Sustainability, Trends
June 20, 2022
The main component of a piece of furniture, the structure that makes it up, the piece that supports the main design. The raw wood of a sofa that we choose, work, mold and care for is the main component of luxury furniture. A perfect component that frames, determines and shapes the aesthetics of each piece.
There are countless different types of wood from which a sofa can be made, but do we know which are the best in terms of quality and durability?
At Latorre, a solid wood frame sofa manufacturer, we work with totally exclusive and luxurious woods. That is why, in this post we tell you about the types of wood with which our expert craftsmen work and design luxury pieces.
Types of wood for your sofa
Did you know that wood is one of the most widely used materials in the manufacture of furniture? This is due to its beauty, resistance and durability.
There are countless possibilities, all of them different, when we talk about types of wood to choose from our sofas. From more traditional and economical woods, such as pine, to high value furniture woods with which we can design and compose a luxury piece of furniture. All these types of wood have characteristics that make them unique: colour, texture, use, resistance, etc.
We can divide woods into two main groups:
- Hardwoods. This is a type of wood that grows on angiosperm trees, trees that have fruits, seeds and flowers. Some types of wood such as oak, chestnut or maple are hardwoods. This type of wood is characterized by its slow growth, which is why it can be expensive.
- Softwoods. Banded wood comes from gymnosperm trees, trees without flowers with seeds that grow without the need for a fruit to protect them. These trees account for 80% of furniture wood production, mainly pine and spruce. Unlike hardwood, it grows quickly in tall trees.
What types of wood exist for a luxury sofa?
Although it is true that dozens of plant species are used to make luxury sofas, the following are some of the most important different kinds of wood:
Oak
The main characteristic of this type of wood frame sofa is its durability. In addition, this yellowish-coloured wood accepts any kind of tone and finish. There are more than 600 types of oak wood. This wood needs very little maintenance, so it is perfect for both the interior and the exterior of any home. However, it is difficult wood to work with.
Chestnut or walnut
Chestnut or walnut, like oak, is a wood frame sofa that is very resistant to the passage of time. Its chestnut colour gives a darker touch to the wood, which is why it is often used in classic or traditional pieces and compositions.
Unlike oak, chestnut wood is easier to work with. At the same time, it is a type of wood that is difficult to obtain and has a high economic cost. It also requires much more exhaustive maintenance, as it is a wood that is attacked by woodworm, an insect that eats wood.
Mahogany
Sofas made of mahogany have always been associated with a certain economic status. This type of wood is used for ostentatious luxury pieces and furniture.
Furthermore, it is a type of wood that needs very specific care, such as protection from the sun, for example. Sofas made of mahogany wood are expensive but they are extremely elegant pieces.
Cherry
With a reddish tone, unlike oak or chestnut, cherry wood frame sofa is a very fragile type. Cherry is used in modern furniture because of its straight-lined composition. The main advantage of this type of wood is that it is easy to clean and maintain. On the other hand, it cannot be exposed to the sun for long hours, as this will cause discolouration.
Beech
Beech wood is very particular, mainly because its patterns are not lines but dots. Its pink colour, with soft and light tones, makes it the perfect wood base couch for small luxury pieces that do not seek to overload the decoration of a living room.
Beech wood is also characterized by its durability. However, one of its disadvantages is that if it gets wet it can swell. At Latorre, we work with top quality European beech from France.
Pine
Finally, pine is a wood frame sofa that is very easy to mould, which is why it is used on countless occasions to make sofas. This type of wood offers a wide variety of colours, which allows us to make furniture in the shades we want.
Its fine and uniform structure, together with the ease with which it can be worked, make it the most widely used wood. At the same time, we can find in the market a great variety of types of pine wood: eastern white, Paraná, contorta, silvestre ir insigne, among others. The latter is the most commonly used at Latorre to manufacture luxury furniture and sofas.
Pine insigne and European beech, woods for a luxury sofa
The insigne pine, also known as radiata pine, is one of the few autochthonous pine species in the Iberian Peninsula. Its physical and mechanical properties make its production of vital importance, and in Spain it is one of the most sought-after species for the use of its wood base couch.
In our collection of luxury sofas, we use pine from nationally sourced timber. In turn, we work with top quality European beech from France. This type of wood that we use in Latorre sofas and furniture only comes from tree species that are not in danger of extinction. In this way, we manage to minimise the environmental impact, while at the same time designing luxury pieces.
Both with pine and beech wood, with which we develop wooden couch designs, it is possible to carry out product traceability. In this way we can know which tree has been used at any given time and for which sofa.
At Latorre, luxury furniture brand, we work and advance every day to select the best local materials, minimising the environmental impact. We work with wood that respects the environment, while in our company we have more than 100 solar panels that make our business model much more sustainable.
If you want to know more about the way we work and the luxury furniture we manufacture, do not hesitate to visit us!
Author
