Are multi species furniture pieces a fad or here to stay?

[Bill Dufour]

Well mixed wood use has been around since the time of the pharaohs, roughly 4,000 years, so I have to say it is not just a passing fad.

" Inlaying with ivory and woods of different colors is known from the tomb of an official of the I Dynasty. Ven

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Bill D






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[Derek Cohen]

Derek, if you ever get to travel to this area on the other side of the world from you, the Escherick museum near Valley Forge is a 'must visit'. Incredibly interesting for "normal" people and even more so for those of us who are woodworkers. Same for the Nakashima studios which are near my home.

Thanks Jim. Escherick is an interesting fellow, with interesting designs. He is one of a few whom we can say brought something new to design. I'd love to see some of his pieces first hand. So expect me next week for the guided tour ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Brian Holcombe]

If you come out this way, do stop into the Brian Holcombe Woodworker studio as well .

[Derek Cohen]

I would not miss a visit with you as well, Brian. Looking forward to it!

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Marshall Harrison]

There are some beautiful pieces made with multiple woods. I like it if done for accenting and done with some forethought. But I don't like it when it comes out looking like a kaleidoscope of colors. But then again, I am partial to the Gustav Stickley style of furniture and the Greene brothers is about as far out as I go.

Derek, those are beautiful and the different woods compliment each other nicely. Well done sir.

[Keith Hankins]

I recently built a kitchen island for my DW. I asked what she wanted and she said cherry with a maple inset panel. In this case it didn't matter if mixed species is a fad or not cause if Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy.

going on 33 years for me, and you ain't just whistlin dixie.

[Sam Murdoch]

Not a fad by any means but too often done injudiciously leading to what I call SHOP 101 Design. Can look very nice and well executed when used as in the examples above - a table top or stool seat of one species and the base of another - but can go downhill on the slippery design slope real fast when, for example, a door panel is one wood and the frame is another or mixing multiple species in a table top. To my eye, this is often a bad call. I would rather mix textures than wood color. My 2 ¢, not worth even that to some.

[Bryan Cramer]

I agree with most everyone but here’s how I look at it. Most of my work involves multiple species of woods so I try to choose wood that complement each other (taking into account aging) not contrast. Stark contrasts are for accents and inlays or pulls. Done right it’s a great design element. That’s what it is a design element. I stick with three main elements and two woods would be an example of one. Here’s a blanket chest I did with cherry and quarter sawn curly ash.

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My three design elements were the two woods, the flowing curved rails and the curly grain figure of the ash. That’s it. Anymore would be a distraction and make it too busy.

Done right, two different woods look great.