Wondering About Woods

Feb 16, 2016

Betsy Helmuth introduces premium membership and apologizes for the episode delay. She announces a new storefront and retail options before diving into the topic of wood in design. Betsy discusses avoiding solid wood, types of wood, and answers listener questions on mixing woods in lofts and matching wood furniture with floors. She shares a design secret on using painted wood to break up wood elements and closes with news about her new YouTube channel.

0:00 Introduction to premium membership
1:25 Apology for episode delay
1:47 Announcement of new storefront and retail options
2:59 Introduction to episode topic: wondering about woods
3:20 Explanation on avoiding solid wood
5:15 Discussion on different wood types
11:36 Listener question: mixing and matching woods in a loft space
13:13 Listener question: matching wood furniture with wood floors and trim
19:12 Design secret: breaking up wood elements with painted wood
21:06 Closing remarks and new YouTube channel announcement

- Choosing solid wood furniture can be costly and impractical, making engineered woods like MDF or particle board more durable and budget-friendly alternatives.
- Sticking to one family of wood tones—such as all dark woods, all mid-tone woods, or all light woods—ensures a cohesive and sophisticated look in your space.
- Painted wood pieces do not count as wood tones, providing a versatile option to break up the visual dominance of wood elements in a room.

Additional show notes:

Click here to ask Betsy Helmuth a design question.

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For more about our residential interior design services, visit ModernInteriorDesign.com.

For our commercial interior design services, visit OfficeInteriorDesign.com.