Wood Furnishings

Wood furnishings have a very pleasant look to them. When you sit in a room full of leather, glass and metal, there may be a sense of luxury, but there’s rarely a sense of comfort and relaxation to go along with all that style. Wood furniture like koa and oak looks beautiful and, more importantly, lends a room a laid back style that makes it very easy to relax and enjoy yourself in the comfort and warmth of natural, earth tone furniture. Here are five steps you’re going to want to take if you hope to start incorporating wood furniture into your home.

Develop a Style
It’s difficult to get the most out of wood furniture’s natural, elegant appearance by just throwing a wood coffee table or bed or what have you into a room furnished with cheap particle board furniture or other styles that clash. Wood is a welcome addition to any room, but to truly get the most out of it, you may want to start considering redecorating a room with earth tone curtains and decor that matches your new wood furniture.

Buy Strategically
If you want to really make an impact but don’t have a lot of cash to spend redoing a room from scratch, then your aim should be to replace just the pieces that you know won’t work with wood furniture. For instance, a glass coffee table looks good surrounded by simple art deco design, but might be the first thing to go if you hope to change the look of the whole room with one or two new pieces.

Learn to Care for Wood Furniture
Wooden furniture requires its own special care. If you want it to last for years into the future, make sure to collect the proper cleaning products in order to make sure that you don’t leave your wood warped, dried or split down the middle.

Find Some Dishes to Match
If you’re buying furniture for the dining room or you eat in the living room, you may be surprised how beautiful earth tone dishes may look against a wooden table. You don’t need to go the whole nine yards and drink everything out of a coconut shell just because you got a Hawaiian koa table, but a few dark and reddish coffee mugs or plates can really complete the look at dinner parties.

Light Accordingly
Wooden furniture tends to absorb and reflect light in very interesting ways. You’ll figure out how to make it look best over time, but think of yourself as a painter, using light instead of paint and furniture instead of a canvas. Generally speaking, lower light settings tend to create a very relaxed mood with woods like koa and walnut.

Wooden furniture can be a lot of fun, but it needs to be incorporated properly for best results. Feel free to experiment. There are no rules but the ones you create.

Maria Mathers writes about sustainable living when not redefining her own style. She loves Hawaiian koa wood bowls and thinks men’s wooden watches are hot this year.

Image: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1961

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