Burning Question: Furniture Finishes?
From rich espresso tables and chairs to glossy white painted chests, which furniture finishes do you think have the most staying power?
Are there any that you think are undeniably timeless? Which do you think are already dated? And which ones do you predict will be totally “out” in a decade, even if they’re extremely popular right now? Feel free to weigh in. In fact we whipped up this handy little poll to keep everything tabulated… but we’d also love to hear more about what you love (and what you predict will be oh-so out) in the comment section.
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Image courtesy of Ethan Allen.
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It all floats in and out of fashion in its own good time! how would it be to have endless storage and rotate stuff at whim! (no, I don’t mean that, it’s hard enough keeping track).
One category that I think was overlooked was that of “antique” finishes.
Most of our wood surfaces (coffee tables, dining table, armoire, etc.) are old or weathered to look old. Painted or natural, the woodwork in an older home has been dinged, lovingly, with years of use. There is nothing that many of us appreciate more than homes and pieces of furniture with history. Each item has it’s own story to tell.
P.S. I write this comment from my “desk” — a 17th century medium oak-stained cabinet with mismatched brass bin pulls.
The results are so interesting! I assumed white would be #1 because of how people are usually drawn to the clean feeling you get from it. Our home actually has a mix of the dark wood stains and glossy white (more dark wood than white but I can’t help but sneak it in!)
I’ve seen my grandparents and parents strip and paint and paint and strip furniture. Natural wood has staying power and painted wood furniture is something that will go out of style in my opinion. It will inevitably come back in style again as well. Personally, I think if the piece looks best painted and you love it, paint it. My grandmother has a credenza she painted an olive green many years ago. It was cool when she painted it, looked out of date in the 80s and 90s, but I totally love it and today I see it everywhere!
Frankly Espresso color is popular right now because that is the color everyone in the design wold is pushing right now. Sure as a designer myself I’m the first one in line to give you a dark floor or dark furniture. Sure it looks great and sophisticated like a little black dress or suit. BUT hey i don’t were a black suit every day in my house. In the real world and in my house it’s all light colors with dark accents because I could not be bothered to dust twice a day with animals and kids in my house. Dark looks Look good in the money shot, not so hot for everyday life. Most furniture is coming out right now is this color and everyone is like lemmings to cliff over it. It’s the 80′s version of black furniture that everyone hated to dust all the time. White furniture is nice but again depends what you like. White is nice on a baseboard but furniture, I find they either make the piece look like it’s been beaten up and/or country-ish or it is so modern looking it looks cheep and fake looking like bad Ikea. I guess i’m stuck on my maples and birch. It’s Keeps the room light, causal and even though it no more dust free…..i can get away from dust a little more often. But hey what do I know….lol.
All i can say i living in Canada I wish i had half the store you guys source you stuff from. I must say though you guys have a good eye and and incredible talent for someone not formally trained, put may who are to shame. I Enjoy reading your blog. Keep up the energy and the passion.
Amanda,
Serena and Lily has been on One Kings Lane before. They tend to repeat brands, so I imagine S&L will come up again. The likeliness of that particular set going up probably isn’t super high, but who knows, you could get lucky.
You have to sign up to be a member, but it doesn’t seem to send lots of junk mail, so I’ve been okay with it.
http://www.onekingslane.com
-Catherine
PS Happy birthday Sherry! I didn’t realize before!
Thanks so much for that tip for Amanda, Catherine!
xo,
s
I do love deep wood tones. But it is always nice to mix and match finishes! We have espresso wood, dark stained oak and painted black finishes in our living room, and I think it all looks great together!
This poll points out to me why I sometimes have difficult decisions when decorating. I could have said that I love all but 2 or 3. I am slightly concerned that all of the weathered and gray tinted furniture (not a favorite) that seems to be gaining in popularity, will make some of my darker toned pieces look dated. Pus I’ve never really had an affinity for the french/belgian style that furniture evokes. I wonder how I’ll feel about it in 2 or 3 years?
Frankly Espresso color is popular right now because that is the color most companies are making their furniture and are pushing right now and everyone is like lemmings to cliff over it. I can certainly understand it as a designer myself; I’d give you a dark floor or dark furniture…. why not it looks good. It’s much like a sophisticated little black dress or suit BUT hey I don’t were a black suit every day in my house when relaxing. Dark looks good, in the money shot, not so hot for everyday life and people that are not type A personalities. In the real world and in my house it’s all light colors with dark accents because I could not be bothered to dust twice a day with animals and kids in my house.
Espresso or black-brown color is the reinvention of the 80′s trend of black furniture that it was cheap ugly stuff trying to look classy especially some of the high gloss stuff. At least this time they did something right. White furniture is nice but again depends what you like. For me White is nice on a baseboard but furniture, I find they either makes the piece look like it’s been beaten up and/or country-ish or it is so modern looking it looks cheap and fake looking like bad Ikea. I guess I’m stuck on my maples and birch. It’s Keeps the room light, causal can take a bit more scratches before it show up and even though it’s no more dust free…..I can get away from dusting it a little more often. But hey what do I know….lol.
