Dark wood furniture has emerged as a big interior trend this year. Blonde wood is taking a back seat this year in favour of walnut, mango wood and mahogany furniture, but not everyone is a fan of this home decor trend.
I stumbled firsthand into the dark furniture debate when I showed the rest of the Ideal Home team a walnut mid-century style dining table I'd just bought from Dusk. It quickly revealed the divided opinion over dark wood furniture designs and how we feel about them.
Objectively the trend towards using dark wood in interiors has many pros going for it. It's easy to buy secondhand, has a lovely vintage feel and can look beautiful in a cosy living room or a bright kitchen. However, it does seem to come with a lot of baggage. The main issue was our team members' memories of their grandparents' homes crammed with overpowering dark wood pieces. It carries connotations of looking dated, overpowering and, let's face it, a bit on the ugly side.
While I agree that dark wood, particularly mahogany, can look dated and has a tendency to dominate the scheme in some settings, when paired with a rich dark green or navy blue and a few modern touches I'm a firm believer that it has the potential to look genuinely stunning.
It's the difficulty styling it up that's stopped Ideal Home's Kitchen Editor, Holly Cockburn, from being a fan of the dark wood furniture trend. 'As someone who grew up in a family home filled with dark wood furniture, it does have a special place in my heart. However, it's not something I would choose for my own flat. I love how dark wood furniture can look in large spaces, but for my north-facing living room and dining room it would make it look even drearier.'
Ideal Homes Room Decor Editor, Sara Hesikova, says she's actually been a surprise convert to the dark wood trend. 'I've always preferred the Scandi-style light wood. But ever since last year, I'm starting to see the beauty of dark wood and its 70s/mid-century modern edge,' she explains.
'Maybe it's because dark wood is actually one of the biggest home decor trends for furniture in 2025 and I'm just easily influenced. I've got a few dark wood furniture pieces dotted around my home and I think it looks pretty good, even mismatched with lighter wood pieces.'
What do you think of the dark wood trend? Let us know in the comments section below if you'll be embracing this look in your home or if you can't stand it.
