How Warm Wood Tones Are Making a Comeback in Commercial Interiors

Interior designers favored cool, utilitarian palettes in their commercial designs for many years. Minimalism was considered the standard of professionalism, leading to stark white, gray, and cold metal aesthetics now associated with corporate offices, hospitality spaces, and high-end retail. However, in recent years, trends have taken a notable shift in the other direction toward the warm and natural textures that are used to symbolize the human connection in commercial millwork design.

Custom commercial millwork allows business owners and designers to follow this trend. Using bespoke wood shapes, accents, finishes, and more, architectural details in natural wood materials reintroduce warmth and authenticity into modern commercial spaces. This article examines this trend in more detail to help guide interior designs toward a warmer, more natural future.

Reconnecting With Nature

One of the essential design trends motivating the return of wood tones is the idea that people should reconnect with nature through commercial spaces. In technical terms, this premise is known as “biophilic design,” which the General Services Administration describes as our “evolved propensity to affiliate with living organisms and natural systems.”

Put more simply, we live in built and commercialized spaces and have done so for hundreds of years, but our brains still tell us to seek out natural light and outdoor plants. Interacting with natural textures and elements even rewards us with lower stress levels and better health.

Especially in post-COVID industries, many of which strive to renovate the indoor experience to provide more physical benefits, interior designers are bringing the essence of biophilic design to commercial spaces. This includes using warm wood tones with visible grain patterns and natural textures. The goal is to ground the space in a simulation of nature, something that tells the visitor’s sun-starved brain that this is a safe and authentic place.

This can be done with touches as simple as a reception desk made from finished walnut or a ceiling feature made with wooden accent paneling. Lounge, reception, and shopping areas can use cherrywood and other inviting, warm materials to make people feel connected. Customer-facing spaces benefit as much as collaborative ones, where office managers learn the benefits of natural wood tones to their workers’ moods, productivity levels, and creativity. One study showed less anxiety and lower heart rates in office spaces made from 50% wooden materials.

Sustainability is an Important Value

Modern consumers and employees value sustainability. Around 7 in 10 employees want their companies to actively invest in more sustainable practices, with the main word being “actively.” It’s not enough for a company to release marketing materials or internal training documents describing an abstract commitment to environmental progress. People want to see it.

Wood materials allow companies to show visitors, clients, employees, and guests that they put their money where their mouth is regarding sustainability. Custom commercial millwork from reclaimed wood has a lower carbon footprint than synthetic surfaces. At the same time, they communicate a tone and character expressing core values such as longevity and responsibility, which modern employees and consumers value in the businesses they support.

Wood is Still Beautiful

Beautiful design trends can go in and out of style but never disappear entirely. Warm wood tones offer a timeless appeal that has only ever been temporarily replaced by white walls and blue metal. In heritage constructions, wood fits right in with its architectural legacy, but even in modern commercial spaces, the emotional impact can elevate the experience. In differing structures, from office towers to local boutique stores, custom millwork provides a flexible and comforting experience.

Many interior designers worry about staying “current” when using wood materials. Commercial millwork artisans can blend old techniques with new stylistic solutions to create a balance that is both memorable and enduring. As customers walk through the door, they experience a sense of brand legacy, regardless of whether the building is heritage architecture or a brand-new construction.

This can happen through little touches, such as wooden inlays, desktops, or an accent wall. Yet, it can also envelop and define the space through bespoke custom banquette seating, coffered ceilings, custom door and window designs, and more. The possibilities are endless, but the result is the same organic, warm, and inviting feeling that wood has produced for generations.

Partner With Skilled Commercial Millwork Artisans

Warm wood tones never go out of style, and modern interior designers can use them to their advantage to create relaxing, inviting, and classy spaces to match any architecture. At Sixth Avenue Custom, our commercial millwork artisans use time-honored techniques and natural materials to capitalize on the warmth, comfort, and productivity possible with wood materials in modern commercial spaces.

Contact our team today to learn how custom wood pieces can elevate your commercial interior into a more beautiful and memorable space.