Bring in warmth from the outdoors
Wood and stone are trending as elements for interior home design
When Jim and Jennifer Sergent bought their home a few years ago, they appreciated its modern look with exposed wood beams, and also the nature trail that passes in front of it.
“This is a 1990s Deck House, so it’s got an open post-andbeam structure that feels like an atrium, and that feeling extends right into our bedroom,” Jim, a graphics editor at USA Today, said of the couple’s residence in suburban Arlington, Va. “But when you opened the door to the master bathroom, it just felt different.”
The mostly white bathroom looked cold and had a small shower. Jim, who’s six-footfour, frequently bumped his head or stubbed his toe.
“It was Jim’s idea to build a shower with a natural stone wall that echoes the (family room) fireplace,” said Jennifer, a freelance design writer.
The Sergents’ preference for natural elements is reflected in a growing trend to incorporate more wood and stone into the interior spaces of homes.
“It makes people feel good when we bring in natural elements,” said Leigh Spicher, director of design studios for Ashton Woods, an Atlanta-based builder.
Bringing nature into the Sergents’ house, given its great windows and skylights, was a natural choice, said Nadia Subaran, who designed the couple’s kitchen and bathroom. The Sergents’ bathroom, which Jennifer said cost about $60,000 ($80,000 Canadian), includes a porcelain floor that resembles slate and a troughstyle sink. The Sergents added a black metal bar that holds shampoo bottles and looks like a piece of sculpture. Jim found wood hooks on Etsy that are pieces of a tree.
“We’ve used reclaimed wood in other bathrooms, including around an oversize mirror in a bathroom that was otherwise very sleek,” Subaran said. “Reclaimed wood has a lot of texture.” In her own home, Subaran created a backsplash from reclaimed parquet flooring.
“Dark wood trim was popular in the1970s and ’80s, but people want to do this again in contemporary homes,” Spicher said.
“Wood trim is a great way to personalize a space, to give it character and texture. We’ve seen it used on one wall or a section of several walls in the dining room to add a natural element to that more formal space.”
In one master bedroom designed by Jessica Parker, an interior designer in suburban Bethesda, Md., a large wood-enclosed fireplace and wood mantel were added to a feature wall.
At a home in Washington, Parker added a large, four-footwide wooden front door.
“The house has stone on the exterior, and inside it’s very crisp and contemporary, with high ceilings,” Parker said. “The wood door adds a lot of warmth and is welcoming when you make the transition from the stone exterior to the contemporary interior.”