to best use in their homes.
Types of Wood
All woods are not created the same, and especially not with regards to interior design. Some woods are light, others are dark. Some woods are hard, others are soft. Knowing the differences between the look and suitability of each wood type will help you avoid using the wrong wood for the wrong task.
To begin with, try to keep the colour and shade of your wood in keeping with your home’s overall colour palette. Mixing woods will only ensure that your home, and every room in it, seems unorganised. Mixing wood types only works when the woods you use are all fairly subdued. It’s advisable, however, that you look for larger pieces that are made of the same wood material – these pieces include chairs, tables, beds and wardrobes.
Using Wood as an Accent
Wood can be a wonderful addition to an interior design look if used in the form of carefully considered accents. You might opt for a sofa with wooden legs, or a single wooden coffee table from Fortune Woods, made from untreated oak. But if you do decide to just use wood as an accent it’s important to tie it in to the rest of your room. Pick a single colour and apply it to the overall design of the room, including your wooden accent. Place blue cushions on a wooden-legged sofa to complement the blue of a wall, or drape a soft green tablecloth over a wooden coffee table to match the green of a carpet, rug or drape.
Modern Uses for Wood
Wooden pieces of furniture are often quite traditional in style, but many of today’s interior designers also use wood to uphold and re-engage with modernistic principles. They use wood as an insert, in places it wouldn’t normally be found, and shape it with cutting edge machines in order to create artistic pieces that wouldn’t be found in the natural world. There are many examples of cutting edge interior design concepts featuring wood, which can be found online in interior design blogs. Reading such blogs is a great way to come up with ideas for your own home and will help you move past traditional ways of thinking about using wood in the home.
