Oak furniture is seeing a resurgence in popularity for modern homes up and down the country; from coffee tables to TV stands, here we show you how to use oak in your living room.
Painted, stained or natural?
Choosing between finishes for your oak furniture will depend upon the look you’re going for. For homes that are looking to be ‘on trend’ then lighter oaks or pieces painted in light paint are the order of the day.
If you’re home follows a minimalist feel then you can incorporate natural oaks, this is perfect for introducing interest into your room through wood grain patterns. To make a feature of your oak piece of furniture you should choose a contrasting wall to place it against. Light oak works perfectly when backed against a deep blue or purple wall; and dark oaks look great against pale cream of white walls.
Oak furniture that will give your home rustic charm
A hot trend for 2014 is rustic/countryside charm; this trend has been ‘in’ for a good few years now and it’s looking set to stay. To introduce this look into your home look for oak furniture that combines painted surfaces with wood that’s left exposed. These pieces invariable tend to also so use finishes that are distressed, and follow patterns that showcase large panels and simple designs.
To compliment rustic pieces you can introduce other materials such as natural stone and slate, as well as featuring flowers in plenty of metal jugs and vintage styled bunting hung from the ceiling.
Key oak pieces
Depending on how you use your living room there are a few key pieces that you may want to consider. For example, a Toulouse antique oak coffee table adds all important functionality to the room and because they’re generally placed in the centre of the room they act as a focal point.
This one here at http://www.lightsandfurnitureis a fine example. Because of this you may want to have the majority of your spend on a coffee table that will create interest within your room. If you find yourself short on space then you may wish to swap the coffee table for a set of nested tables; a matching oak mirror may also help when trying to make your living room look larger than it really is.
Other pieces you may want to look at are bookcases, side boards, TV stands and display cases. Whilst the norm is to have all of these items in the same oak, you can consider having one of these items in a contrasting finish, which will serve as a focal point.
Maintaining your oak furniture
Oak is one of the most robust materials you can use within your home, and if you look after your oak furniture you can expect it to last a lifetime. Generally oak isn’t high maintenance and so, depending on the finish, you’ll most likely just need to wax it on a yearly basis. This will differ from product to product so be sure to check the instructions that come with your items.