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I'm considering installing dark (like a mahogany color) in my house but I also have a lot of dark furniture--mahogany dining room, some end tables and chairs. I plan to use some lighter area rugs. Do you think this is too much dark wood?
If you have dark wood floors, do you find it necessary to clean them a lot?
Our wood and dining table is dark brown (not as dark as yours). Our sectional is dark grey. We are adding color using rugs, throw pillows, and art work.
Dark hardwoods will show every bit of dust and dirt and anything else.
Why don't you go with a wood type that has some variation to it? This would lighten up the room while being a great accent to your darker pieces (the darker parts of the wood floor would complement your dark wood furniture while the lighter parts would give the room some "lift").
I'm considering installing dark (like a mahogany color) in my house but I also have a lot of dark furniture--mahogany dining room, some end tables and chairs. I plan to use some lighter area rugs. Do you think this is too much dark wood?
If you have dark wood floors, do you find it necessary to clean them a lot?
It might be worth your time to visit some stores that specialize in flooring and sign out some good size samples of various colors of flooring. Take them home and view the samples in your lighting next to your furniture.
I ended up liking about 18 different colors in their showrooms, but, as soon as I brought them into my home, in my lighting and with my furniture I immediately could eliminate 17 of them as too dark or too light.
The reason I suggest flooring stores (and not big box stores) from which to borrow samples is because their samples are much larger and it makes it much easier to visualize how it would look under your lighting conditions. They were very willing to let me sign out the samples for a few days and I made sure to return the 17 quickly. The one I liked I asked to borrow for a week so I could live with it for a while.
I just had my new flooring installed last week and am very happy with the color. The flooring stores know this is a major expense and it is not like you can change your mind and return it like you might do with an area rug. It is to their advantage to loan out these larger samples to potential customers as it may result in a follow up request to come out and quote the job.
I think it's fine to have dark floors and dark furniture. Use lighter accents in rugs, pillows, any upholstery, etc. and it can look great.
As for the cleaning, I can't speak from personal experience yet, but I chose a dark hardwood to go into my currently under construction house. I had natural red oak in the place I just sold, and I saw plenty of dirt on that too - maybe lighter dirt blended in but darker things stuck out. I assume the dark floors will be the same in reverse. I think wood floors just tend to show dirt but on the other hand, they are fast and easy to clean. I'm planning on getting a Roomba or Neato, but I used a Swivel Sweeper in my old house and it was just a few minutes of light effort to sweep the floor.
I have dark walnut stained oak floors, and I have dark furniture. For me the problem is too much red in the wood of the furniture and the upholstered pieces, not too much dark wood. But I painted the walls grayed cooler colors, and the ceiling a very light warm color. I also have 9 foot ceilings. So, you should weigh your situation before deciding.
I personally love darker floors. I had light carpeting for decades, and I grew to hate it. I felt that my rooms were sort of floating, and not grounded. We vacuum our dark wood when needed, but the floors do show dust. However, it is not an onerous task to vacuum once a week or so. DH puts down a finish about six months, to enhance the luster. They are actually pretty easy to live with. They might be less easy with a couple of active kids and several dogs.
My rooms do not appear too dark. But I have a lot of light in the back of the house. The hallway is usually dark, but it faces north, and is often dim even in summer. I do like the way the hallway, with dark wood floor, feels as you enter the house. It is dim and cool, even in the summer, and gradually lightens as you near the living area.
Every situation is unique. Think it through. Decide how you want your house to look. I don't think you will hate dark floors, if you really like the look of dark floors.
And, you don't have to match your floors to your furniture.
We are coming up on 3 years now living with dark floors and really like the look.
Yes, they may show dirt easier (we have two dogs, a 3yo and an 8 months old) but ummm.... I'm not really interested in hiding dirt. If I see dirt, I pick it up or know its time to clean the floors. Especially with a mobile 8 month old who is going to shove anything in his mouth he can get his hands on.
As far as furniture, we moved into this house with a lot of almost matching dark wood. I didn't really care for any of it that sat directly on the floors but it looked good with a lighter/brighter area rug between. Some of the furniture we ended up replacing just to lighten things up a bit.
We are coming up on 3 years now living with dark floors and really like the look.
Yes, they may show dirt easier (we have two dogs, a 3yo and an 8 months old) but ummm.... I'm not really interested in hiding dirt. If I see dirt, I pick it up or know its time to clean the floors. Especially with a mobile 8 month old who is going to shove anything in his mouth he can get his hands on.
As far as furniture, we moved into this house with a lot of almost matching dark wood. I didn't really care for any of it that sat directly on the floors but it looked good with a lighter/brighter area rug between. Some of the furniture we ended up replacing just to lighten things up a bit.
Thanks for the input. We do have some lighter colored area rugs we plan to use on the new dark hardwood. I've noticed in decorator magazines that most of the upholstered pieces displayed seem to be white or light colors. Have to buy a new couch anyway!
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If I see dirt, I pick it up or know its time to clean the floors. Especially with a mobile 8 month old who is going to shove anything in his mouth he can get his hands on.
Area Rugs
