bydesignamerican hardwoods - american … you get in your kitchen, where you need it most. wellborn...

byDesignAmerican Hardwoods

Mix or Match v13 9/28/06 4:04 PM Page i

Contents

Hardwoods in Harmony . . . . 3

Expressing Yourself with Hardwoods . . . . . . . . 5

Classic Contrast . . . . . . . . . 7

Marriage of Materials . . . . . . 9

Trim: Tricks with the Trimmings . . . . . . . . 11

Paint: Strokes of Genius . . . 13

Environmentally Friendly . . . 15

Mix or Match v13 9/28/06 4:04 PM Page ii

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Relax! Today’s top interior designers never try to find an exact match in wood tones because it’s downright dull when everything’s the same in a room.

Don’t try to be a match-maker. Better to blend – or contrast – the colors and textures of various American hardwoods on your floors, furniture, cabinets and mouldings.

From ash, alder and birch to the oaks and maples, poplar, walnut and more, America’s forests give you more trustedhardwood choices than any other temperate forest in the world. Consider an eclectic look, a harmonious mix of styles,hues, stains and finishes in the same space. Eclectic decorating is relaxed, sometimes informal, always inviting.It’s easy and all about the way we like to live in the 21st century.

Wondering whether to mix – or match – wood tonesin the furniture, floors, cabinets and trim?We have an easy answer…

Choosing hardwoods

for your home?

AMERICAN HARDWOODS

Hardwood expressionsAs the room’s focal point,this floor features ash,maple, red and white oak,poplar and walnut. Forstorage and display, themaple built-in shelvingcomplements the multi-hardwood floor.

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Wood tones in tune An easy mix of woods and tones make the inside sceneryas interesting as the view through the window wall of this large family room(above). Against the expanse of floor with its medium-dark stain, the furniture isdramatically dark, while the cabinets and trim are lighter in tone. Maple flooring(right) bounces light from windows and lamps to make the small living room of abig city apartment look larger. Furniture is a medley of different woods in tonesfrom light to very dark.

Defining space (below) In a small house, wainscoting,window trim, archway and columns – all crafted of Americancherry – distinguish dining space from the seating areawithout actually closing off the rooms. The pattern inlaid inthe ash flooring is echoed above in the double-helping ofcherry mouldings on the ceiling.

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Florence Perchuk, CKDDesigns by Florence Perchuk,New York

I don’t match,I blend. Would youwant an outfit withthe suit, shoes,stockings and bag allthe same color?What I’m looking for is harmony between the woodtones. The floors don’t have to be the same woodtone, as long as they all blend harmoniously.

If the room is dark, I’d go lighter on the floor. If it’sfilled with light, then go darker. Remember, the floorholds everything together!

Hardwoods inHarmony

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Interior InsightsPOINTERS FROM THE PROS


Timeless blending Light-stained oak flooring (right)creates a border around the medium-stained center ofthis compact living room in a 1920s bungalow. Paintedmouldings on the windows, doors and fireplace keep theroom light, airy and modern. Large open spaces (above)can be subtly divided into different activity areas usingcustom built-ins like this floor-to-ceiling cabinet. Acrossthe room, wood surrounds the fireplace to help unify thegenerous space. Always in style, blue and cream (left)impart traditional personality to a kitchen that’s elegantenough to entertain in, with its Oriental rug, warmwood floors and personal accessories. The oakworkstation is stained to echo the blue of the paintedwalls that frame the maple cabinets and set off theirwarm ‘parfait’ finish.

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Jamie DrakeDrake Design Associates,New York

Gone are the days whenpicking one species forcabinets and floors providedexciting results. What looksright today is to break outand show a little personalityand style. Two – and eventhree – woods are often usedin the most successfulkitchen designs, for example, medium tones such as oak forthe perimeter cabinets, an island in color-glazed wood, and astand-alone hutch in walnut.

If you are opting for one tone for the cabinets, contrastyour floor color – either lighter or darker – to create impactand drama.

