Pining For Good Furniture

Since the beginning of time, wood has been part of a home’s décor. Even the cavemen used wood (and rocks) to sit on and to sleep on. As the centuries drew on, people became more sophisticated in their tastes and wood furniture became a mark of distinction - the more expensive the wood, the more prestigious the furniture. The wood of choice during the centuries has been hardwood like oak, maple etc. But as these trees became scarcer, people had to start choosing which furniture was worth the increasing expense and which furniture could be made out of cheaper wood types - hence the advent of pine furniture.

At first pine furniture was relegated to the ‘unseen’ parts of the house and to places such as the servants’ quarters where the quality of the wood would not be scrutinized. As the hardwoods became even scarcer and the technology of wood staining was mastered, pine furniture moved up the ladder and started featuring as wardrobes, dressing tables, nightstands etc.

Today pine is used in many kinds of furniture in the home as it is a versatile wood and easy to acquire. It is also remarkably easy to work with and the softer wood lends itself to carving etc.

Today’s trends are very different to those of a hundred years ago. Pine furniture is bought in its natural pale yellow colour and is then stained to look like oak, maple, cherry wood etc. There are even people who paint the furniture pieces in different colours to suit the colour scheme of the house.

Another trend in pine furniture is making kitchen furniture out of pine wood. This is ideal as the pale colour gives the room a light and airy appearance. The wood is also more suited to a kitchen as it can easily be cleaned. The only drawback is that pine furniture, because of the softness of the wood, is more lightly to dent and nick. It is also more susceptible to stains. One way of avoiding damage to the wood is to damp proof and varnish it. This will help to extend the life of pine furniture in the kitchen.

In the dining room pine wood is used to make an elegant dining room table and chairs. It can also be used to make a handsome buffet and server. Alongside the dining room there may be a home bar with the bar area done in pine wood. Even the bar stools can be in pine wood. Of course all of the furniture can easily be stained to look like the wood of your choice.

Another, very common, use for pine furniture is in the home office where the desk, bookshelves, filing cabinets etc. will all be made of pine. This is a very practical use of the wood as office furniture, like kitchen furniture, sees a lot of activity and more expensive woods are not suitable for this kind of usage.

Whatever you preference, pine furniture is a very versatile and wise choice.