In general, woods with a warm tone don't have a stain that changes their natural color — think natural birch, walnut, oak, maple, cherry, or even mahogany. Woods with a stain, particularly those finished in grey or black washes, tend to have cool undertones.
“Walnut has a warm undertone; it deepens and becomes richer and darker within the first year,” notes Laura. Walnut is becoming a top choice for several reasons. “So many people love the modern look but don't want it to appear cold.
Walnut is versatile because it's so neutral, in which case the undertone could swing either way depending on the stain and the woods you pair it with. If your dominate wood tone is warm, stick with warm woods.
Neutrally toned woods like Walnut are the most versatile. Walnut has soft purple undertones that work with warm and cool-toned wood alike. Feel free to mix dark and light woods of varying finishes and grain sizes so long as the undertones are consistent.
The tones in each wood element should work together. Woods with warm undertones such as cherry, mahogany, and hickory blend well and woods with cool undertones like ash, maple, poplar, and pine can live harmoniously in the same space.
Walnut is a fantastic choice for a lot of reasons… first, it's gorgeous but because it has a slight purple undertone to it — walnut can work best with both warm or cool undertones.
Combining mixed wood types – such as oak, walnut, ash – has become increasingly popular over the last few years thanks to the laid-back, 'lived-in' trend sweeping the interior world.
Walnut wood can change color depending on the way it's dried or its age. The heartwood usually is a dark brown color and the sapwood is a light yellow color. When the wood is left out in the elements, such as the sun, the lighter wood will turn darker and the darker wood will turn lighter.
Unlike cherry, maple, and oak (which all darken in color as they age), walnut wood will actually lighten slightly over time.
Oak has a light to middle brown colour with some reddish hues, complimented by a straight and tight grain pattern. Walnut can range anywhere from a light brown to a deep, dark chocolate hue. Though its grain is very open and more coarse than maple, walnut still has a beautiful, uniform surface.
Walnut brown is a dark brown color; a representation of the color made from walnut hulls. At a hue of 30, it is classified as an orange-brown.
Minwax Jacobean (also available here!) is a rich, dark brown color. It's similar to Dark Walnut, but a bit darker and the golden grain hues are more subtle and bit more light brown toned.
The outermost portion of the tree, dubbed sapwood due to the fact that it transports the tree's nutrients, is often a pale blonde tint, however it can also be yellow-gray. In contrast to cherry, maple, and oak, which all darken with age, walnut wood actually lightens slightly with age.
Pros: Walnut is a very strong and stable wood that can take intricate carving. The color can be beautiful. Cons: Some may not like the variation from dark to light that's sometimes found on a single wide board. Walnut is also one of the more costly woods.
Just Walnut is an elegant warm neutral with just enough colour to make it interesting and pale enough to ensure it works in just about any room.
The inner part of American black walnut wood, called “heartwood,” can be anything from a rich brown to a deep purplish-brown. Other types of walnut heartwood include pale brown and dark chocolate brown with even darker brown streaks in it, with a reddish or grey tone.
If you want a lighter colored board go with Maple, and if you want a darker board go with Walnut. Maple is a slightly higher quality wood with many benefits. Still, despite that, it is a less expensive end product though Walnut offers its own advantages.
New walnut has a consistent dark-brown color but as it gets older, two changes occur. 1: Unlike maple and cherry, it gets lighter. 2: A rich honey color starts to come through the grain. You can see the difference between a new table (left) and a four-year-old table (right).
Old filler is often a problem with oak, walnut, and mahogany. Bleaching can also be used to even the color of a piece of furniture made with two or more woods. It can lighten the darker wood to match the lighter one. Before you use bleach on any piece of furniture, make sure the wood is suitable for bleaching.
White walnut has a much lighter color than black walnut wood, but that's not the only difference: This wood is much softer, and it's not as durable against decay as the other types of black walnut wood. It's easy to work with, but because it's soft, it has a fuzzy surface, even after it's been sanded.
Walnut wood comes in a wide range of colors. Sapwood, or the outer part of the tree, ranges from yellow and gray to nearly creamy white. However, the heartwood or the inner portion of the wood come in dark or vibrant colors. Some colors may also be seen, such as reddish rays, purple marks, with some darker streaks.
Walnut is lovely wood, especially when carefully air dried so as to preserve the rich chocolate, purple and black tones in the best of it. HOWEVER, It fades like mad in sunlight. Furniture is touched by sunlight. Therefore, the lovely colors of the walnut go away — and it doesn't take centuries.
While mixing wood tones is perfectly acceptable—and in fact, we encourage it—it always helps to pick a dominant wood tone as a starting point to help you choose other pieces to bring in the room. If you have wood floors, your work here is done — those are your dominant wood tone.
Shades of Light
Light wood finishes are trending all over the place and look exceptional when teamed up with darker colors like black and navy. We love the stylish golden wood finish on this table by Tiffany Duckenfield who paired it the stark black chairs giving it a sleek modern sophisticated look.
Harder woods like White Oak will be more resistant to dents, dings, and scratches while softer woods like Walnut will tend to show wear more easily.