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Interior Design Perspectives: The Natural, Warm Sophistication of Wood

Interior Design Perspectives: The Natural, Warm Sophistication of Wood

Anyone who enjoys warmth, natural materials and a bit of a Scandinavian vibe in their home will opt for wooden elements. These are some of the reasons why wood and wood-alike materials rank among the most popular choices in Singapore.

Natural wood is a long-lived and incredibly versatile. When sourced correctly, it can also be highly sustainable. And while most can imagine hardwood floors or beautiful, solid furniture, wood can be utilised in many other ways to execute a home interior design concept.

If you’re looking for home interior upgrades that will give you a sophisticated elevation, wood is the right material to go for. But how exactly do you incorporate it in the home renovation and what creative choices do you have? Let’s take a look at this material and all of its amazing applications from the perspective of an interior design professional.

Wood: Many Décor Products, Beautiful Variations

Wood is a favourite element that many Singaporean homeowners add to their living space. There are numerous colours, textures and styles to choose among. In addition, the versatility’s boosted via the incredible range of interior design products crafted from wood or materials made to resemble the natural material.

Anyone seeking to add wooden elements to their home can choose among, hardwood parquet, veneer, laminate, vinyl or homogenous tiles that are incredibly realistic. Wooden panelling, furniture and décor elements are also readily available. Even if they’re not, the vision of a homeowner can easily be brought to reality via a custom solution.

How do these choices differ from each other?

Parquet is usually made from solid wood. It tends to be a more expensive solution but the appearance and the finish are very long-lived. In some instances, parquets are crafted from engineered wood (also known as wood veneer) – a solution that offers the best of both worlds (natural timber and synthetic materials). Engineered wood has a top layer of solid wood and a core of plywood or high-density fiberboard. Waxes and adhesives are used to hold these materials together, giving engineered wood water resistance. Hence, it looks like actual hardwood floors but it happens to be much less expensive.

Laminate is a very popular, budget-friendly choice. It is made of plastic that replicates the feel of a hardwood floor. Some people find laminate easier to maintain, which adds some perks on top of the affordable nature of the material. A man-made solution, laminate is often scratch and heat-resistant and it can feature an array of cool finishes not possible with natural wood.

The final choice we’d like to mention is vinyl wood flooring. Just like laminate, vinyl is manmade. It’s a petroleum product that’s very versatile and that can be printed to look like natural wood.  Vinyl is affordable and very durable, plus it offers easy maintenance.

Choosing the right material for your project will depend on several considerations. First, you have to determine what you want the final look to be. Next, come up with a budget framework. Based on these two criteria, you can easily sort through the materials and choose the “type” of wood that makes the most sense.

If you don’t know how to make the choice, a home interior design company will help. Someone who has enough experience will guide you through the materials, the different shades (oak, walnut, ash, maple, etc.) and the different wooden grains.

Speaking of professional executions, we’d like to share a few examples of projects we carried out over the past years. All of these incorporate wood in beautiful and stylish ways, giving the homeowner the biggest benefits that the material has to bring.

Style and Diversity Through Wooden Element Selection

Wooden elements can be used to highlight the beauty of just about every room. Yes, even the bathroom can benefit from the warm sophistication of wood (and the material can be maintained in tip-top shape when incorporated correctly).

To give you a good visual idea of what is possible, we’d like to share a few intriguing projects with you.

homeguide home interior design wood at rivervalley

Wooden flooring is a classic choice that is very common and that looks beautiful every single time. We used a hardwood parquet at this River Valley Condo. Keep in mind that hardwood floors aren’t chosen just because of aesthetics. They also offer noise absorption and some insulation, making the home more comfortable and sustainable.

homeguide home interior design wood at cashew road bathroom

Speaking of bathroom applications, here’s one really cool example. The cabinets, vanity and some of the flooring are crafted from water-resistant laminate and wood-resembling tiles. The tiles aren’t too common, especially when it comes to bathroom use. As you can see from this project, however, the outcome can look really beautiful, especially in combination with stone and porcelain.

homeguide home interior design wood at kengchin

Wood is perfect for directing attention towards highlight accents. This feature wall behind the TV screen is crafted from laminate rather than wallpaper. It gives a clean look and it’s much less distracting than some more patterned choices. At the same time, the wood laminate instantly draws the eye to the wall and creates some visual diversity.

homeguide home interior design wood at bukit batok kitchen

Next, we need to point out one truly classic use of wood – kitchen cabinetry. In this instance, however, we didn’t opt for hardwood. We chose a beautiful laminate that is both waterproof and scratch-resistant. Anyone who is a culinary connoisseur knows that kitchens often promote heavy-duty use. This is one of the main reasons why modern, manmade materials can be an excellent choice. They offer the best of both worlds – the beauty of wood and the practical appeal of synthetic materials.

homeguide home interior design wood at study room

Study rooms and home offices provide excellent opportunities for the incorporation of wooden materials.

This Strathmore HDB flat has a clean, minimal and comfortable study at the same time. The floor is crafted from beautiful homogenous tiles. The cabinets and tabletop are executed out of durable laminate. We chose light tones to increase the brightness of the study and create an environment conductive of productivity.  Such studies are becoming more demanded than ever before, as the world is moving towards hybrid work models that involve work from home arrangements at least a portion of the time.

homeguide home interior design wood bookshelf scaled

Laminate was also used to create this bookshelf – a perfect choice for placement in a study, a home office or a living room. Several shades of laminate were utilised to give the design more depth and visual appeal.

Finally, we’d like to mention a somewhat less common use of wood for the creation of a statement piece.

homeguide home interior design wood hard wood statement door
homeguide home interior design wood hard wood statement door open

We chose a solid, hardwood statement door for this Yio Chu Kang Rd. project.

Hardwood is most often utilised for flooring or furniture creation. Our approach created a different kind of statement.

The large, sliding door gives some barn/alpine villa chic to the flat. The statement piece has nothing to do with contemporary sliding doors that are crafted from manmade, synthetic materials. This surprising choice draws attention to the door, making it both functional and highly attractive.

What’s Your Wood Style?

Do you want to give your flat uniqueness? Are you eager to experiment with unusual wood grains, tones and wood-like materials?

We’re eager to join you on the exploratory journey. Home Guide’s team has a lot of experience with unusual applications and creative solutions. Just let us know what you want to accomplish and we’ll come up with a wooden décor element that meets all your needs.

Contact Home Guide now for a no-obligations first consultation.

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