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Mary Jo Peterson, CKDMJP Design, Inc. Brookfield, Connecticut

Mixing woods enhances the sense of furnishings in thespace, rather than beingjust a room lined with cabi-nets. Like anything thatadds character to a space,the mix must be doneselectively and in balancewith other details of thedesign.

Benjamin Noriega-OrtizBNO Design, New York

When I use wood for kitchen cabinets, I always like the floor that touches the lower cabinetsto match the color of the cabinets themselves, even if they are a different type of wood. Thatway, you make the kitchen floor appear larger.

You can use another wood type and color for the center of the kitchen floor itself. And, ofcourse, the upper cabinets can be a completely different wood, material or color.


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ExpressingYourself with Hardwoods


Well-grounded (left)Dark-stained mapleflooring provides whatdesigner Eric Cohler callsa ‘grounding’ for thelighter cabinets, thebetter to showcase thebeauty of the wood. It’s also the perfectsetting for the dressyFrench furniture in theadjacent dining area.

Dark and light (right) Maplecabinets stained espresso playcolor counterpoint to the lightwork island and architecturaldetailing over the cooktop in akitchen luxurious enough for an Oriental rug. Light floors andcountertops also enhance theappealing balance betweencoffee and cream.

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Eric CohlerEric Cohler, Inc., New York

Kitchen cabinets shouldnot match the floor in coloror tone. Different types ofwood will act as catalysts toset off their rich play oftextures and patina.

The darker tone on thefloor prevents cabinets from “melting” into one another.This is a more interesting look – a classic that will endure foryears to come.

ContrastClassic

Celerie KembelKemble Interiors,Palm Beach

I use a darker stain on the flooring and a lighterone on the cabinets. Thisgives greater depth to theroom and helps to optically‘pull’ the floor down and‘lift’ the cabinets.

The closer thecolors of yourcabinets to yourfloors, the calmer thekitchen. The higherthe contrast, thehigher the energy-level.

The lighter thewood color on yourfloor, the more lightbounce you get inyour kitchen, whereyou need it most.

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Masterful mixing Americanhardwoods are naturallyconvivial, able to coexistbeautifully with woods andother materials, includingman-mades like glass, tile andmetal (left). Burnishedstainless steel gleams in thischic city kitchen by Clodagh.She routed the maple cabinetsto add textural balance to thecool, hard steel, giving thekitchen a presence that’s farlarger than its square footage.(Right) An arc of stainlesssteel lends a graceful,contemporary touch to acabinet door of bleached oak.

Clodagh, the Irish-born, Design Hall of Fame honoreelong known for her green designs and eco-friendly ideassays, “I never even think about matching wood species orwood tones. In fact, I don’t try to match metals and othermaterials, either.

“Like fashion, interior design has changed. Where oneused to match the hat, shoes and bag, now the idea is tobe in harmony. For 22 years in my own kitchen, I’ve hadan oak floor with ash veneers on the cabinet – I like theveining, the ‘cathedral’ in ash – and still other types ofwood for my table and seating cubes.”Da

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Naturally modernLaid on the diagonal,butternut floor strips(left) frame insets of thesame stone CelerieKembel uses on thecountertops in thekitchen. Against all thesenaturals, stainless steeladds a bit of welcomeflash to the mix.

Thomas JayneThomas Jayne Studio,Inc., New York

A mixture of woods isoften an asset. In a newkitchen and family roomwe recently designed,we chose a 4-inch-wideoak board to make therooms relate. We laidthe kitchen floor in arunning design, and thefamily room floor in a herringbone pattern, then stainedthe whole a medium color, warm in tone.

We painted the kitchen cabinets a bone white withcounters of oak, some inset with marble. In the familyroom, the cabinets are mahogany, stained close to thecolor of the counters in the kitchen, so the spacesrelate. What distinguishes them are the different textures of the different woods.

Furthermore, we commissioned the dining table andchairs from American walnut. I like an interweave ofsubtle similarities and differences. With a combinationof woods, the rooms have their own character, but theystill relate.

