Primarily aimed at the mass market, January’s Furniture Show in Birmingham was not a sea of zebrano as had been predicted by many design-watchers in the trade. Instead, zebrano was evident in a supporting role. However, major cabinet manufacturers did follow the current favour for darker wood finishes with light oak now anchored in the budget sector of the market. The slim, delicate Shaker forms of the light oak ranges of the past 12-18 months were replaced by dark oak and walnut, or to the other extreme by tree trunk-style chunky tables and shelving. Oiled finishes were much in evidence.
American architect/furniture designer John Kelly was delighted at the growing popularity of dark wood. “At last,” he said, “dark woods are popular in the UK.” Kelly’s Zeta series, made from solid European oak in a rich colour which Americans call cognac, was launched at Birmingham last year. A newly re-engineered version was shown at this year’s show, pitched more at the middle market than Kelly’s usual top-end customers, and attracting a lot of press attention. Working exclusively with solid timbers, Kelly’s furniture is made in Malaysia which, he said, “is the best for solids”.
Many traditional reproduction furniture manufacturers took a stride towards contemporary at this year’s exhibition. Wade Furniture exploited its veneering and craft skills with Portobello, a living/dining range made of European walnut. Portobello uses long-banded offset veneering on sideboard tops and tables to give a slightly retrospective feel. Doors are vertically grained with solid walnut lippings. Sales director Chris Everist summarised Portobello as a “new design signature” which also underlined “the heritage of the brand.” Another traditional brand attracting attention for its contemporary range was solid oak manufacturer Wood Brothers. The centrepiece of its Marc Dohl range was the 9020 6ft dining table featuring three wide stripes of solid oak and walnut on a solid frame.
Chunky urban styles
Aside from the popularity of all dark timbers, the other noticeable trend in wooden furniture was for chunky tables and shelving units, but definitely a chunky urban style not rustic. Polish company Yask uses only solid European oak sourced from FSC-certified forests. Instead of staining, Yask uses a smoked-oak technique which, when blended with 100% natural oils and waxes, creates a rich random finish allowing the grain of the wood to show through. New large-scale tables, something of a signature line for this company, included Pyano, a refectory style table with a slim stainless steel panel inset into the length of the tabletop.
Solid pine manufacturer Corndell continued its successful diversification into other solid timbers with the addition of Metropolitan, an ash bedroom range designed and made in Oxfordshire. In a nod to the popularity of darker finishes, Corndell also launched the dark oak Overture bedroom collection. In a roasted brown finish, Overture is an arts and crafts influenced design. Radius was another new dark collection, this time made of birch in a rich brown lacquer finish. Corndell’s managing director Brian Ahern said the company will continue to diversify. “We believe that the way to progress is to be brave and try new things. The problems that face UK manufacturers in the current market are well known and we are determined to retain our position as a predominantly home-manufactured supplier.”
Solid oak remains a popular timber for UK consumers. Halo Furnishings catered for both dark and light wood tastes with its new solid oak Stockholm range of bedroom and living/dining furniture. The Altrincham-based company offers two colours, light and “nuit”. The aluminium fittings add a contemporary touch to what is a solid piece both in terms of design and timber.
And grain is good – even the darkest stains allowed the grain to show through. Whether this liking for grain will evolve into the popularity of such grain-dominant timbers as zebrano filtering into the mass market, only 2005 will tell.
