Goodbye plain brown: Furniture woods experience renaissance

Wood furniture finishes aren’t what they used to be, and that’s actually a good thing.

For years, there’s been brown, light brown, dark brown, medium brown…you get the idea. Maybe with a few painted color finishes or black finishes thrown in here and there.

Yet introductions at the international April High Point Furniture Market opening later this week signal that wood is emerging from its under-the-radar status to play a more prominent role in the overall design of furniture and the home.

In several key introductions at Hooker Furniture, wood treatments include multiple wood types in one piece or collection, color tone variations and sophisticated rustic reclaimed wood looks.

The sophisticated rustic woods are often mixed with elegant or classical silhouettes and design elements or opulent accessories to create a feeling of casual luxury.

Here are some examples from Hooker Furniture this market:

• The Rhapsody collection. The defining element of this casual opulent collection is a walnut-colored rustic finish with a mixture of five veneers over solid poplar. The mixture of veneers and the use of naturally imperfect pecky pecan creates character through variations of color tones in the wood, knots and striate, adding to a natural, casual feel. Selected pieces have silver tipping. Seven accent finishes offer painted, tipped and crusted effects. A light accent finish reveals grain for a raw wood look.

• Sorella dining room group. This casual but classic dining group combines a taupe-colored antique finish with a light washed white undertone. Water spots and other finish techniques are used to create a natural, reclaimed wood look.

• Southpark home office and home entertainment. The Southpark home office desk and hutch with side piers and a home entertainment center in a similar configuration are both distinguished by a unique finish combination. The main finish is a charcoal or flannel-colored gray, contrasting with a clear maple finish and satin nickel hardware for a metropolitan feel. The combination of gray and maple offers a fresh, sophisticated two-tone look that underscores the popularity of gray throughout our culture today.

• Marquetry console. This Seven Seas accent piece combines poplar, cherry, maple, walnut and pine veneers in a distinctive large-scale angled pattern.

• Classique collection. This bedroom, dining room, living room table and home entertainment collection features crotch okume veneers on several signature pieces to give pop and impact. Other pieces feature primavera veneers, both highly-figured veneers with character and design value.