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Classic yetcontemporaryTraditional hardwoodtrimmings turn tallwindows (left) intoarchitectural assets thateasily can hold their own.In keeping with the lightfloor and garden-likemood of the room, thetrim and wall panelinghave been painted whiteand left beautifully bare.Trimmed with a reeddetail (right) andcentered with adecorative block called akeystone, a traditionalarch frames acontemporary but classicroom for dining. Laid tofollow the room’scontours, the flooring isdesigned to drawattention to the table.

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Tricks with Trimmings

Plain plaster and paint are only the beginning of any well-executed room. Addhardwood trim and you create new depth, personality and architectural presence. Just askexpert Mary Ellen Polson, who’s written the last word on trim in “The Trim Idea Book” (TheTaunton Press, 2005). She shares her insider ideas on making the most of hardwoodtrim:

� Trim enhances room size. It creates subtle shadows that add a sense of depthand trick the eye into seeing more space than really exists.

� Wood trim is versatile. You can have new trim made to match original pieces ifyou’re restoring an old house, or you can replicate trim from a historic source. Youcan also combine several stock pieces to create custom-look trims that are the rightstyle and size for your individual room.

� Trim goes everywhere. Around doors and windows and ceilings… across walls aschair rails and plate rails... into both traditional and contemporary interiors… inhouses of monumental size and city apartments with rooms like small squareboxes… trim makes a dramatic difference everywhere.

� To stain or to paint? It depends on the look you’re after. If it’s woodsy, earthy orcontemporary, think stain – there’s a wide variety, from clear to color-tinted. If youwant a more traditional look, paint is great, especially white or cream. Just bewareof creating too much contrast between the walls and the trim. Try tinting the trimpaint with a little of the wall color, say, 20-30 percent, to soften the contrast.

� ‘Trade-up’ with trim. Change-out standard builder trim – it’s often thin and notrich-looking – for more substantial, interesting trim pieces that will give your house acustom-built quality look.

� Revive Victorian elegance. With today’s ultra-high ceilings, picture rails are back.It’s a nice way to bring that high ceiling down into context with the rest of the room.

The Magic of Hardwood Mouldings

TrimFocal point An ordinary windowbecomes extraordinarywhen it’s accentuatedwith classic mouldingssurprisingly applied onthe inside. Paintedsparkling white in clarioncontrast with the darkwalls, the window is nowthe bedroom’s dramaticfocal point.

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Zinger Color! Paint powers this kitchen/sitting room(left) from calm to totally cool. Never shy around color,designer Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz blends the wood toneson the cabinets and floor, then zaps the room to lifewith shocking pink columns from floor to ceiling. Floorpainting is another way to infuse color. “Wood floors ina kitchen are my favorite because they’re softerunderfoot than stone, and age beautifully – a well-wornkitchen floor shows such heart,” says designer CelerieKembel. “Also, I’m a big fan of painted wood floors in akitchen – stripes or geometric stenciled patterns.”Thanks to faux painting (below), this oak floor gives theillusion of featuring black marble borders and insetmedallions.

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PaintStrokes of GeniusPaint is canned magic, a quick and inexpensive way to transform hardwood trim, furnitureand floors from tired to terrific. Today’s paints are highly durable and they’re also eco-savvy: look for low- or no-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) ratings. For all that newness,painted furniture and floors also have a rich legacy that goes deep into the designtraditions of many cultures.

� What’s your style? In the hands of great 18th century designers like GeorgeHepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton, painted furniture was fit for the fanciest ballroom.That’s in contrast with painted rustic furniture from the South of France, the “Dutch”folk artists of Pennsylvania, and the back roads of the American countryside.Whatever the style, the original paint is key to the value of such pieces today.

� Be prepared. It’s essential to any good paint job, so you might as well knuckle downand follow the steps to success: clean, repair, sand, and prime with care. Some woodfurniture should also be stripped of any old, loose paint. Final step for floors: three tofive coats of protective clear polyurethane.

