What is teak wood, and why is it so great anyway?
Today we’re talking about teak. What it is, how it’s used, and why we like it.
So first, let’s dive in with a couple of facts.
Tectona Grandis is a tropical hardwood tree native to South East Asia. Specifically, teak trees are native to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.
It oozes character that many other woods don’t have. Its overall tawny, golden colour is well suited to many modern décor trends, and the compelling variation in its grain sometimes offers unique chocolate and blond streaks.
Fun fact
Teak belongs to the same family (the Lamiaceeae family, pronounced lay-me-ay-see-eye) as mint, rosemary, basil oregano, sage, thyme and lavender.
The bark was once used for making tea, and was said to soothe headaches, fever and stomach pains. The leaves were also considered medicinal and have antibacterial and antifungal properties. Dried leaves were used as a preparation to alleviate sore throats.
How can you tell if it’s teak?
You should be able to smell the natural oils in teak which smell like leather. Its high oil content means that it’s a moderately heavy, dense wood which is naturally waterproof and durable. This makes teak a popular choice for construction and furniture. But unfortunately, not without its downside…
The dark side of the use of teak
Each tree can take up to 50 years to grow to a diameter of 50cm. But with the current rate of deforestation due to the demand of timber for furniture and decking, teak trees in this region have become endangered.
Vital to the world we live in, forests purify the air we breathe and filter the water we drink. They prevent erosion and help absorb the manmade build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere leading to climate change.
The Word Wildlife Organization reports that we continue to lose forests, along with the animals that inhabit them, at the rate of 18.7 million acres per year. That’s 27 soccer fields every minute! The insatiable demand for timber, plus illegal logging and poor forest management contributes to their rapid destruction. Nearly half the world’s forests have been lost as a result.
Here's the good news...
“Uncommon thinkers reuse what common thinkers refuse.”
- J.R.D. Tata (Indian businessman and aviation pioneer)
The teak used in our accent furniture range is not derived from virgin wood, which would add to the environmental crises our world faces today.
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Instead, it has been reclaimed… and new has been made from old. In a previous life, the wood used to create our accent furniture collection was once used in buildings, boats, bridges and wharves. It comes from the supports, frames, cladding and posts used in these structures, and therefore offers its own intriguing history. |
Unlike regular assembly-line furniture, our accent range has an ‘imperfect’ point of difference. The organic edges, nail-head holes, and natural wood attributes automatically give it rustic charm. You can see where hinges may have been removed, bolts may once have been, or paint once used to be. Knots, hairline cracks and other rustic nuances add to a chic farmhouse look. These characteristics have not been completely erased because each piece of furniture has its own unique story to tell.
Why we care
In Capulet’s effort to minimize our environmental footprint, we constantly look for more sustainable solutions to business. By reusing teakwood that is no longer in use, new life has been given to this natural resource, in a stylish and practical sense.
In addition, our manufacturing partner’s mission is to help improve the lives and wellbeing of their workers. They collaborate with small local suppliers, providing work and helping their own small businesses grow.
Combining reclaimed teak with popular décor trends, we are thrilled to bring you this unique and charming collection. Its characteristic strawberry-blond colour adds a cozy warmth to your room. Its slightly raw and rough finish means you’ll have a unique piece that’s unlike any other, and its durability means that will last for many years to come.
If you’re like us, you can feel good knowing you’ve made a sustainable choice when buying reclaimed wood furniture.
Click here for product details.
Sources:
https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/responsible-forestry