We’re going to let you in on a custom furniture trade secret… old is the new new. We know that fashion is fickle and there’s a new black every season but we also believe that while some trends and colors may come and go, green will always be a hue to aspire to. Of course, there is no denying that the main benefits of reclaimed wood furniture is that it is hugely environmentally friendly but did you know there are also a number of other reasons why this sublime raw material is deserving of centre stage in your home?
- Low Impact Manufacturing: We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, using recycled and reclaimed wood is an extremely low impact method of manufacturing. Because the lumber has already been cut and treated, less pollution needs to be expelled to get from timber to table or wood to wow. In addition by using reclaimed wood the wood grains naturally strengthen overtime and for that reason do not have to be subject to the same harsh chemical treatments that newer woods endure, to create strength and an aged weathered effect.
- Deforestation can be limited: While there are many sustainably managed forests in the world, deforestation remains a massive global problem. Using wood that has already been harvested but is lying dormant, perhaps abandoned to the elements as our wood reclaimed from old barns is, new trees which would otherwise be uprooted are left in the ground to grow.
- Strength of Character: Decades and centuries ago, trees were left to reach maturity, some over a hundred or so years before being felled. This infused the timber with many grains and knots. New timber is routinely cut much younger in life, as young as five or ten years old, before its internal character has had a chance to flourish. By using reclaimed timber, the strength of character can be brought shining back to life, with its grains and patterns adding an extra dimension to the final product. With age also comes strength, and the older reclaimed wood is measurably stronger and more durable than young timber. Not only does this make for an excellent investment, it means that your Custom Farmhouse Tables, hutch or coffee table are robust enough to stand up to the rigors of modern living with a durable grace.
- Looks Aren’t Everything, Are They? We know that looks aren’t everything however, when you plan to furnish your home or office with an item made from reclaimed wood furniture, you want to know that you’ll enjoy looking at it just as much as you’ll enjoy using it. We believe that reclaimed wood is the original example of form meeting function – tough on the inside and full of breathtaking character on the outside. Those who haven’t seen a piece of reclaimed wood furniture before often comment on the patina of the timber, how each item is different and infused with unique character. Like the most iconic of cover stars, reclaimed wood furniture isn’t perfect, it has its knots and grains and even minor imperfections rendered over time, but it is perfectly beautiful all the same.
- History Preserved: There is something wonderfully comforting about reclaimed wood furniture and the knowledge that a heritage runs within it. We can sit and ponder the past for hours when gazing at repurposed wood and this charm, this sense that you own a piece of history, is incredibly beguiling. While there is a place for the modern, it can become sterile where repurposed won’t. Our timber is sourced from abandoned barns dotted across the United States; can you imagine how the original lumberjacks lived and worked as they cut down the tree over a hundred years ago? How busy the barn the wood enclosed? What great storms, stories, loves and life’s did it bear witness too? What will your home add to the same tree’s passage through time?