� Be creative. Don’t stop with a couple of coats of color. Individualize your furniture orfloor with painted decorations. Stencils are traditional. Cut your own, or check out thecraft store offerings.

� Bordering on genius. Frame your floor with a painted or stained border about 12-inches from the wall all around. Or paint a rug under a dining table or seatinggroup. Sketch it out in advance, but do the painting freehand to achieve thatauthentic folk art look.

� Paint with stains. Colored stains are an easy way to add interest underfoot. Youhave a rainbow of different colors to choose among today, from deep green to pastelblues. Plus, you get to control the final effect.

Dark = warm andcozy The deeperthe colors, thesmaller a space looksand feels, a neattrick when you wantto create a cozyfeeling in any room.Dark walls and dark-stained oak floorsunderscore thewarmth that radiatesthrough this smallcottage living room.Wood trim on themantel, doors andcrown moulding,painted a rich ochre,enhances the come-hither mood.

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Dramatic contrast Poplar isa popular hardwood forpainted architectural detailsand mouldings. Painted white,the poplar mantle (left) is instriking contrast to the redoak floor. Three Americanhardwoods (above) flowtogether in this customcabinet door that features twoparts oak and one part each ofash and walnut in thebleached oak frame.


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EnvironmentallyFriendly

Green choicesfor home designFor centuries, American hardwoods have been prized fortheir beauty and authenticity, warmth, durability and lastingvalue. Now, eco-savvy consumers are adding “green andsustainable” to the reasons they choose floors, cabinets,furniture and trim made of American hardwoods.

In U.S. forests, we grow about twice as much hardwoodas we harvest each year. What’s more, there is no need toreplant them because hardwoods renew themselves on theirown and in great abundance.

All hardwood forests in the continental United States are temperate – nottropical. They are home to the oaks, maples, cherry, ash, poplar and scores of otherbroad-leafed deciduous trees, many of which grow nowhere else in the world. Thegrowing seasons in a temperate forest create the visible tree growth rings that giveAmerican hardwoods their distinctive character and figure.

In contrast to the evergreens (softwoods), most hardwood forests are in theeastern half of the country. Hardwood forests cover 269 million acres: the equivalent ofhardwood trees covering every square inch of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois,Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina and half of South Carolina.

Sustainability is meeting today’s needs, without compromising the ability offuture generations to meet their needs. With far more hardwood growth than there isharvesting, American hardwoods for flooring, furniture, cabinetry and millwork are thedefinition of environmentally friendly, green and sustainable, now and for futuregenerations.

AMERICAN HARDWOODS


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Unparalleled diversity American hardwood forests offer a greater number of species than any other temperate hardwood forest in the world. Each year, hardwood growth ismuch greater than the annual harvest. As a result, we have 90 percent more hardwoodstoday than we had 50 years ago.

American Hardwoods:Renewing, Abundant

The volume of hardwood inAmerican forests hasincreased steadily.

Hardwood forest growth hasfar exceeded removal formore than 50 years.

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Visit www.hardwoodinfo.com to learn moreabout American hardwoods and to get adviceon how to select and care for, decorate andremodel with American hardwood floors,cabinets, furniture and trim.

AMERICAN HARDWOODINFORMATION CENTER

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Contemporary medley In another harmoniousmix of American hardwoods, the slightly darkerwhite oak floor showcases the lighter mapleshelving and built-ins that line a hallway leading tothe kitchen.

What’s Growing in the Forests?American hardwoods renew and regenerate themselvesabundantly. Some species have been and will continue tobe naturally more plentiful than others. The oaks make upmore than half of all hardwood trees in American forests.

11% POPLAR

8% MAPLE

5% ASH

4% CHERRY

3% ALDER

17% OTHERS*

52% RED AND WHITE OAK

*Includes Basswood,Birch, Cottonwood, Elm,

Gum, Hackberry, Hickory/Pecan,Walnut, and other hardwood species.


American HardwoodInformation Center

400 Penn Center BoulevardSuite 530Pittsburgh, PA 15235www.hardwoodinfo.com


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