How to mix wood species without clashing

Oak, walnut, birch, pine and an inherited teak piece in the same room. It can work beautifully — as long as you follow a few simple rules.

Undertone before shade

What matters most is not how dark the wood is, but whether it leans yellow, red or grey. Two woods with the same undertone can work together even if one is much darker than the other. Yellow-toned wood against reddish wood almost always clashes.

Stick to two or three wood species

A room rarely handles more. Choose one dominant wood — often the floor — and add one, at most two, others.

The floor does not count as one of them

Treat the floor separately. Matching furniture exactly to the floor often gives a flat result. Contrast with the floor is usually better than an almost-match, which tends to look like a failed attempt.

Repeat each wood at least twice

A single walnut object can look forgotten. If walnut appears in both the coffee table and a shelf, it reads as a deliberate choice.

Break it up with something that is not wood

Stone, metal or textile between the different woods gives the eye a pause and stops the materials competing with one another. A stone top or a wool rug is enough.