Walls are Going Lighter

Christine:

What a delightful surprise. Thank you for responding so thoughtfully to my inquiry. It really does help. I think oftentimes people like me can just think waaaay too much about something and your post really helps to focus.
Christine, I am going to ask you, and you do not have to reply, but I thought I would ask...we are going to remodel our 25-year-old house this year. We will be putting in hardwood floors basically everywhere except for bathrooms. My husband and I have mostly cherry and mahogany furniture throughout our house. We also have a large dog so we are trying to find a very hard floor that fits in a budget. That being said, I am looking at hickory and acacia flooring prestained. I tend to like a more brown Brazilian cherry look, but then took a couple floor samples into our bedroom (which has a cherry sleigh bed, a cherry dresser, armoire, lingerie, etc) and then started to wonder about my choices. I do really like this color choice (as opposed to e.g. Brazilian walnut), but am really stumped. Also, we have 8 ft ceilings so I think I would have to paint all the walls with very light colors (b/c the floors would be pretty dark). What are your thoughts? This is a big ticket item at 2000 square feet plus, so I want to get it as right as I can.
Thanks again for your blog and post.
-Michelle

Dear Michelle,

If you have read my thoughts on hardwood floors- I really like Brazilian cherry. I like how it has a lot of variation in color- which ties in different woods. I remember the first time I used it- my client moved into a home with oak doors and baseboards throughout- oak kitchen cabinets- and yet they were bringing with them lots of cherry furniture. I brought many samples to their home- and we went with the Brazilian cherry-- I could not have been happier- so much so that I have used it on many jobs since. It is also one of the strongest, most durable woods. Keep in mind that different sources (brands) for your Brazilian Cherry will have different shades- look at several before selecting.

I would not worry about your walls. The "dark wall color trend" is on its way "out" and walls are lightening up. Go to Borders and look through Metropolitan Home and Elle Decor- I bet you will only see light walls. I have started going a shade or two lighter on my clients' homes than I was four years ago. Go with your Brazilian Cherry- your walls will be great. Interior Photos from Decor Magazine- Fall- Winter 2007.