Unsellable Houses Shows How To Incorporate Dark Wood Into Your Home

On an episode of HGTV's Unsellable Houses, hosts Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis transformed a 1970s house, resulting in an offer above asking price just three days later, writes Realtor. The sisters, who are successful real estate agents, know what designs and renovations will help a house get top dollar. In this case, they got rid of the dated look by adding medium- and darker-toned grey and brown colors to replace the original carpets, flooring, and cabinets, which all had underlying yellow tones. In the kitchen, Lamb and Davis used a patterned grey and white tile for the backsplash from the counter to the ceiling along one wall.

While many people think they have to add white or very light colors to make a home look more contemporary, the sisters knew that deeper wood tones would add depth without making the house look dark. They used medium gray laminate vinyl plank flooring with a wood grain look, which is more affordable than hardwood floors. The medium tones also serve as a neutral backdrop for other furnishings, and as New Dimensions points out, they look good with everything. For the new homeowner, that's a plus!

To keep the bathroom feeling bright and airy, Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis used darker wood on the cabinetry and kept the walls neutral. They had the shower tiled in a unique pattern using grey, white, beige and brown to tie in with the rest of the home's updated décor, per Realtor. Dark wood frames around a mirror or pictures are also an option for adding accents to the wall. 

Additionally, the exterior of the house was in good condition, but was sided in white with a periwinkle blue trim — including the fascia board and the balustrades and railing on a second story balcony. To save on expenses, Lamb and Davis left the white siding but used a dark grey-brown paint on all the trim. The results not only tie in with the interior décor, but also the darker trim accentuates the architectural features.

While pure white counters create a dramatic contrast to darker wood cabinetry, Lyndsay Lamb likes adding plants to create a sense of depth, per Realtor; she added square hanging planters at different heights to draw attention away from the slope of the ceiling in one of the bedrooms. The adjacent closet doors, window trim, and planters were all painted in the same darker color which added balance to the room. 

In the above shot of the episode, plants are placed on hanging planters which, in this case, draw attention to the greenery and fill in what would otherwise be an empty space. If you don't feel confident about being able to care for standard houseplants, consider succulents, which require less care. Adding plants not only add a pop of color and contrast, but are also an affordable way to decorate and accent the features in a home.