Dark Wood Floor Interior Design Secrets for Every Room
A beautiful hardwood floor can instantly elevate any space in the home, especially living rooms, studies, and bedrooms. And as eye-catching as hardwood can be on its own, incorporating a few dark wood floor interior design principles into your space can help it pop even more.
Next time you’re considering how to decorate a room with a hardwood floor in it, try keeping these seven best practices in mind.
Balance with lighter accents
The dark, rich colors and textures of your hardwood floor can make a room feel elegant and cozy — but without the right contrast to balance all that darkness, your space might end up feeling a little too sinister. You don’t want your cozy study to wind up looking like a Bond villain’s secret lair!
To balance things out, consider integrating lighter pieces of furniture or rugs. You can also paint a wall a neutral or light color to add contrast. Soft whites, warm beiges, and light grays help dark wood pop while adding an element of comfort. For example, the Artisan Jute Wool Blend Rug in Birch is a great rug to place over a hardwood floor. The lightness of the natural jute will contrast the dark hardwood beautifully, bringing out the best in both.
Artisan Jute Wool Blend Rug in Birch
Utilize area rugs
Aside from adding softness to a room with a hard floor, area rugs can help provide definition and depth to these spaces. They help outline designated areas in living rooms, foyers, bedrooms, seating, and dining areas.
When you’re trying to pick an area rug for a living room with dark wood flooring, make sure the rug is wider than the area that the furniture is in. This will offset the space and provide a contrast that enhances the area. You can even layer rugs for additional texture.
Thoughtfully mix wood tones
Just because you already use dark wood floors in your design doesn’t mean you can’t play around with other wood styles within your furniture and decoration. You just need to be smart about it.
Pro tip: avoid matching all wood tones to the floor. This will be overkill and can make spaces feel small and overly monochromatic. Much like your furniture rugs, you’ll want any additional wood tones to contrast with your dark hardwood floors.
Consider woods like maple, ash, white oak, driftwood, bleached pine, or reclaimed barn wood to add more dimension to your space.
Use reflective surfaces
Dark floors tend to absorb light, which can make rooms appear dim and gloomy. By incorporating mirrors, metallic finishes, and glass elements you can amplify the light in the space. All these materials naturally reflect light within a space, allowing the room to feel open and airy. For a modern touch, you could use furniture with glossy finishes or metallic finishings.
Have a lighting plan
Another way to combat the muted effect dark wood floors can have on a room is by installing a good lighting plan. By strategically placing table lamps, floor lamps, and overhead lighting, you can brighten up the room and make it more inviting.
Pay attention to the bulbs you are using, too. You want the light to come off as warm which will also enhance the richness of the wood tones.
Use complementary color palettes
When considering how to play off of dark hardwood, consider the other color palates you want to see recur in the space. Luckily, ebony-hued woods work well with a wide variety of color palettes.
If you want to create a classic cozy vibe, lean on neutral tones like beige and cream. If you’re looking to magnify the contrast between the wood and decor, look into cool tones like soft blues, greens, and grays in the rugs, furniture, or wall colors you choose.
Finally, if you want to bring a bit of drama to the space — and who doesn’t love a little bit of drama — then opt for rich jewel tones. Deep blues, emerald, and burgundy will bring a level of sophistication to your design.
Diamond Wool Sisal Rug in Dove
Consider functionality
It’s always good to incorporate how a room will be used into your design concept. For example, if you know that the space is going to be a high-traffic area, opt for flooring that has a matte finish. This will reduce the appearance of scratches over time. You can also use a runner rug in those areas to diminish wear and tear.
If you are designing your kitchen, use light cabinetry or a bright backsplash to help your floors pop!
Boucle Sisal Rug in Salt Stone
Start your dark wood floor interior design today
There are so many fun options when it comes to playing off of hardwood floors. No matter your style or color palette, we have a wide array of rugs and rug runners to help you execute the decorations of your dreams. Completely customizable, check out our full rug collection to get started!
