What Cabinet Finishes Work Best in Contemporary Living Room Interiors?
Cabinet finishes for contemporary living rooms: The most noticeable thing in a living room is the cabinet. Its hue is decided on in the very first moment, before anyone notices the shape. Choose a hue that clashes with the sofa, the floor or the light and the space seems a little wrong. Pick one that complements the room and suddenly it’s as if it was meant to be there. The trouble is finishes are available in so many options, from deep woods and warm metals to carved fronts and soft curves that it’s difficult to find where to begin. This guide highlights contemporary finishes, their effect and how to combine various finishes in a scheme without losing the innate simple, clean style that all contemporary schemes carry.
Brass Details: Warm Metal Without the Glitz
Adding warmth to a room with plain surfaces is easy with brass. Whether it’s highlighted in trim, inetched onto handles or used as an accent, it adds a glow that plain wood cannot. Just remember, less is more with brass and it should read as an accent rather than ornamentation.
Brass detail tends to work best on modern living room cabinets set against calm backdrops such as grey, cream or white walls. White or cream. An example of this concept in action is the Avora Brass Embossed 2 Door Chestnut Cabinet, which combines brass with a deep chestnut tone so the metal has a warm surface to rest against.
- Opt for small amounts of brass, like panels or handles
- Use it with deep wood tones, not light ones
Chestnut and Walnut: Deep Tones That Ground a Room
Dark, warm woods tend to be the foundation of a good contemporary lounge room. They provide balance with any lighter furniture pieces, and provide visual weight, preventing the room from feeling like a showroom.
Chestnut colours are well suited to a room where it gets lots of natural daylight because the colour will appear rich rather than ponderous. Walnut hues provide a slightly more understated, sophisticated vibe. The Mini Pineapple Carved Walnut Cabinet demonstrates how a walnut finish can carry adornment whilst remaining contemporary.
Carved and Textured Fronts: Detail Instead of Decoration
A textured front is decorative without being cluttered. Don’t decorate the top of the cabinet with accessories – make the surface itself the decoration.
Designed panels like the Cadiz Carved Block Cabinet brings pattern and texture, while the Edessa Bone Inlay Cabinet takes the opposite approach, inlaying a gorgeous, detailed surface. Both of these offer a centerpiece– without a need for a single additional decorative object on top.
Fluted and Curved Shapes: Softness in a Straight-Lined Room
Modern rooms are filled with linear shapes from sofas to shelves to windows. A cabinet with a rounded or fluted front offers a bit of a break.
The Fluted Curve Cabinet and the Amber Wavefront Cabinet infuse a flat wall with a sense of motion. These finishes particularly excel in a room with a neutral palette where there isn’t a great deal to draw the eye.
Open Shelving and Natural Textures
Not all cabinets have to be closed-door. Open cabinets like the Tova Open Shelf Cabinet and the Larissa Open Double Cabinet allow you to display a few selected items, and they add a little less weight in a room because they’re visible.
Natural materials like oak, mango wood and rattan are also included in the site’s ‘filters’, which work well with relaxed, organic interiors. The natural grain and texture of timber adds a softness to a modern space and takes it away from feeling too slick.
How to Choose and Combine Finishes
With so many options, a few simple rules keep the room consistent.
- Choose one lead finish and use others as supporting accents
- Match the cabinet’s undertone to your flooring, warm with warm and cool with cool
- Limit yourself to two or three finishes in the whole room
- Test a sample in your own light before committing
When you are ready to buy, shopping for luxury home decor online from Dukes Home Interior gives you time to compare finishes side by side, check the details and think about how each piece will sit with the furniture you already own.
Conclusion
The most stylish finish is one that fits the room, not the one that screams the loudest. Select a lead finish, put in a small flourish -brass, a carved front- then keep the rest of the room subdued. With some restraint, the cabinet will read as part of the room and not an afterthought.
