Mix and match

When done carefully, mixing wood species in a single project piece can be beautiful.

When I first started woodworking I loved mixing different woods together. The more contrast – and the starker the contrast – the better I liked it. To me, at the time, mixing things seemed like the pinnacle of project design.

But the more skilled I became over those early years, the more I realized that stark contrast simply for the sake of stark contrast isn’t the key to design. It’s usually just busy-looking or, worse, a jarring mismatch. A range of color can indeed look nice in some projects, such as cutting boards, but not everything benefits from a random mixing.

I remember back when the Internet came around and woodworkers started posting projects, that I used to cringe at things like cabinets with, say, eight drawers, all from different wood species. When I’d see one of those, the best you can do is compliment the woodworking skills, then change the subject before they ask if you really like it.

The real key is when mixing creates a more blended appearance. Sure, you can still go for contrast, especially if that’s the statement you’re trying to make, but a little goes a long way. I’ve come to like mixtures from the same color family, such as that produced by the walnut and redwood burl in the box picture above.

The brown/reddish-brown blend works very well for me, with one color complementing the other. They’re different but still connected. Actually, a mix of walnut with a top made of walnut burl would also give a contrast that would blend very nicely. Not so much in color, but in texture. Either way, getting that blend is how the mix becomes a match.