Amboyna burl is among the world’s rarest and most expensive veneers—holding the distinction of being the original wood used on Rolls Royce dashboards. Leafs are small in dimension due to the small size of the burl. Deep yellow-orange to red, amboina burl has an unsurpassed depth and beauty prized in high quality architectural woodwork and cabinetry.
Rotary Cut
Reconstituted Veneer is rotary cut veneer created from fast-growing secondary species, then dyed, layered, laminated, and laid up with grain that replicates a natural species. It offers outstanding consistency in color and grain. The pattern for Argento was previously owned by an exotic car manufacturer for vehicle interiors and is a one-of-a-kind offering that won’t be produced in the future. This recon veneer is dark graphite-like in color. It is available in 9-foot lengths.
This veneer is cut from burled growths found on birch trees in forests in Finland and Russia—the result of local genetics or the soil conditions in that location. The veneer produced is uncommonly beautiful—an atypical burl pattern interspersed with pitch flecks, a swirling figure, and small, dark “eye” markings that create a teardrop effect. Veneer is rotary cut due to the small diameter of the burl.
Among the whitest veneers, white birch is not actually a species, but is rather the sapwood of the yellow birch tree, selected specifically for its creamy white color. In the 50s, birch veneer was in its heyday—especially in home furniture—and is experiencing resurgence with the renewal of the modern aesthetic. A small tree (33’ on average), white birch produces smaller leaves than most trees. Its smooth surface makes it well suited for applying stains and glossy finishes.
Bubinga is a striking veneer with a very broad color spectrum ranging from pink to brownish-red to nearly violet. It has a beautiful texture and fine contrasting growth lines that may be wavy in some logs due to the grain’s interlocked fibers. Bee’s wing and block mottle figures are fairly common. Behemoth lengths and widths make it well suited for large architectural installations. When rotary cut, bubinga is called kevazinga. This African veneer is a sophisticated and elegant choice for interior environments.
Reconstituted Veneer is rotary cut veneer created from fast-growing secondary species, then dyed, layered, laminated, and laid up with grain that replicates a natural species. It offers outstanding consistency in color and grain. The pattern for Kalahari was previously owned by an exotic car manufacturer for vehicle interiors and is a one-of-a-kind offering that won’t be produced in the future. This recon veneer is in the grey color range, somewhat resembling Walnut and can be stained. It is available in 9-foot lengths.
Kevazinga is the name given to Bubinga veneer that has been rotary cut to capitalize on its eccentric grain patterns. This exceptional veneer is red-brown in color; with dark veining, a coarse texture, and a lively, swirly grain interspersed with “peanut” or pommele markings. Highly sought after for high-end cabinetry and architectural use.
The wood is yellowish-white to cream in color and becomes yellowish-grey when steamed. Sliced veneers are used for door skins and inner surface veneers. Rotary veneer is used for plywood panels and bleaching + dying.
Very little veneer is produced from the trunk, but large growths at the base of the madrona produce this remarkable burl veneer. In what some believe looks like an overhead view of a hilly landscape intertwined with waterways of swirly grain, this warm, inviting, and choice veneer is highly sought after for high-end architectural installations and custom millwork.
Equally apt in contemporary, global, and traditional settings, mahogany has been traded from African ports for hundreds of years. Typically red to red-brown, and darker than South American mahoganies, this specie often develops a plain to ropey stripe, and may be marked with highly decorative cross figuring. Crotch veneers with vivid, flame-like patterns are one of nature’s most beautiful works of art.
Also called African cherry, makore shares the light pink to deep red coloring, dark growth lines, and small pores common to cherry. In architectural installations it has the added benefit of availability in large sizes not found in American cherry. Cut on the quarter, makore shows a contrasting stripe that may be plain or crossed with a variety of decorative figures. Flat cut, it bears the distinctive cathedral grain pattern.
From the same tree that produces maple syrup, comes this beautiful veneer that ranges in color from snow white to warm yellow; has a close, fine luminous texture; and a lovely straight grain that may be interspersed with natural character marks. A wide range of gorgeous figures and wild grain distortions—from curly to bird’s eye to maple burl—are sought after for distinctive paneling and furniture. Flat cut maple displays the distinctive heart or cathedral pattern.
Mappa burl is actually the burl wood of a European poplar. This highly decorative veneer is particularly contrasty—its light brown heartwood is peppered by an unusual darker, bark-like pattern of tight clusters. This burl is stunning—an extraordinary and unexpected choice for furniture, cabinetry, and architectural applications.
One of the largest trees in equatorial Africa, this tropical hardwood’s immense size ensures large leaves and volumes of veneer well suited for architectural use. Regarded for its shimmering luster that refracts light, this species ranges from pinkish brown to rich red in color with a fine, even texture, and a typically straight grain that may be decorated with a wide range of widely variable figures, including a highly prized pommele. As with most veneers, almost every log is unique.
Among the largest and tallest trees on earth, the redwood produces a rich, warm, inviting veneer that’s as impressive as the tree. Uniformly deep reddish-brown, the grain in quarter cut veneer is beautifully striped or figured by fine markings. Burled veneer (also known as vavona burl) is sliced from huge, prolific burl growths found on occasional redwoods, producing some of the largest and most uniform burled veneer in the world.
Sapele varies in color from log to log, but is generally medium to dark red-brown. Finishing brings out an intense depth of color and highlights its natural luster, which is similar to mahogany. This veneer has a fine grain, a distinct and desirable stripe formation, and often carries a lively figure. Flat cut sapele shows the characteristic heart or cathedral grain The highly prized pommele sapele is intensely marked with a swirly grain and randomly interspersed blisters, or pommele markings. A high degree of luster gives sapele a three-dimensional effect.
Pale yellow-gray to nearly white, sen is a Japanese ash popular in Japan for both furniture and interiors. It has a straight, fine grain when cut on the quarter and a nice cathedral character with a fine grain on either side of the heart when flat cut. When marked with a pommele figure, this veneer is called "tamo." Sen is an excellent choice for a variety of interiors aesthetics including modern, Asian, and minimalist designs.
Tamo is the name given to highly figured, rotary cut, Japanese ash. This highly prized veneer is known and sought-after worldwide for its stunning, lustrous, pommele or "peanut shell" figure—a lively, variable, swirling background with peanut or blister figuring. Colors range from brownish-tan to gray to almost white—all of which provide rare and uncommon options for highly decorative interior spaces and custom furniture.
One of the richest, darkest, and most exotically beautiful burls in the world, Roman woodworkers used this precious wood in temples in Biblical times. Today very little thuya is cut for lumber, instead workers dig beneath the ground to harvest the tree’s root burls, which are rotary sliced for veneer. The aromatic wood varies in color from light tan to deep, rich chocolate brown. The eyes of the figure are typically small and thickly scattered, creating a concentrated burl figure highly sought after for marquetry, custom furniture, and high-end architectural use.
American walnut is the quintessential native hardwood and a hallmark of wood quality and tradition—one of the country’s most versatile, varied, and well-loved veneers. It produces a wider variety of figures than any other wood. Quarter cut veneers have a straight, even grain; flat cut produces a beautiful cathedral pattern. Burled walnut is a rare and exceptional offering—rich and dark with a beautiful swirling grain intermingled with clusters of burl. Also available in recon and rough cut.
European walnut is among the most popular veneers in the world market. In recent years, severe frost in France damaged a great number of trees, making good European walnut increasingly harder to find and more expensive than its American cousin. A favorite for high quality architectural woodwork, this veneer has a smooth, even texture and thin, dark, grain markings over a light to dark brown background.