STYLE : HOME DESIGN : INTO THE WOODS ...
Wood is making a strong showing in the latest home interiors across the country--but it’s wood with a twist. Unusual varieties, innovative uses and vibrant colors offer a break from tradition and bring new life to any room.
PRICES AND SOURCES: Bob Josten maple side chair, $375, at LinderDesign, Los Angeles, and the Gallery of Functional Art, Santa Monica. Gregg Fleishman “Rockenwagner” chair, $700, through Gregg Fleishman, Los Angeles. Nick Berman and Gennaro Rosetti “Sabertooth” chair, $5,100, at Mimi London, Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles. Richard Read “Squirrel Scurry” chair, $2,500, at Following Sea, Beverly Center, Los Angeles, and Artstar, Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles. Alwy eucalyptus lounge chair, $633, Alwy & Co., Los Angeles and Miami. Frank Gehry “Hat Trick” chair, $330, through The Knoll Group,, Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles. Folding rocker, $95, Conran’s Habitat, Beverly Center, Los Angeles. Ladderback chair, $25, at Pottery Barn stores. Gregg Fleishman “Nebula Neptune” chair, $2,800, through Gregg Fleishman, Los Angeles. Fin Ply and Fin Color Ply are available through Finland Color Plywood Corp., Venice.
NEW DRAMA
From exotic woods such as Central American cocobolo and African panga-panga to home-grown varieties of maple, birch, ash and oak, wood has become the decorative surface of the moment. Not since the advent of modernism has there been such widespread appreciation of wood’s beauty and versatility. Although there are ecological concerns about the use of some woods, new varieties and new harvesting techniques are making wood environmentally correct again--a good thing. In this cool, megabyte world, wood adds a sense of comfort and warmth.
NEW PERSONALITY
The different grains, cuts and colors of wood provide myriad sylvan moods--from the symmetrical formality of book-matched ash panels to the lighthearted informality of inexpensive Douglas fir trim. Maple, for example, ranges from popular creamy whites to reddish browns and comes in a host of grain patterns--bird’s-eye, fiddleback, burl and curly--each with its own distinctive character.
NEW COLOR
The newest look is wood infused with color that lets the grain show through. Aniline dyes produce translucent, eye-popping shades. Clear finishes can be mixed with metallic powders. But the biggest news is Fin Color Ply--ready-to-use laminated panels of Finnish birch veneer plywood that are durable, affordable and available in six saturated colors. The result: excitement and boldness of color with the beauty of natural grain.