How To Mix Different Wood Tones with Tri Pointe Homes

Disclosure: This post is in partnership with Tri Pointe Homes. All opinions and content is my own.

Tri Pointe Homes is in the process of building five new residential communities around the greater Puget Sound area. I’ve had the honor of touring all of the model homes in the past few months – getting the first peek at the new interior design trends, finishes and creative accents has been an incredible experience. The best part, I get to share with them all of you! Today’s tour is of the Trailside at Meadowdale Beach in Edmonds, Washington. This intimate community of homes is walking distance to Meadowdale Beach, has the sweetest playground for kids and is in great proximity to major shopping areas.

The two model homes I toured in the Trailside Community are both designed by K. Peterson Design, a Bellevue-based interior designer. One of the things that really stood out to me in these homes is how she seamlessly mixed different wood tones together to create a warm and cozy look that is still cohesive. So let’s chat about how to mix different wood tones like Krissy did!

How To Mix Different Wood Tones

Both of these model homes are equally beautiful but are completely different styles. I think these two homes are perfect examples of how you can have very base similar finishes (ie. floors, wall color and countertops), yet once you bring in the furniture, accessories and final touches the homes look completely different. I am going to do a few side-by-side views of these homes and how they achieved each look, focusing on how to mix different wood tones to achieved different end styles.

The first home (photos on the left) has a coastal modern design, while the second home (on the right) has a more northwest modern style.

Two-Tone Cabinets

The kitchens in both of the homes include two-tone cabinets. Meaning, the upper cabinets have a different finish than the lower cabinets. It’s a trend we see happening more and more. The coastal modern kitchen on the left includes warm driftwood-stained cabinets mixed with a dark espresso finish on the lowers. I don’t see cabinets with two different wood stains very often, but this look definitely works well together because both stains are in the same family. They provide enough contrast yet are also cohesive.

The northwest modern kitchen on the right also includes two-tone cabinets but this time with a painted white finish on the uppers and more mid-century modern style cabinets on the lowers with a medium stain. This look is definitely a little cleaner and sleeker.

Here is a closer look at the two-toned cabinets together. They are brought together with matching hardware and the same cabinet door styles.

I have white picket tile in my kitchen, so I’m a little biased. But I love the contrast and pattern it brings to this kitchen!

Mixing Wood Dining Tables With Different Hardwoods

While we are in the kitchen, let’s talk about dining table options! When you already have so many wood tones going on in one space, (i.e. two different cabinet colors and hardwoods) it can be tough to decide on a dining table color! Do you match one of the wood tones or go with a black metal for contrast? It’s a common question I get from readers.

In the coastal kitchen, K. Peterson Design brought in another great coastal wood tone with this whitewashed wood table. It’s light and airy and the tone blends perfectly with the medium tone driftwood color kitchen cabinets. Whereas in the more modern kitchen, the table is actually a close match to the lower kitchen cabinets, keeping a more minimalistic and sleeker look to the dining area.

Living Room

With an open concept in the downstairs, the living rooms are extensions of the kitchen and dining areas, making it important to keep the same furniture style and wood tones throughout the downstairs for a cohesive and pulled-together look. You’ll notice that with a coastal modern style, they use a variety of light to medium wood tones that all have a slight whitewash or driftwood look to them. The eclectic mixture of wood pieces works because they all fit into the coastal style.

On the contrary, with the northwest modern home they selected 2-3 high contrast tones that work well together and kept those consistent throughout the house: 1) the light hardwoods 2) medium wood with orange undertones and 3) a dark black stain.

Fireplace Designs

The fireplace in each living room makes for big statement piece. A fireplace comes with every home in the Trailside Community, but you can choose to invest in a tile accent on the fireplace surround or extend it to the ceiling.

Downstairs Bedroom/Office Space

Both home layouts have an additional room downstairs that can be used as a bedroom or a home office.

In this coastal inspired bedroom they mixed a dark mid-century modern piece with a wood trimmed mirror.

In the northwest modern home, they kept the same wood tones throughout the house by bringing in a modern desk that is the same color as the hardwoods. The patterned rug provides contrast while keeping a clean look.

Downstairs Small Bathroom Decor

The downstairs also includes a small full bathroom. It’s not always a common practice to include a full bathroom downstairs. A powder room is more standard. This is a great addition especially if you need to use the extra room downstairs as a bedroom.

The use of tile in each of these bathrooms is just stunning! The penny tile backsplash that extends to the ceiling pulls your eye up, showcasing the tall ceilings. The tall tile is an unexpected design element that catches you by surprise. I love it. It also turns this small bathroom in a true “wow moment”.

The northwest modern bathroom includes a full tile accent wall with linear stacked matte subway tile in a taupe finish. The black accents really pop, giving this a high-contrast look.

Staircase Details and Entry Decor

Tri Pointe Homes offers a variety of staircase options for your home. You can see all of the options in my tour of the Tri Pointe Homes Design Studio. The black metal staircase is my personal favorite. In these two homes you can see how they chose the same metal railing but added different wood handrails to better match the style of the home.

The coastal modern home has a medium driftwood tone handrail, whereas the northwest modern home has a dark espresso that creates a seamless look.

Decorating A Large Hallway

Both of the model homes have a large open hallway upstairs where the staircase is extended. This provides a great architectural element and creates contrast against the long white hallway. The staircase would be a great standalone feature in the hallway, but you can also invest in patterned wallpaper that adds warmth and texture, or large-scale prints for a clean and modern look.

Instead of a large landing area like most of the Tri Pointe Homes, the northwest modern home has an open media room. I just adore how they went with a dark and moody look in this space. They achieved this look by painting the walls a dark color and adding in soft neutral tones that have lots of texture with the woven rug, wood coffee table, leather poufs and cozy blankets. This room mixes a lot of different warm wood tones together to give it dimension and a very organic feel.

Primary Bedroom Design

Each of these primary bedrooms has a sophisticated and inviting look, but in very different ways. In the coastal modern home, they invested in quality carpet that makes the space feel warm and cozy. Whereas, the northwest modern home has hardwood flooring extended throughout the upstairs. The layered rugs and natural accents give this home a cozy look, but through different design elements.

Mixing Faux Wood Tile and Wood Accents

The primary bathroom layouts are very different in each of these homes. In the coastal modern home, the primary bathroom includes a large double sink vanity in soft neutral tones. The white finish on the vanity with the light grey quartz countertop is a very fresh and timeless look.

The bathroom in the northwest modern home includes two separate vanity areas, providing a lot of personal space for each person. The design of this bathroom is very high-contrast with the dark finish on the vanities, paired with a lighter faux wood tile and quartz countertop. The full faux wood tile backsplash provides a “wow moment” in this bathroom and gives it a lot of texture.

Each of these looks are extended throughout the bath and shower area. In the coastal modern bathroom, they invested in a unique tile design with the large stacked subway tile on the lower half and glazed penny tile on the upper half. I love this white-on-white combo! Even though it’s a monochromatic look, by combining two very different white tiles together it creates more of a high-end design. In the northwest modern home, the lighter faux wood tile was extended into the shower and bath surround.

Kid’s Bedroom Decor

The kids’ rooms are always one of my favorite parts of the model home tours at Tri Pointe Homes. They are always SO well done and provide tons of inspiration for how you can decorate your own kids’ rooms after you move in! One thing I will point out is that they all have multiple windows that provide a generous amount of natural light. Plus, the closets are a great size too!