All I can say is living in Canada, I wish I had half the stores you guys source you stuff from. I guess I’m going to have to grab my passport and my strong Canadian dollar and come down for a visit. I must say though you guys have a good eye and incredible talent for someone not formally trained, put many who are to shame. I enjoy reading your blog. Keep up the energy and the passion.
My top two color choices are painted furniture and dark furniture – love them both!
Definitely darker finishes for me ! But I love the look of mixed finishes; I just have a hard time pulling it off for me. Maybe your readers could give ME some advice by clicking on this link and offering opinions:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg0313120127349.html
I have a limited mix of wood colors in my house, but I think they work together. But I have relatives who prefer furniture in matched sets and who just scratch their heads at my non-matchy sensibility. I think people should buy furniture they love and feel free to freshen it up with paint or stain or new upholstery to keep up with their evolving tastes.
I like several shades, but am drawn to either white paint, or dark stain (cherry, expresso, walnut etc.) Really it just depends on the room! :)
Personally, I love the look of natural wood – any wood – that has been finished to reveal its *natural* beauty. The more interesting the boards the better: my favorites are tiger maples and American walnuts. You can mix and match lots of colors and textures and ‘themes’ (traditional/ modern/ retro/ cottage) with any ‘natural’ wood because they hold their own so well. And, if the product is well made, it will last your lifetime and beyond.
This is as interesting question as I was just admiring our 14-year old bedroom furniture set yesterday and wondering if it would still be considered beautiful someday when one of our children might claim it. I can’t remember what the (million dollar) wood is, but the dresser body is black and the drawers and top are a deep honey wood color. It’s a lovely set…and I guess so long as my husband and I think so, this is what matters the most. :)
Oh, and Hap Hap Happppppy Birthday. Is it today? Mine was the 17th. yay for us!!! And just think – next year you’ll have one more family member to celebrate your day.
Yup, today’s the big day! And our little girl is due in exactly two months on May 19th. So much fun, so little time.
xo,
s
I voted for dark wood tones, but I actually like many different finishes and colors. -I love the look of brightly colored wood, too; -I love a pop of color. We have some espresso stain in our house, but we also have some medium wood tones. Our girls rooms have white furniture. I think it looks best if you have a nice mix of wood tones vs everything being one tone. Anyway, regarding your question about which finish is timeless, I’d have to say medium tones. These seem fairly safe. I could be very wrong, but I’m going to predict that white furniture will be out in a decade. Only b/c it’s so very popular right now. White trim, white bead board, white board and batten(love it), white kitchen cabinetry(all very popular right now). Everyone’s out painting everything white. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the white wood look(I have some white in my home), but I think people will eventually tire of it.
I don’t think anything is truly timeless. Dark wood has been in since the mid-late 90′s, but all through the 70′s and early 80′s it was about honey oak, then light woods were in vogue. But dark wood and white slipcovered furniture is becoming pretty ubiquitous, and people are already starting to turn to brightly painted finishes, with new neutrals like gray and navy. If you can remember back to 15 years ago, people were convinced that forest green and burgundy were timeless (or, in my mom’s case, ice blue and mauve…)
Unless you’re willing to enjoy and invest in true antiques, things will go in and out of style. What feels timeless right now was new ten or fifteen years ago and in another ten will be passe. I guess we should all just buy what we enjoy, and be willing to refinish our furniture as trends may dictate :)
Hi Sherry & John, I’m a long time lurker and this topic is something I really know about! I’m in my mid 40s and have been a decorating addict since my teens. Styles come and go … OFTEN … the older you get, the quicker they change … I have seen many decorating trends come and go, they usually turn around every 7 years or so. I believe the best way to keep your decorating up to date is to buy both relatively inexpensive pieces that can be replaced cheaply and to buy pieces that can be updated easily. For example, buy a classic line sofa or upholstered furniture that you just LOVE right now. When the styles change, you can slipcover or easily recover the upholstery. Painting any wood is fine in my books – you can’t predict what styles will be like in 7 years, but you can always buy paint stripper and a sander and refinish your piece for a new look. I am also a fan of having just one gorgeous vintage piece in each room – whether the wood tone matches or not – and decorating that piece to the style of the room (eg vintage timber hutch displaying modern dishes). One more tip – when redoing kitchens and bathrooms – keep your tiles and
cabinets WHITE. It is very easy to update paint, towels, all of those little accessories to add pops of color. Do not drill your towel racks into the tiles. You will want to change those without damaging your tiles.
Anyway, these are just things I’ve learned over the years. xoxoxoxo
I agree with Lauren @ 5:37pm. That being said, I think dark wood will be on it’s way out soon. I tend to like white and “natural” (wood with no stain, just varnish), but my husband just bought a black tv stand. WTF? What am I going to do with that?
I’m thinking white may stay around for a while. Mostly because it’s such a simple and economical fix to take an old ugly piece of furniture and slap some white paint on it and all of a sudden it looks fresher and can mix with a variety of other finishes in a room. I wish I could predict whether the dark stain trend will stick around though. I wonder if it will be like the oak stain that was so popular in the 80′s- everyone had it in their homes at the time but now it’s like a faux pas!
