Have you just bought a new house or are planning to renovate the existing one? In decorating and renovating, you will have to make a crucial decision. That decision involves deciding if you want light wood or dark wood in your house.
Wood has become an essential aspect of home decor over the years. You will see wood flooring, wood ceilings, and wood furniture mostly in luxury or modern houses.
So, if you want to add a touch of luxury and modernize your home, add some wood elements to upgrade the look. We have run into the same dillemma. Should you go with light wood or dark wood? In this day and age, light wood is extremely trendy. However, there are many different kinds to choose from.
To help you decide, our expert team is going to give you a detailed guide about choosing light wood for your home decor. If you are on the fences, read this article in entirety. Lets get started with the benefits.
Benefits of Having Light Wood
We will start our comparing light wood and dark wood. In this section, we will highlight and discuss the benefits of having light wood on hardwood floors and furniture.
1. Brighter Space
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If your bedroom or any other place in the house has less sunlight, then light wood can make the space appear brighter and warmer.
Placing light wood flooring, light ceiling wood planks, and light wood furniture in places with less sunlight can brighten up that space. This is because it reflects more light.
Even if your room has enough sunlight, the light wood can be a natural extension of the sun. It will give a warmer look to your room. So, you can use it in your sun room to give a more cozy look to it.
On the other hand, dark wood will absorb the heat and light. So, it will give a darker tone to your house. It will also give off a cold and serious mood.
But, you also need to consider the factor of sun damage on the wood. Light wood is more prone to sun damage than dark wood. So, if you are using light wood in rooms where there is abundant sunlight, you should use UV-resistant finishes on it. Otherwise, please don’t choose this type of wood.
2. Spacious Room
Light wood can make your room appear more spacious. Your room will feel big with this light wood even if it is small. The wood gives a spacious, natural, and airy feeling to the room.
So, In the eyes of other people, you should go for light wood if your space is small.
On the other hand, dark tones bring a heavy look to your space. They cover a lot of space, and your room feels smaller. So, if you have an extra spacious room, you can go for dark wood.
3. Easy to Clean
This benefit spans across all wood flooring options. However, light wood flooring is easier to clean than dark wood flooring. This wood floor doesn’t appear as dirty because it disguises different types of debris due to its similar color. Dark wood floors expose everything, including dust and pet hair.
Dust and dirt are also of lighter shades so they are not very noticeable on the light wood flooring.
On the other hand, they are of contrasting colors with dark wood so they will be much more prominent than on light floors.
4. Scarps, Scratches and Dents
This benefit is also specific to hardwood flooring. Over time, your hardwood floor can have different types of damage such as dents and scratches.
These scratches can appear on dark wood flooring more than on light ones. So, if your house has a lot of activities such as commotion, pets, and foot traffic, you should go for a light wood flooring.
Even so, a lot of people agree that light wood is the best wood flooring for dogs. Because dogs can create a lot of scratches. That’s why you should go for this wood flooring if you love pets.
Now that we have discussed some advantages of light wood flooring, we are going to dive into where and how to use light wood in your home. Read below to find out.
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Where and How to Use Light Wood?
You know the benefits of light wood but if you don’t pair it properly with complementary home decor and layouts, it will look odd. So, we are going to guide you on when and how to use it.
1. In the Living Room
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The living room is the area where most of your family gathers to spend some time. So, a lot of you may prefer this area with a simple and minimalist design.
So, light wood furniture or hardwood will give a simple, airy, and minimalist look to your living room. It will look spacious, warm, and clean. It is also ideal for families to laugh and have quality time.
You even can add some light wood decor such as photo frames and shelves. This will also enhance the look of your living area.
2. In the Entrance of Home
We suggest you add some light wood aspects to your entrance so that it can have a breezy and natural look. This will have a positive impact on the guests when they step into your house.
You can go for light wood flooring or put it on the ceiling at your home’s entrance. If you can’t do this, then add some light wood furniture or decor to create the same feel.
There are different decoration pieces or furniture pieces such as consoles, benches, or dressers which you can add in there.
If you have a mobile home, then having light wood steps can be a good choice. It will give your entrance an elegant look.
3. In the Kitchen
If you have dark wood cabinets, then you should go for light wood flooring. This contrast will have a positive impact on your kitchen.
But, if you go with light wood cabinets, then any type of wood flooring or furniture will look good on it. You can go for dark or light wood flooring and a dining table. This is your choice.
In short, there should be no light wood items in your kitchen. It will give an elegant and aesthetic look to it.
Here, you need to remember one thing. You should have water-resistant wood flooring in your kitchen.
4. In Contrast
Contrasting colors in your home can give an appealing look to it. This means that if you have dark walls, then light wood flooring and furniture will look good with it. This contrast will create a beautiful impact.
On the other hand, if you have white walls or light wood furniture, then you can go for dark wood flooring and ceilings.
5. With Light Colors
The best thing about light wood is it goes with any color and shade. You can have a contrast in your place with dark and light wood, and this will look good.
You can even have all light wood furniture and flooring in one space. This will also look good. Just make sure that there is a bit of a shade difference in furniture and flooring to give a minimalist look to it.
If you have linen sofas and couches, light wood flooring, and a light wood ceiling things will still look good.
6. Gray Walls
One of the most popular colors today is Gray. You may have seen that more and more people are going for gray walls in their homes. It is trending and creates a modern look. But, it gives cold vibes as well. It can seem uninviting and cold at times.
So, if you pair them with light wood flooring and furniture, it will give warm and welcoming vibes to that space.
This combination will make the place warmer and will give home vibes to it.
7. Decor Style
The use of light wood and its pairing depends on your decor style too. If you are looking for a light and minimalist look, then light wood furniture and flooring will do the task.
It will also give a simple, breezy, modern, and natural look to your home. If you are looking for traditional and rustic decor, then dark wood will do the trick.
So, it maiinly depends on your taste and decor style. Whatever look you want for your home, you can achieve it with these two different types of woods.
Moving on, we are going to discuss the different light wood types that you can buy for your home.
Different Types of Light Wood
1. Maple
It is the lightest and most common light wood. It is mainly used for hardwood flooring. It has smooth grains and a very light look which makes it ideal for every type of hardwood floor.
But, we recommend you stay away from the southern maple species because they are softer than others.
2. Hickory
Hickory is a very strong and durable wood. It can give a bit of a rustic look to your home because it has a lot of grains and character.
It looks natural and stained so you can have this in your home.
3. Oak
Oak is also a common light wood which is used for hardwood flooring. It comes in different variations but some famous ones are red oak and white oak.
White oak, surprisingly, is a bit darker than red oak. Because it has a golden tint which gives a bit of a dark shade to this wood.
On the other hand, red oak has ping tingles and is very light in color. It also has very visible grains.
4. Ash
Ash is much more similar to oak. It has a strong grain which creates interesting and beautiful designs. Moreover, it is less hard than other wood types.
5. Pine
Pine is a softwood and is very long-lasting. So, you can use it as a hardwood in those space within your home where there is less traffic. It is also present in abundance.
Concluding Words
Overall, light woods are a good choice when it comes to making your home more modern and aesthetically pleasing. This wood type can be used in flooring, ceilings, and also in furniture pieces. Figuring out which wood type is suitable for you is based upon your needs. In this guide we discussed the different light wood types. We hope you found this guide useful as it should take you one step closer in making the right decision.
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