Mockup: Mid-Century Danish Wood Shelving
In a Facebook group someone asked for design advice about the built-in wood shelving in her new apartment. Here’s what she said:
I personally REALLY love them. They are some sort of mid century danish design that the previous owner commissioned.
However, a couple of problems: First, there is one area of the wall where the wood is missing. I have no idea what happened there but the previous tenants put some "wood wallpaper" to make it blend in but it does look odd. Also, in general, because they take up such a large area of the living room and are really dark I am wondering if it's making the space too dark.
Thank you for reading so far! So my questions are:
1. Would you hire a carpenter to try to match a piece of wood to the style/stain of the rest of the wood?
2. Would you paint the back wall of the built-in shelves white so it's not so dark? I'm really really resistant to this because I love the wood but wanted to hear opinions and part of me is worried that is is all too dark...
3. Finally, what color floors would you combine all this with? I like the idea of mixing the midcentury wood look with some other industrial/modern style for the flooring so it's not so "matchy matchy" — would light gray textured floors look good here?
For reference, in general I really like this kind of decorating style:
https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/justina-blakeneys-punchy-pattern-filled-los-angeles-home-233347
Here’s what the place looks like:
My instinct when faced with a ton of wood is always to paint it white, but given this is custom work she really loves, I was eager to see how it could feel without the no-turning-back paint solution. This was my response to her:
1 - To start, you can try covering those areas with artwork to hide the imperfections and mirrors to reflect light.
2 - Usually my reaction to wood is to paint it white. But it looks like you've stumbled upon some rare valuable carpentry that might be worth preserving. You can start by trying to brighten the space with books, art, plants, mirrors, and bright rugs and furniture, and see if the place achieves the spirit you're after. (Justina Blakeney's living room is also filled with darker tones.) Down the road you can paint it if it's not working for you, and you'll feel that much more certain about it.
3 - Agree with others: match the warm tones and go light and bright.
Here's how the space could feel doing the above:
That’s how this mockup came to be. It was a lot of fun to put together and confirmed (for my own curiosity!) that even if white paint ultimately becomes the desired route, preserving the wood that initially wowed her can still make for a vibrant, bohemian, jungly space.
