Hello AT,
My husband just bought 7 pieces of dark wood furniture (loveseats, end table, coffee table and more) for our new living room. How can I decorate it with other stuff? I think way too much dark wood furniture makes a room dark and can't breath. He likes wood so much and thinks it's a good investment (which I agree, however, now it's too much). His style is danish furniture, I like it but not the dark color.
Thanks,
Varina
Hey Varina- that is a great question. Over the past few years it seems like everyone from Armani Casa to Ikea has been looking to dark chocolate-colored wood furniture to create instant elegance. It is true that too much can be overwhelming. We don't like mixing wood tones, but we do think that painted furniture (white, mostly) can balance out the darker pieces. We love Dark wood on a white rug, and finding furnishings that have other elements like glass and chrome can also help to incorporate the new dark pieces.
Anyone else have a suggestion for Varina?
What color are your walls? Does the upholstery constrain you?
Oddly enough, a medium intensity color will calm down dark furniture more than white walls will. The lower contrast means you're not getting, "Hi! I'm DARK WOOD! Look at my legs!"
Since you're worried about the room seeming dark, I'd go with either a clear, fresh sherbet color or a neutral that looks sunlit in your most normal lighting. It doesn't have to be yellow-yellow sunlight -- "sun through green leaves" or some such effect would work, too. If you've done something non-sunny like committing to gray upholstery, maybe a yellowish gray on the walls?
Then go for accessories with reflective surfaces.
Good lighting helps a lot with the "too dark" feeling.
Alec, thanks for the great advice, Im planning to buy a white rug called Rislev from Ikea and a chrome floor lamp soon.
Wedne, thanks for your help. Unfortunately, my wall is vintage white and Im not allowed to paint it (hmm, maybe I just go ahead and paint it then). Since the loveseats (maybe call settee, I believe. Look like the one on AT color rug post-eBay scavenger-) come with blue&green cushions, I might buy cream/or beige cushion cover to cover them.
Me, thank you so much, when I have enough budget I will definitely put more table lamp & other lightings.
Just wondering about the Acrylic coffee table ( I saw one on cb2) , does it go along well with the dark wood furniture?
Thanks you guys again. I loveeee AT.
PS. sorry about my grammar, I am an ESL student :)
Just to note that the settee picture on eBay scavenger is really nice. My settee is so darker.
Black and white color schemes always work well with dark furniture, and they look fresh.
view Lisa Hunter's profile