Can You Have Different Wood Finishes in the Same Room?

Mahogany, light pecan, natural, walnut—the list of wood finishes is vast. And the possibility is great that you might find yourself with several furniture pieces with different finishes that you’d like to use in the same room. So how do you design a room and make sure that your wood finishes don’t clash? Today’s Frequently Asked Home question: Can You Have Different Wood Finishes in the Same Room?

…I personally prefer a nice complementary mix of wood finishes over an entire room full of wooden furniture that’s all the same species and stain. By including a few different wood tones, you layer in interest and keep monotony at bay.

There’s no maximum number of different finishes you “should” have in one room, but if you lose count of the different finishes over say, 10, you might consider cutting back.

And while mixing different wood finishes is encouraged, there are some design tricks that can help you mix wood tones without clashing:

• 5 Secrets to Mixing Multiple Wood Finishes
  
• Case Study: Mixing Wood Finishes & Totally Pulling It Off

Are you a visual learner? Get a better picture of this design idea by looking at a handful of rooms that are totally getting mixing wood finishes right:

→ Masterful Mixing: Real Rooms that Ace Multiple Wood Finishes

Find yourself with the wrong mix of (or too many) wood finishes in one room of your home? Consider stripping, sanding, painting and restaining as options to help marry your disparate wood finishes into one beautifully cohesive design look.

Unlike our Good Questions (which are about very specific design dilemmas in your home, FAHQs are more general design questions that anyone might be wondering about home design. Ask your FAHQ in the comments below and we might answer it in a future post!