A Closer look at Reclaimed Wood

Character and imperfections to be proud of

Reclaimed wood provenance

The salvaged wood used to create our reclaimed wood furniture comes from former barns, warehouses, disused railways, scaffolding boards and even old Chinese fishing junks. Beautiful, strong and authentic pieces of wood with the story of their lives visible to the world.

Each piece of wood is rich in character and history, bearing the visible markings of its former life. At Modish Living, we embrace the cracks and signs of weathering in our reclaimed wood furniture and believe it adds to the beauty of the wood and the furniture. What’s more, these imperfections get better over time as you add your own stories, making the piece more beautiful the older it gets.

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Expertly crafted

Reclaimed wood comes with nails and bolts from old farm beams, hoists and chains from its former industrial use and colour variations and textures. Our expert craftspeople carefully prepare the salvaged wood that will become the furniture by de-nailing and removing metal work by hand.

These markings and variations remain visible on the wood, some more obvious than others, but the care and skill that is undertaken when crafting the furniture ensure the integrity and strength of the wood are never compromised.

The reclaimed wood’s rustic beauty is a sign of its hardiness, authenticity and solid structure.

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Reclaimed wood finishes and variations

We love reclaimed wood furniture because of its unique imperfections, not in spite of them. The authentic markings, scars and cracks are all features that add to its wonder and we believe those qualities should be celebrated and appreciated.

These markings are not evidence of a fault to the furniture and do not affect the structure of the wood in any way.

Because of the nature of reclaimed wood, we cannot guarantee the colour, tone, texture or aesthetic of the furniture. It’s one of its wonderful little surprises. It may be darker or lighter than it looks online or even in our studio. It may have more cracks or grain marks. This is because every piece of reclaimed wood furniture is unique - no two pieces are the same, which we think is pretty amazing.

Hand-finished

Reclaimed wood that has been hand-finished will vary in look, tone and colour from piece to piece, giving you a one-of-a-kind product. The tone may also vary depending on the type of room or positioning in the room. The wood adjusts to its environment, just as it does in nature.

Sometimes, with particularly rustic or industrial furniture where imperfections are part of its charm, you can expect to see a small rectangular offcut or block within your tabletop. This is where our craftspeople have hand-replaced a large split or nail hole to enhance the overall appearance of the wood and is in keeping with the rustic style of the piece.

Grains

The grain on the surface of a piece of wood is similar to the wrinkles on our faces. Every ring represents a year of the tree’s life and each one is unique. Some pieces may have more than others depending on the age of the tree.

Knots

Knots are natural imperfections that help living wood grain grow. Dead branches fall from living trees all of the time and knots appear in the trunk where branches used to be. These knots are a part of what makes wood such a beautiful material to work with, bringing unique character to each piece.

Some pieces of furniture may feature more knots than others. It’s purely dependent on each piece of wood.

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Saw marks, splits and shakes

The wood used in some of our furniture is cut using circular saws. This process leaves beautiful marks, which are deliberately not fully sanded out in order to maintain the natural beauty of the process.

The mark of solid wood furniture, cracks, shakes and splits naturally occur during a tree’s lifetime as it grows. Each piece of wood has its own individual shakes and splits, providing it with its very own blueprint.

The structural integrity of the wood remains as strong and robust as it has for years. These imperfections are not the characteristics of a faulty or weakened piece of furniture, but all part of the wonder of reclaimed and rustic wood.

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Living and breathing

It's worth bearing in mind that as a natural product, wood will breathe. Wood reacts to moisture in the air. For example, during warm months there tends to be higher humidity which can cause wood to expand, but in cold weather, wood can contract. It will continue to do this even in the confines of your home and natural cracking may appear over time. Don’t worry, this simply deepens the character of the piece and is not a sign of a fault.

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Rustic furniture for life

When you buy reclaimed wood furniture, you are buying an heirloom. One of the many joys of reclaimed wood is that it improves with age and is easy to maintain. Because it already features its own markings, scratches and splits, any accidents, chips or knocks will simply blend in and add to its rustic character.

Or if you notice a new chip, this can be easily fixed by rubbing wax to blend into the wood. The wax will reduce the visibility of the chip or mark, making it look like a natural part of the wood.