Who say " former brown article of furniture " has to take care sometime - fashioned ? Used the correct way , it can await awful plus add a sensation of personality and soul to your nursing home .

maculate wood furniture , peculiarly vintage or antique , adds character , but it can be tricky to integrate into a way . Too much of any one piece of furniture style or wood goal and your place seem like a museum , but a brisk mix is visually interesting and full of personality . Whether you ’re work with a hand - me - down family heirloom or avintage pieceyou scored for a bargain , decorating with wood furniture is all about reach a equalizer and stylus contrast with the other element in the room . employ these tips on how to work " honest-to-goodness brown furniture " into your decor to give it person and your own personal panache .

Brie Williams

wooden dresser in front of glass panes

Credit:Brie Williams

1. Rethink the purpose of the piece.

Go beyond an item ’s original consumption to find originative way , and blank space , to put it in your blank space . Here an antique Sir Henry Joseph Wood dresser works beautifully in a dining room as a bar , sidebar , and storage for linens and dishes . A wood nightstand can influence as a side table in the sustenance room as long as it ’s the right meridian for the surround furniture . Anarmoireis great for stash away game , books , and toy in a home elbow room — best of all , you could close away the optic clutter .

2. Mix furniture styles and eras.

Brian Anderson / Interior design : Jessica Stambaugh

A mix of forest piece of furniture from different fourth dimension periods gives a way instant history . Here an simple wood dining table is geminate withiconic midcentury chairs(these are called Cesca chairs ) and an heirloom hutch . What makes all these pieces ferment together is the keen contrasts in their styles and the similarity in the colour of the wood — both the mesa and shack are stain an orangey brown and the rattan picks up on that warmth while the black - painted frames snaps the whole scene to attention .

David A. Land

dining area antique table and hutch

Credit:Brian Anderson/Interior design: Jessica Stambaugh

3. Pair dark furniture with dark walls.

dour furniture can bet great against white or very light bulwark , but all that contrast can make for a lot of visual noise . If you ’re going for a small bit quieter face with your dismal wood furniture , try adark and moody colouring material for the walls . That help the furniture combine in with its background for a more calming look overall . For example , in this chamber , a dark cherry woodwind instrument nightstand is set against very dark walls to create a cozy , cocoon - like space . But notice the dark rampart and furniture are balance with mint of Caucasian on the passementerie , bed and bedding , and the curtains . The floor is wood , too , but in a much lighter smear .

i2i Photography / Max Kim - Bee

4. Pay attention to undertones.

If you ’re not surewhat color to pair with wood furniture , other wood tones are more often than not a safe stake , but you do need to pay attention to the undertones of the slice you are trying to ruffle . forest finishes often featureundertones that come out yellowish , orange , red , blue - gray , or dark brown . meld pieces in with the same or similar undertone — notice the dining board and chairs portion are a standardised warm John Brown as the legs of the side chair — works well as long as there is enough style contrast among the pieces to avoid monotony . Then you desire to add together a piece that goes either much lightsome or much saturnine than the main woodwind colour . Here that ’s the vitrine , which is much sullen and a little cooler than the rest of the furniture . splice all those woodwind instrument tones together with aneutral paint colorand lifelike materials such as the sisal hemp rug .

5. Break up furniture “sets.”

Using too many wood pieces , especially those made from dark Wood like cherry or walnut , can overpower the design of the elbow room and make it find crowded . We commend breaking up article of furniture sets — such as a matching bottom and dressing table or a matching dining tabular array , chairs , and hutch . For case , if you inherited a bedroom set , opt one standout piece , such as the seam or a dresser , to utilise in the room . For the other pieces , either use them in different rooms orsellordonatethem . In this bedroom , the bed is stained Sir Henry Joseph Wood but all the otherfurniture is paintedwhite , which get a contrast that makes even a very traditional cherry sled bed like this look fresh and New .

6. Add colorful accessories.

Popping in colorful accents helps buoy up up a dark , serious small-arm of furniture like this bureau — both in colour and in mood . There are hatful of ways to this . lie a brilliantly pattern textile runner across the top . roost a bold lamp and/or artwork or mirror on top of it . hang up a colourful tassel from a handgrip or land it on top of a colorful rug . In a bedroom outfitted with wood furniture , impart in colorvia bedding and the walls . Again , look to the wood ’s undertone to guide your colouring decision , aiming for a pleasing contrast .

Adam Albright / Interior designing : Ruthie Jackson

7. Paint it!

If you really ca n’t make that dark wood finish employment in your quad , stripping and paint the pieceis always an choice . you’re able to rarely go haywire paint any piece of furniture lightlessness or a version of white , in either high - glossary or matte coating . These versatile neutrals do a dependable job of showcasing a graceful silhouette while visually wipe out some of the details that can make a piece look dated . If you ’re feel splashier , go for it with a bold color that will really stand out in the room . While you ’re at it , trade out the original computer hardware with modern knob and wrench that will contrast with the expressive style of the musical composition .

Annie Schlechter / Interior intent : Gabby Skok

8. Give it a wow background.

Throw the spotlight on a special piece of wooden article of furniture by lay it in front of a extremely pure wall colouration , such as thekelly greenish paint colorbehind this wooden desk . Like this Orange River - y oak desk , draw of wood furniture has a warm undertone . Choosing a nerveless , though stillbold colorfor the paries set up a visually interesting contrast with the piece , not only between gloss temperatures but also in overall style . The humble , cozy wooden desk nod to the past , while the bright , clear green take a sure - footed step into the time to come . set up strong contrast like this makes the economic consumption of of " old brown article of furniture " seem designed and mod .

nightstand black white bedroom

Credit:David A. Land

dining room with wicker chairs wooden table and horse statues

Credit:i2i Photography/Max Kim-Bee

Bedroom with chandelier and sign that says “Stay Awhile”

Credit: Laura Moss

brown dresser with colorful accents

Credit: Brie Williams

black chalk finish hutch

Credit:Adam Albright/Interior design: Ruthie Jackson

Wood desk in front of green wall

Credit:Annie Schlechter/Interior design: Gabby Skok