Timber Frame Décor: 3 Do’s and 1 Don’t

It doesn’t happen often but it’s a special experience for us when we get to revisit one of our frames once our customers have moved in and made the space their own. It’s always so interesting to see what décor choices they’ve made!

Although representing an ancient form of craftsmanship, timber frames can express a wide range of décor styles—from traditional to modern—depending on the selected finishes and furnishings.

We’ve noticed that, regardless of a customer’s personal style, there are some décor choices that stand out for being especially effective given the unique opportunities and challenges presented by a timber frame. We’d like to share them here.

DO: Contrast with the wood

Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees. Likewise, sometimes you can’t see the wood for, well … the wood. When it comes to planning the décor of a timber frame home, it’s easy to error on the side of too much of a good thing.

While it’s wonderful to incorporate wood throughout the home in other ways, such as ceiling paneling, wall paneling, or flooring, we suggest choosing—at most—two out of three. Contrasting materials allow the frame itself to pop against a different background and look its most impressive best. Consider painted or papered drywall, and tile or concrete floors. And these are most effective in cool colors to emphasize the contrast with the warm-toned wood.

We especially loved one customer’s selection of a gray-toned blue paint throughout the great room of their timber framed home. It gave exactly the effect of gazing up a blue sky between the sections of the frame, which is just the way we see it before it gets enclosed!

Another customer went with a wood paneled ceiling in their pool pavilion, but chose to stain the ceiling boards black, providing fantastic contrast with the lighter wood of the frame, as well as their natural stone outdoor fireplace.

And speaking of natural stone …

DO: Complement the Wood

No two trees in the same forest are ever identical. Each has spent its growing years responding to the microclimate in which it found itself. Reaching its branches around the those of its neighbors, competing for space and light. Intertwining its roots around those of its neighbors, cooperating for water and nutrients. Tolerating weather and drought. Withstanding disease and insect infestations. Even taking the occasional bullet.

Trees that make it to adulthood—to the point of being ready for harvest as timber material—are true survivors. They bear the signs and scars of their long history within their wood in the form of knots, holes, cracks, color variations and irregular grain patterns, none of which affect their structural integrity.

Our timber framers, when crafting your frame, will celebrate each tree’s history by ensuring that the most lovely and unique grain patterns of each timber are visible wherever possible.

Your decor choices can keep this theme going throughout your spaces by selecting other natural materials to complement the wood. Stone, minerals, and natural fibers such as wool, linen and silk also have unique characteristics, as well as tactile qualities that, when layered together, appeal to the senses and emphasize a connection to the natural world.

DO: Illuminate the Wood

Home décor experts often emphasize the importance of lighting both in creating a particular atmosphere and ensuring the functionality of a space. The same is true of timber framed spaces, and perhaps even moreso.

Timber framed spaces can be vast. Carefully planned lighting can help define focal points and create areas for specific purposes within that space.

In a timber frame, the eye is always drawn upward to the natural focal point of the roof structure. Consider adding upward-focused lighting to illuminate those timbers and emphasize the architectural features. One customer recently shared with us his plan to do this in his pool pavilion. Your electrician can advise on how wiring can be concealed within the timbers themselves to avoid them detracting from the effect.

In large-scale spaces, statement lighting fixtures can anchor spaces around different purposes, such as gathering, dining, or working. A timber framed great room practically begs for a multi-level chandelier-type fixture, suspended within the open space overhead, somehow adding a sense of drama and weightlessness at the same time! One customer of ours selected several iron fixtures from Restoration Hardware’s Camino lighting collection, which were particularly striking.

And finally, don’t forget that the wood itself will glow if illuminated in some way. Bounce the light around your space as much as possible by introducing shiny materials, such as metals, mirrors, and glass, to make the absolute most of what the wood offers.

DON’T: Stain the Wood

While we understand when some customers express a desire to stain their timbers to a specific, consistent color, we suggest that you consider not staining the wood of your frame. Stain tends to muddy, cloud, and obscure exactly what makes solid wood special. It creates a uniform, standardized appearance that mutes the unique characteristics of wood and erases its natural glow. A natural, essentially clear finish is often the most effective option, bringing out all the best qualities of the wood and maximizing the “Wow” factor.

But whatever your timber frame dream home looks like, and whatever your personal décor style, you can count on Ogonek Custom Timber Frames to execute an undeniably gorgeous frame for you. We can’t wait to see what you do with yours!