If you are going to have wood flooring and furniture in the same room, you will want them to match. The catch is, you won’t want them to match too well. If they are too close in color, your room will be very boring. On the other hand, you certainly don’t want them to clash.
Regardless of which you purchased first, the furniture or the flooring or if you are buying them at the same time, these tips will help you find the ideal match.
Decorating 101
The art of making a room look good, including matching wood flooring and furniture, is part creativity, part personal taste, and part following some simple rules that stem from a science called color theory.
Undertones
Every type of wood flooring has an undertone which defines its characteristic. It will either be warm, cool, or neutral. When matching your flooring with furniture (or, vice versa), you will want to use the same undertone.
If your wood flooring has a warm undertone, like orange, red, or yellow, furniture with a warm undertone will generally work well with it. Red oak flooring typically matches up with red furniture or at least furniture that has red undertones. Golden oak goes well with furniture that has a yellow undertone…or red or orange. Cool undertones, like ash-colored wood flooring, goes with furniture in shades of gray. Neutral undertones match up with both cool and warm tones.
Shade
The shade of a color is how light or dark it is. In color theory, lighter shades are derived by adding white or a neutral light color to the original color and darker shades come from mixing black to the original color.
Atmosphere
What type of atmosphere do you want to set for your room? If you want a warm and welcoming one, cabin-grade hardwood with a rustic appeal coupled with lazy leather furniture, a plush throw rug and a stone fireplace will ace that look. Cool-toned wood with sleek, modern furniture and some metal accents on the wall lays the ideal foundation.
Rustic and Farmhouse
Rustic and farmhouse decorating schemes are quite popular and can be easily attained. Since your wood flooring serves as the foundation to the room, you will want to start with wood that has character such as a visible grain or bold markings. Rustic grade oak is a popular choice. You can even purposefully roughen up your wood flooring to serve the purpose. Add in furniture that is warm and cozy with bold and soft textures that add a comfortable, traditional look and feel to the room.
Mod and Metal
When going for a modern appeal, begin with sleek wood floors such as white oak or even a dark stained hickory. Add in contemporary furniture, throw pillows, plenty of glass and metal around the room and as wall accents and you have the room of your dreams.
Let there Be Light…and Dark
No matter what look you are going for – contemporary or rustic – mixing light and dark is always a good idea to give depth and interest to the room. If your wood floors are light, go with dark furniture and if your floors are dark, go lighter with your furniture.
Contrast is Icing on the Cake
When putting a room together, contrast is key. One thing that you for sure want to contrast is your wood flooring and your furniture. Just as light contrasted with dark is a good thing, so is using different textures. If your wood flooring is rustic and rugged, go with a softer look for the furniture. If your wood flooring is polished and smooth, mix the room up a bit by going with rounder furniture.
Weighing it all Out
Be sure to balance the weight of your room. If your wood floors are dark and chunky looking, go with furniture that is not bulky. Neutral colored wood and neutral colored furniture is generally a safe bet as long as one is darker than the other. In the event you want to go with a little bolder look, you can match the wood on your furniture to your wood flooring, such as cherry wood on cherry wood. Dark furniture can easily overpower a room with light wood flooring so delicate furniture works best and for dark hard wood flooring, choose heavier furniture.
All Said and Done…Matching Wood Flooring and Furniture
You never want to go so strictly by decorating rules that you end up with a room you aren’t in love with. The idea is to bring your dream room to life while making is pleasing to the eyes of others too. When it’s all said and done, if you have used the basic suggestions above with wood flooring you like and furniture you like, you will have a room that’s the perfect fit for you and that’s what really matters.
Full Service Custom Flooring
Looking for an exceptional, design-forward flooring style? We can help! We offer a complete custom flooring to help our customers find the perfect floors to complement their interior decor?
Are you looking for advice or help with product selection? We also offer free flooring design consultations, either in person at our store or via phone or video call.
Let us help you achieve your ideal design vision – get in touch with us today!
