Photograph: Onal Kothari
Modern, contemporary designs with minimal decor easily catch our attention. Wooden finishes with clean lines is another interesting element that looks attractive. To get the right combination of wooden finishes matching your home decor, here are some tips by Architect Onal Kothari.
- Samples: Decorating becomes an easy task when you shop with your existing and futuristic wooden samples in hand. Look up for samples that are available with manufacturers before you shop. You can also take photographs of your wooden finishes and match them for colour accuracy.
- Undertones: These are pieces that share the same colour temperature or shades. If you're not sure about the wooden finishes that work well together, start with undertones. For example, yellow, orange and red or cool tones in greyish palette are safe options to start with.
- Common element: Threading a common element in all wooden pieces is an uncommon art that thoroughly give a pleasant view to eyes. This can be accomplished by making sure that all the pieces have one or more elements but specifically not all elements in common. This element can be anything like style, shape etc. It should be noted that common shape doesn’t qualify for exact copy; in simplicity it means sticking with curves vs. clean-lined shapes.
- Odd one: Selecting pieces can be a struggle in itself. So play safe and add options like zebrawood, burled finishes, or any other high-contrast pieces that can give a unique feel to your room.
- Complementary factor: Wooden varieties that complement each other are much better than the matchy-matchy ones. Avoid sticking to matches and rather look for materials and colours that enhance the overall appeal of your room.
- Placement: Placement of your materials is as important as selecting them. It plays an important role to define your room’s character. If you place the dark woods on one end of your area, the side would appear much heavier than the rest of the area. Scatter finishes all over the space to add character to your space.
- Add visual interest: Using too much of a single tone in your interior could make it boring. Choose a dominating tone out of your selected wooden finishes to make your space visually interesting.
- Soften with textiles: If you already have enough of mixed finishes in your home and want to recreate your space, add some textiles like single colour tapestry or area rug or simple cushions that matches your existing interior.
- Add hard surfaces: In addition to the aforementioned factors, you can also tune up wooden finishes with other materials, including metals, glass, mirrors or canvas.