Time for a Swoon Style & Home reader poll

By now you know I have been working away at finishing my large mirror that will reside at the bottom of my staircase to the second floor.  That wall has bothered me since we moved in. I always knew I wanted to do something with it whether it was cutting a large hole in it to let the light from the front door flow through or hang something to make the wall feel full.  I opted for the less messy, much easier option of hanging a floor to almost ceiling mirror and when I saw this mirror in a house featured by Young House Love I knew this plan was perfect for my space. 
So what's the issue?  I just cannot make up my mind on a stain color.  I was dead set on making the wood like the picture below and was going to attempt an apple cider vinegar and steel wool recipe I had seen but was afraid it would make the wood look too gray and that's not exactly the look I am going for(I know I could test these out on all the scraps I have but I was lazy, I know, no excuse I should just try it)

Then I was going to whitewash the wood like Centsational Girl did with her trunk.  I love this look too.  Most everything in my house is white right now so that was my only hesitation with this option.  Maybe I could do this on another piece of furniture:


So back to stain options.  I had a tube of Minwax Wiping Stain, I am huge fan of how easy this goes on with a rag and how quickly is absorbs and dries.  I didn't want the shiny finish some stains can give so this was the perfect solution. 

Now this is where I need your help.  I have tested two of the colors from the line, first was the Walnut color that you see above.  Second is called Oak and has a warmer feel which I like but I am not sure about how it feels next to my rice grain colored walls.  I definitely want to keep the space feeling light and airy so my fear wirth the dark is that is is too much.    Let me know what you think, I really need some opinions.

Walnut:


Oak:


What do you think?  Do you like one of these or should I try a few more colors?  Any suggestions?

Happy Wednesday everyone!

See you swoon,
 




7 comments:

  1. Walnut! I like the depth and the more vintagey aged look it has. The oak is fine, but I much prefer the walnut :)

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  2. I like the Walnut, for sure. But I'm a sucker for dark woods.

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  3. I love the walnut too! I agree with Shanna that it gives it a much more aged look. The oak looks more modern.

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  4. Yep...definately the walnut :)

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  5. Well it seems to be unanimous! I am going to go with walnut so stay tuned for the finished project very soon! Thank you all for your input :)

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