Choosing Wood Furniture for Your Home

Wood furniture can add a lovely appeal to your home and create a very cozy atmosphere. Whether you want to add just one piece of wood furniture or furnish an entire room or your entire home, there is a wide variety to choose from. You may even be overwhelmed at trying to decide what to choose and what will work in your home. By planning ahead, you can narrow down your options so you can make a wise choice in wood furniture that will suit your home perfectly.

Budget Needs to Be Considered

Budget is an important aspect to consider when choosing between an expensive solid wood piece such as Cherry or Oak or a less expensive like pine. For an even slimmer budget, plywood or veneered particle board pieces are also available which are made to look like the more expensive solid woods. These will give you a visual appeal until you are able to buy solid wood furniture, if that's your preferred choice.

Variety of Shades to Choose From

There are more shades of natural wood than you might expect, ranging from very light to very dark and many shades in between. Getting an exact match in the shade for multiple pieces of furniture, can be more difficult. But, if you plan on buying all the pieces at the same furniture store, matching the shades should not be a problem. However, if you need to match the new wood furniture with existing wood furniture, it might not be an exact match. Bringing a picture of the existing furniture as a color sample can be helpful. Remember, pictures can make the furniture appear a slightly different shade than the actual piece. You may even want to mix and match shades of wood furniture. This can work for some decorating themes.

If you are starting from scratch, consider the purpose of the room when making a color choice. Color plays a big role in creating a mood in the room. Brighter colors make the room cheerful, more open and energetic, medium colors are more neutral and darker colors create a mood of meditation or intention.

Room Size

Another decorating consideration when choosing a shade of wood is the size of your room. For small rooms, lighter colors open up the space and make it feel larger. For large rooms darker colors can create a less open feel. Putting dark colors in a small room could make it feel crowded. However, regardless of size, if the room has light carpet or walls, darker furniture can provide a warm contrast. If the walls or carpet are dark, a neutral shade would fit better than starkly contrasting light colored furniture or a darker color that would make the room feel closed and less inviting. Of course, there are always exceptions depending on the specifics of your home.

The Maintenance

If you don't like to clean you may want to stay away from dark wood since it tends to show dust more easily than lighter woods. This is especially true if the room has a lot of natural light. You will have to dust the darker wood a bit more often.

The last thing to consider is the wood's surface. Some types of laminates, varnish, wood stain, and wood types resist moisture and damage better than others. Therefore, the practical use of the piece is also an important factor in your final decision. This is particularly important for furniture that will have anything like liquids placed on it frequently or a piece that will be more likely to get scratches. So you'll want to weigh the chances of damage against the look you want to create.

Moving the Furniture

For an easier job of moving in the new furniture, you might want to consider where the room is located. Solid woods are often very heavy. If the room is not on the main level, it could be very difficult to get a solid wood piece up or down a flight of stairs. Of course this will depend on the individual piece of furniture and if you have access to those who will be willing to help move the furniture to the upstairs.

Before purchasing furniture, be sure to think of your options in being able to move it to the room you plan to use it. If you don't have practical options, you may want to consider a lighter weight piece in another style.

Go the Inexpensive Way

Another option in buying wood furniture is to look at flea markets and yard or estate sales. Some of my favorite pieces of wood furniture have been ones I bought for less than $10 and refinished them myself. You might have to do some refinishing, but this will mean saving a lot of money as opposed to buying new furniture. Some pieces may only need a light sanding. You would have the choice to stain or just use polyurethane to let the natural wood shine through.

Whether you buy used or new, wood furniture can add an amazing appeal to most any home and last for many years.