WOODEN HALLWAY DESIGNS
It’s said that first impressions are everything, so with the hallway being the entrance to the home it’s the perfect place to make an impact. Adding wood to your hallway creates a natural and welcoming effect immediately, perfect for underpinning the serene feel of your home.
Hallways are an important transitional space but can often be neglected as they’re seen as small and sometimes unusable. One really easy way to make an impact is to fit a wood floor – you can choose to make a statement through the tone, pattern, or texture of the wood, or even a combination of all three.
Parquet floors are a perennial favourite; herringbone and chevron patterns date back centuries and have always remained on trend.
Herringbone looks fantastic in both square and longer hallways, but it can also cleverly disguise an irregularly shaped space.
Chevrons are perfectly suited to longer spaces. Rows of chevron down a hallway draws the eye, and you can run skinny planks down the centre of each row for a bolder look.
Planks are another great option for a longer space, and you can choose whether to go for a narrower width or a wider plank option. Both options can make a hallway appear wider – narrow planks achieve this as you can fit more into the space, whereas wider planks will have fewer joins across the space!
RUSTIC CLADDING
Wood isn’t just for floors, it works wonderfully as wall cladding too. One easy way to dip your toe into the wood on walls trend is to clad a downstairs cloakroom.
This is a great way to achieve a scandi-luxe feel, as its warm and cosy yet stylish. By also fitting wood flooring you’ll have a room that feels tied together, but that’s not to say that it all must match! Choosing a mid-toned herringbone for the floor and paler, wider planks for the wall will keep the space feeling unified without being too uniform.
Mismatched cladding is an effective style for a feature wall. Adding this update to your home creates character and a distinctive edge for a truly unique wooden design. Particularly effective against neutral colours on the floors and furniture, wooden cladding can add an inventive flavour to plain design.
WOODEN FEATURES AND CENTREPIECES
One trend we’re loving at the moment is wood feature walls in bedrooms. You can pin planks either horizontally or vertically to the wall (we love the look of it pinned horizontally), to create a statement behind the bed. You can use cladding as well as a headboard, or instead of, its up to you.
The texture and tone of the wood you choose can create very different looks: smooth, pale tone planks can create a beautifully neutral aesthetic that can feel very luxurious, whereas darker and richer toned planks with texture can create a more rustic feel.
If you’re feeling brave you can even use blocks arranged in a herringbone pattern – if herringbone on the wall can work as a kitchen splashback then we think it can definitely work as a feature wall in a master bedroom!
SURFACES AND WOODEN WORK SPACES
As we said above, the floor isn’t the only place in the home that you can use wood. Another place to think about are the surfaces that don’t form the structure of your home.
Using wood as table tops is one of our favourite ways to use small batches of wood, but we also love the idea of using long beams for breakfast bars and kitchen islands. Similarly, exposed wooden ceiling beams can add a truly grand feature, with the added benefit of the space appearing larger.
The image below shows how thicker planks can be used on top of a kitchen island to create a natural feel. This example, which is of the kitchen area of our headquarters workspace in Cheshire, toughens up the look by mixing leather, metallics and rustic wall cladding.
Wooden kitchen tops are another superb option, blending style and functionality to present a natural, warm style which is evocative of a country cottage. Similarly, home offices can benefit from the calming presence of natural wood surfaces.
NATURAL WOODEN UNITS
Speaking of functionality, utilising wood in your units is a sleek and earthy effect. All homes need ample storage space, but this compulsory feature doesn’t need to be an eyesore. In fact, in much interior design, units can be used as an eye-grabbing talking point.
Create quirky kitchen units and bedside cabinets with wood for a simple yet effective design feature. Wooden units help to draw attention to areas of the home that are often ignored, making the most of your space while ensuring an elegant and homely feel in every room. Adding an air of farmhouse chic, a consistent wooden tone throughout the home can expand the space while brimming with warmth.
Discover luxury wood flooring with Ted Todd and Woodworks.