I think natural woods is a mainstay, but with so much “furniture” being made with cheaper woods, or no wood involved at all! the painted furniture pieces will also be around. White will remain, mostly because so many are afraid of color, or a commitment to a certain color. I love when you see a mix of all styles in a home and it drives me nuts to see everything matching!! So, my advice, go with what you love, what makes you happy, and in a few years, if you feel differently, change it!
ooohhh. May 19 is my birthday! Great day : )
I am torn on this….I have dark espresso bedroom furniture and I have to dust it 26389254 times a day.
I like shabby chic white, but that’s not really my style.
I think the med.toned woods do have the most staying power also, but I’m not crazy about them : (
So many choices…
Right now, I’m really feeling weathered and distressed finishes. What’s it gonna be in the future? hard to say, but because right now it’s all about the hand-done, DIY and the understanding that its hand-done, so its ok if its not ‘perfect’. The pendulum is going to swing towards the manufactured/machined, sadly. I don’t think anything is ever timeless, except for Converse All-star shoes.
Sherry and Catherine– Thanks for your suggestions!! Signed up with One Kings Lane and checked out ebay. Had never seen Pine Cone Hill before, off to browse there. I appreciate you taking the time to give good input!
Birch is a funny thing. I love REALLY blanched birch, almost white or gray. However, the “birch”-look stuff (à la Ikea) is looking super dated to me these days (as is a lot of the gloss white stuff I’ve seen over the years). I’m even starting to get bored of black-white-gray rooms with bold graphic elements. At least one color needs to be mixed in in my opinion and a bit of sophistication can be added to black-white-gray by adding a cool brown/taupe.
As a first time home buyer, I have struggled with this question MANY a time over the last few months. From hardwood, to cabinets, to flooring – what will re-sell the best – and not make me want to change everything in 5 years (or less – my poor husband). In the end we went with the most neutral pallet for the flooring and walls – combining medium wood tones with off-white painted cabinets in the kitchen, and white cabinets and tile with dark wood cabinets in the bathroom. Now I can change my room decor with the season (or as the mood hit me). We also felt this would appeal to the masses in 5, 10 or 20 years.
currently we have a lot of maple in our home. My husband grew up with only dark, dark, dark wood furniture and refused to have dark when we first got married. But I feel like the light wood tones is over kill! I need some darker tones in my home! But we’re big fans of all different kinds of wood and tones so we plan on incorporating different styles in different rooms of our future house. I am liking white furniture more and more – but not too much. Just a piece here and there to lighten things up. I’m more into muted and earthy tones than bold and bright in my home. I feel that you can find classic furniture that will stand the test of time, but most colored pieces and patterned or color anything (curtains, rugs, pillows, sheets, etc) all come adn go in style over years. We like to invest in real classic solid pieces of furniture that will last through trends and then pick up new compliments like table runners and such as times change. :)
I used to be such a fan of the rich dark wood tones, until I moved to the desert southwest. It’s not that they don’t fit in, but the dust factor is overwhelming. Now I’m all about medium tones and rougher finishes that don’t show dust quite as quickly.
Everything goes out of style. Sad, but true. I have a mis-match of wood finishes in my home, so some of it is “in” and some of it is “out”, but all together it works.
Greetings,
I contacted you back in February about refinishing outdated dining room furniture. I followed your steps; sand, prime and then painted the chairs and table legs in a satin black (2 coats). Today, we enjoyed family around our table for Easter, one problem. I noticed that there are marks and a chip where the chair legs banged and rubbed up with the table legs. Should I have put a coat of poly on the painted areas too? I refinished the table top as well as the chair seats in a walnut finish toping it with poly. Thank you.Mary
Yup, poly definitely adds a nice protective coating and semi-gloss paint is also a bit more protective than a satin finish since it has more flex and is a bit more wipeable. We would lightly sand the dents and dings, apply a thin thin coat of oil-based primer in that area, let it dry fully, and follow that with the black latex paint until it looks seamless again. Remember to Keep those coats thin and feather them out for the least obvious “touch up” result. Then two or three thin coats of the water based poly that we recommended in our tutorial above over the entire painted piece should give it more long-lasting protection. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi I just have a simple question i have a dining room set in a cherry finish. The legs are cherry wood the top base has a silver trim and a glass top my coffee table are the same. I want to purchase a entertainment center and my question is should i stick with the same finish or can i go for something different. Also should i stick with picture frames that are the same finish or can i go for black or any other finish i just bought a house and im just getting the hang of interior decorating. I appreciate your help
The key is to have each finish repeated a few times around the room so things look consistent and intentional. Therefore if you went with a black entertainment center and black frames (and added a plush black throw to the sofa and a black vase on the coffee table) the whole room willl feel tied together and balanced. At least that’s our humble opinion!
xo,
s
I LOVE a light, honey pine, and white trim!!! Seems to be warm, clean and welcoming! My favorite is the discontinued Broyhill Fontana collection. Does anyone own this collection? I am looking to refinish the top of the dining room table, but I am so scared!!! I am not too sure how to since it is a very soft wood and finish!