Good wood combination for rusticish look

[alfredo alamo]

Hello you guys,

I just destroyed an asian looking Jewelry chest that my wife started to get tire of. I decided to reface it and transform it into a smoking pipe/tobacco_cellar/accesories/wine_rack/humidor_box cabinet I will post before and after pictures later. This is what I consider my first big-deal project. I am trying to make it look rustic/antique. I want to use two different woods, but what would be a good combination of dark and light wood to make something like that. I was thinking about walnut and mahogany, or walnut and birch, or walnut and cherry. As you can see I got stuck in Walnut with something else. What you guys recommend. I am posting a picture of a mexican style piece of furniture that looks kind of what I am looking for (just wood combination the cabinet could not be more different) I think they use pine and stain but I would like to be more sophisticated since I am trying to build a reputation as a furniture tranformator :D Thank you so much in advance, if the question is not very well formulated is because English is my second language.

[Rodney Walker]

The cabinet you posted does look like pine with dark stained pine panels. What woods do you have available locally? Maple may be another wood to consider for the light colored portions. I'm not the best at mixing and matching species, but my opinion, cherry darkens with age and may eventually become as dark as the walnut and mahogany starts off fairly dark but more red than the others, if you're looking for a strong contrast, they may not be the best choices, though they may be good for a more subtle look.
Hope this helps,
Rodney

[Jim Rimmer]

For contrast with walnut i would use maple or birch. The other woods you mentioned, as Rodney pointed out, won't offer much contrast.

[Prashun Patel]

I like the look of oak or ash with walnut.

I usually take 'rustic' to mean that a lot of knots or natural edges are showing.
I usually take 'antique' to mean the finish being used. Using a brown glaze between topcoats to simulate grime in the corners and darkening of the color can really age a piece nicely.