5 Reasons People Are Smitten With Reclaimed Wood

Design trends tend to come and go like the wind, but every once and a while you get a style that sticks around. That’s certainly the case with reclaimed wood, which started as a design trend born out of the DIY movement, where people would take wood repurposed from industrial uses and made it into something beautiful and newly functional. The wood can be salvaged from a number of things – barns, warehouses, old homes, etc. – and then made into all sorts of different pieces. And people love it. Let’s look at five reasons why furniture lovers are smitten with reclaimed wood (and why you could be too!).

It Adds Character

We should stipulate here that we think all Woodcraft furniture pieces add character in their own way, but there’s something undeniably unique about reclaimed wood. Its time-sculpted roughness, its heartiness: these things make it eccentric and interesting. To understand the appeal of reclaimed wood, perhaps it’s best to mention wabi-sabi, the Japanese aesthetic notion of accepting transience and imperfection; this notion holds that objects become more beautiful as they age and begin to show signs of time passing. It’s hard to disagree, especially when you see how a reclaimed wood coffee table ties a room together!

It’s Eco-Friendly

Rather than chopping down a new tree, reclaimed wood relies on already used lumber. You probably remember the three R’s from grade school – reduce, reuse, recycle. May we suggest a fourth R: Reclaimed? If you want a new dining table, but want to leave as little a carbon footprint as possible, a reclaimed wood dining room table solves that dilemma handily, and as an added bonus you get a beautifully unique table.

It Has Time-Tested Durability

The fact that this wood has lasted this long should tell you all you need to know about its durability. Think of wood as following a kind of Darwinian survival of the fittest – this wood has stood the test of time precisely because of its strength and fortitude. That means that even after generations of use in its new form, you’ll be able to pass it down as a family heirloom.

It’s A Talking Point

When you have guests over, they are going to want to comment on your home, so give them something to praise with a reclaimed wood table. Such is reclaimed wood’s uniqueness and character that people are immediately drawn to it, and will ask you all sorts of questions, including where they can buy one just like. You can refer them to Woodcraft, but you might want to warn them that they can’t have one exactly like yours.

It Preserves A Bit Of History

Finally, for those history buffs out there, how would you like to sit down for dinner at a wooden table that’s older than you? It’s the same principle as buying antique furniture: introducing old and used wood into your home adds depth and a link to history. You won’t always know exactly where the wood came from, but it can be fun to speculate.

If you’re in the market for a new dining table or coffee table, and want something that’s unique, character-rich, eco-friendly and historically interesting, check out our reclaimed wood furniture pieces. At Woodcraft, we treat this material with the love and care it deserves, and offer up handcrafted furniture that’s both beautiful and functional. The design world is certainly smitten with reclaimed wood – you can be too!