When designing a nursery for your little one, don’t forget to mix various wood tones within your space. Designers feel that doing so is an essential practice. “Mixing different wood tones and textures elevates the space,” shares Carla Royder of Carla Royder Designs & Co. “A room full of all matching wood tones falls flat.” Rather, working in different wood tones will result in a space that appears as though it was designed and curated over time—even if this was not actually the case. “Mixing wood tones in your furnishings and accessories will make the space feel more curated and loved,” the designer comments.
When mixing woods, there are a number of directions in which you can go. “You could use pale white oaks with a mix of softer tones of natural maple and pine to make the room feel light and airy,” notes Mary Schmidt of Mary Schmidt Interiors. “Or take darker wood tones such as a rich mahogany or a dark walnut to make the space masculine and striking.”
To ensure you’re mixing and matching wood tones in the nursery like a total pro, you’ll want to keep the below tips from designers top of mind.
“The first step is to identify your primary wood tone, whether it be light, medium, or dark,” notes Brianna Untener of Brianna Scott Interiors. “The primary wood tone can be utilized within the floor, crib, or even a decorative wall feature.” Then, you’ll want to think about another tone to introduce into the room. “When mixing in an additional wood tone to the space, you’ll want to pull from the primary wood tone and use the secondary as an accent,” Untener explains. “This second tone should be lighter or darker than the primary tone to add contrast and work as a complement to the primary with the same undertone, whether it be warm or cool, to keep the space feeling cohesive and natural.”
That said, while you want your wood tones to complement each other, a tiny bit of variation is never a bad idea, notes Taylor Fusco of Tay Fusco Design. “Mixing woods that are all light, for example, can sometimes look like a mistake, so go for a little bit of contrast to make sure it looks intentional,” she says. Oshri Adri of Adri & Dahlman Interiors agrees. “When two woods are too similar to each other in coloring, it appears as if you tried to match the pieces and failed,” she reflects.
The Cloud Side Table
The Cloud Crib
Starship Shelf
Mobile Attachment Arm
Starship Mobile
Cosmic Crib Sheet Set
Sunbeam Rug
Dash Wallpaper
Another way to ensure you mix wood tones like a pro is to do so throughout your entire space. “Repeating the use of these various wood tones will make your wood mixing look intentional rather than a mistake,” Fusco comments. She advises using just two wood tones within a room, adding, “These tones could come in ways as small as a woven basket or shelf accent piece.”
If you’re not wild about dark wood furniture, note that there are other options. “For those still hesitant to mix more than one wood tone in a nursery, mix in a painted or stained white wood into the nursery,” Adri suggests. “White wood is the ultimate neutral tone and the perfect complement to other wood tones, whether they are light such as natural wood or dark such as walnut.”
