Everyone has different taste. Some people want their table to be a bold statement or centerpiece of the room while others want something that’s neutral, unassuming or minimalist. What we love about our jobs at Saltwoods is that we build custom tables to fit the personality of the customer while complementing the room it lives in.

One of the biggest concerns we get from our customers is that their table needs to correlate with the rest of their kitchen or dining room – most notably, the floor that the table will be resting on. Here are a few basic guidelines to choosing a color combination that will fit all of your requirements!

Going Bold

Dark Floors – So you’ve decided that you want your table to really pop off the dark wood in your dining room. Go with a white base! The contrast will work beautifully in the space around it. Pair that with one of our reclaimed, oiled oak tops to add a lot of character – the beauty of the wood speaks for itself and doesn’t need a coat of paint to make it stand out.

Light Floors – Again, it’s all about contrast! Pair a dark brown or black base to a reclaimed oak tabletop and it will definitely stand out. Farm tables always make a statement and that dark base will help it pop!

What Works For Both – A complex leg makes a big difference! The Cabin Trestle Farm Table always makes a statement, without having to pair up different base and top colors, and the New England Trestle Farm Table has that contrast between the base and the top along with a bold base!

Unassuming & Effortless

The General Rule – When you want something more neutral, it’s more important than ever to keep the rest of the room in mind. What other furniture is in the room? If you’re going with a reclaimed oak farmhouse table, we can make sure that the color of the base corresponds to the other furniture or cabinets, or you can do all reclaimed oak!

Dark Floors – Disclaimer: I love Walnut (so I say this from a design perspective and with a little bit of a bias). In a room with dark floors, if you want something neutral, elegant and timeless, a custom, all-walnut table is the way to go. Walnut has a lot of personality but because it’s smoother than the reclaimed wood, it can sit very modestly and beautifully in the room without announcing its presence. It has a higher price tag, but it’s gorgeous, timeless, and definitely worth the splurge. Of course, you could also do a stained table and base, like the Rockland Rustic Farm Table.

Light Floors – Go with a lighter wood! The room will stay bright and neutral – choosing a light top and sticking with a matching base or a white washed base will help keep the space clean and classic! Some great examples of this are the Sandy Plank Farm Table and the Boston Old Oak Farm Table.

The Bottom Line

Sometimes too much emphasis is on the base, but the base often ends up hidden by the surrounding chairs. Find a top that you love and remember that this is the part of the table that you’ll see every day! If you love a specific top but you’re afraid that it won’t match the style or the furniture of the room, don’t be! Our team does this every day and can find the right fit for you. Besides, so much of the aesthetic has to do with seating and accessorizing; you can have that bold table and still have a neutral or modern dining room – but that’s a blog post for another day.