Walnut

Walnut woods have been used for centuries for furniture making and was the most popular of the exotic woods.

Walnut veneers was expensive and the cost rose in relation to the fanciness of the veneer – the more decorative being highly sought after.

Burr Walnut (also known as Figured Walnut) was considered the best and most attractive type of Walnut. The veneer was made from a specific part of the tree – where smaller branches joined the main trunk or lower down near the base of the trunk where stress caused other growths to appear. As these areas were both small in size and occurrence, this limited the size of the veneers. As a consequence larger furniture items such as tables, desks, cabinets and bureaus required the veneers to be very carefully joined by matching and blending them so that there were no obvious lines.

This was a painstaking and time consuming task, adding greatly to the value of the piece.