Dark wood furniture... Love it or hate it?

Last night I sat watching a UK housey show... you know the format, some poor saps (home owners) want to sell up and move on, but just cannot sell their dilapidated (unloved) home... enter presenter to point out the blindingly obvious: get them to spend some cash to improve their property and, low and behold, it now sells... Homeowners thank presenter profusely for pointing out that a dog pee stained carpet and filthy kitchen is not loved by one and all. Even though I find the presenters condescending and shake my head in disbelief at the home owners, I still watch goggle-eyed, as though I were my daughters watching an all new episode of Sofia the First...

Anyhoo, where am I going with this? Oh, yes, last night I watched the telly, as they churned out the same formulae for selling a home. Neutralise, neutralise, neutralise (or is that what the Daleks say... oh no, that was exterminate...)... remove all traces of personality, lose the dark wooden furniture, yada, yada, yada etc. Screech... Rewind... What was that about dark wooden furniture? Lose the dark wooden furniture? Is this a fashion faux pas? Apparently, in some circles (no, make that a lot of circles) it is a big no-no. The equivalent of having mink throws adorning your couch and stuffed white rhino heads on your walls.

Now, I've flirted with blond furniture and beech wood, but I always feel drawn towards the richness of dark wood. You could say I'm drawn to the dark side. In fact, I'd go as far to say I love dark wooden furniture. There, I've said it. I'll join the unhip crowd! Mind you, I can't be on my own, as here in the States dark wood appears in many a home magazine (and I'm not talking the kind of mags that you find at the doctor's office, circa 1980).

Yes - that is a picture frame without a picture in it... I have yet to get one printed out... I said there'd be no foofing...

Across the pond, back in Blighty, it might be a different story though, as I've found that the love affair with lighter wood is still going strong and the much less popular dark wood has been relegated to the homes of OAP's (old aged pensioners) and charity shops. In fact, even my mum (an aforementioned OAP) is in favour of junking all her lovely antique pieces in favour of it's lighter wooden counterpart...

Perhaps I'm just an old fashioned girl, or perhaps I have been Stateside long enough that my tastes have shifted too. Needless to say that friends back home, with their modern, contemporary homes would be running a mile if viewing my home at an open house... either that or calling up some design show for a makeover!
Anyway, before I dash off, I'd like to hear from you. Are you a lover or hater of dark wood? Am I completely missing the mark???
Ta-ta for now!
Lx