An Argument for Decorating with Brown Furniture

The title says it all – here, I am making an argument in support of brown furniture.  “Brown furniture” was the derogatory term given to medium- to dark-stained wood pieces a number of years ago when such furniture fell out of favor for being too stuffy and clunky.  Even though I have Veranda backing me on this, and trendspotters have been predicting for years that brown furniture is coming back with a vengeance, I’m still seeing whitewashed and graywashed wood pieces everywhere.  Friends, brown is beautiful, and we should all incorporate brown furniture into our homes.  Read on to find out why!

Why Use Brown Furniture in Your Home

First, stained wood pieces ground a space.  Light and bright is great, but most rooms need an element with some visual weight.  A richer stain gives that visual heft to even slender or petite furniture pieces.  Brown furniture also provides contrast in a room.  It’s easy for floor-to-ceiling light spaces to look one-note and washed out, or – yikes – even stark and cold.  Brown pieces add warmth and a bit of hominess.

In addition, brown furniture infuses rooms with a traditional element, some history and character (even if it’s not an antique piece!).  Newer homes may not have architectural features like millwork; a traditional wood piece can help substitute some of that character.  However, stained wood is not inconsistent with styles other than traditional.  It works well in modern, minimalist, farmhouse, even coastal spaces, depending on the design of the piece.

Finally, brown furniture can make your home’s décor more unique.  This was not necessarily the case 20+ years ago, but now sites like Chairish and 1stdibs allow us to source pieces we won’t also find in our neighbors’ homes.  Thrifting, shopping estate sales, and welcoming [worthy] hand-me-downs from family are other means of finding unique brown furniture, and is a more environmentally-conscious choice than mass-produced big box pieces.

how to decorate with brown furniture

The million-dollar question:  how do you incorporate brown furniture without turning your place into Grandma’s house?  Using brown furniture does not mean that your décor will automatically become dark, dreary, boxy, heavy, or clunky. Scroll on for some tips to avoid that:

• Avoid matching sets at all costs.  If you have one, break it up and use pieces from the set in different rooms.  (Exception:  matching bedside tables are fine.)
• Mix styles and time periods, different stain colors and materials (like glass and metal), and painted items. 
• Bring in texture and softness with upholstery and textiles. 
• Add modern art, lighting, and/or accessories. 
• Balance darkness of wood with lightness (paint, upholstery, etc.) unless going for a moody vibe. 
• Look for slender legs and open shelves to give pieces some airiness.

Incorporating brown furniture is not the only way to make your home more unique. Click here for some other tips. Too much brown furniture in your space? Try painting a piece or two! You can find out all about mineral paint (my fave for DIY) here.