Behind the Design
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the types of woods that Nicco utilizes when designing your furniture. The wood you choose will affect the pricing, color, feel, durability, and longevity of the furniture you end up buying. Selecting which wood you want to go with is a critical decision as it helps you to refine your budget, preference, and style. It will also be a deciding factor when you want to restore, resale, or discard a piece of furniture.
ျမန္မာဘာသာျဖင့္ဖတ္႐ႈလိုလွ်င္ ဤေနရာတြင္ ေလ့လာႏိုင္ပါတယ္။
Oak (North America)
With a high density and natural resistance to insects and fungus, oak has long been appreciated as a wood of choice. From Viking warships to Japanese drums, and widely used in classic European and North American furniture designs, oak provides stability and and strength. The dimensional stability, shock resistance, strength properties, and the rich coloration are the reasons behind its popularity.
Recycled Teak (Myanmar)
Brownish-red and color and darkening over time, this wood is truly a national treasure. It is so tied to the Golden Land that it sometimes goes by the name of "Burmese Teak," and nearly half of the world’s remaining teak forests are found in Myanmar . Teak is by far the most durable wood around-- in other words, this is a product that will last you for life (and even then some!) It is resistant to rotting, sunlight, rain, frost, and snow, making it suitable for outdoor construction and furniture. Because Nicco is concerned about forest sustainability, we only work with recycled teak, to ensure that Myanmar’s teak forest heritage is preserved.
Rubber (Myanmar)
Easily sustainable and naturally renewable, rubber is a fast-growing tree harvested on plantations. All of our rubber wood is procured from Myanmar's Mon state, and then fashioned in our very own Nicco workshop, so it is truly a “Made in Myanmar” item, from start to finish. Rubber plants earned their name thanks to their sap, which is sometimes used to make rubber. The rubber plant’s leaves also have a shiny and rubbery appearance.
Walnut (North America)
Walnut is a deciduous hardwood, meaning that the tree loses its leaves in the fall and winter. it is a durable hardwood that maintains a beautiful finish for years, And it's been part of some of the most iconic furniture designs in history—a favorite material of furniture and interior designers alike for generations. It frequently was used to make cabinets and other pieces of furniture in 17th and 18th century Europe because of its inherent qualities, and today, walnut furniture can easily last a lifetime with proper care and maintenance. Being such a tough, hard wood, walnut lends itself well to intricate patterns and structures, so complicated carvings come out extremely well. The dense, solid wood holds its shape perfectly, making it a pleasure to work with and opening up more design options than many other woods. Another significant benefit of walnut wood is how resilient it is to environmental changes. It doesn’t shrink or swell easily, as other woods can, when conditions such as humidity, change. You do pay a little more for this highly desirable wood, but the long-lasting, durable nature of it makes that cost a superb investment in a beautiful piece of furniture.
Pine (New Zealand)
The only softwood among our furniture options, pine grows tall and straight. Unlike hardwoods, pinewood lacks vessels, and so is a non-porous wood. Because of this, pine is able to absorb stains quickly and often results in a better finish. Pine is one of the most popular woods for furniture use. At Nicco, we source New Zealand Pine (Pinus Radiata), which is originally a native of California, but now excels in Southern New Zealand soils and climatic conditions. New Zealand Pine yields a strong, economical and versatile light colored timber. Tall, clear trunks produce timber highly suited for furniture and all forms of show wood applications. In home décor, pine furniture blends well with other woods, allowing the buyer to mix and match pieces. Pine furniture adds coziness to a room. Pine’s light coloring keeps bookshelves, armoires, dressers, and beds from appearing heavy and stuffy.
Bamboo (China)
Another eco-friendly option, as bamboo forests are the fastest-growing in the world, this happens to be the only of our woods that can also be eaten! But aside from scrumptious Burmese curries, bamboo is not only ideal in its grace and flexibility, but also in its high strength-to-weight ratio. The demand for bamboo products is an all-time high in the West now, but it has been used to fashion furniture pieces across Southeast Asia for over 1,000 years. Our fusion-inspired bamboo products will bring elegance and simplicity to your home.
Ash (North America)
The first thing you usually notice about ashwood is how smooth it feels to the touch. Aside from this, It is a durable, tough, and flexible wood. A light-colored species with an open grain and a coarse texture similar to oak, ash is relatively dense with good working and finishing properties. Ash is especially known for its shock resistance… that's why it's often used in sporting equipment, as it can absorb the shock from impact of water, baseballs and hockey pucks without breaking. Ash is also great for woodworking because of its flexibility and its ability to bend. This is unique to hardwood, especially those as hard as ash. Ash is also easily stained and polished, providing your furniture a wider range of finishings.
Beech (Germany)
Of all deciduous trees in Germany, beech is most widespread and its timber the most useful. Beech trees can grow to 300 years or more, although trees of between 100 and 140 years old are typically felled. They can reach a height of 30 to 35 metres. Beechwood is quite durable and resistant to abrasion and shock, and also provides an elegant and dated look to furniture. It has a fine, tight grain and even texture, and is very light in color.
Rosewood (India)
One of the toughest woods as well as fastest growing trees, this wood can vary from a golden brown to a deep purplish brown. The wood darkens with age, usually becoming a deep brown. Interestingly, rosewood has long been used for its curative properties by traditional doctors in India and Iran: the leaves and sap of the tree are ground to a paste to place on the skin in order to heal any number of remedies. Not only can rosewood furniture remain in your family for years, it is also a solid financial investment to make, as the furniture has an excellent resell value and is seen as high-end luxury good.
Red Walnut (South America)
Red walnut furniture is a rare, elegant furniture choice, providing a sense of atmospheric fashion. The durability of red walnut furniture is relatively strong, and it will last a long time provided you take proper care of it. It is particularly known for its heat pressure capacity and relatively low moisture content.
Aspen (North America)
Aspen is a poplar tree that has a variety of uses. Some Native American tribes often used the bark of aspens and other poplar trees for medicinal purposes. Bark was made into a bitter tea to help treat swollen joints and urinary tract infections, and to purge the body. The wood is beautiful, lightweight, and straight grained. Aspen is good wood to work with because it is easy to shape and resists splitting. It doesn't contain resin, and has toughness as well as exceptional stiffness.
Hemlock (North America)
Hemlock grows slowly and can live up to 600 years. Because hemlock wood is easy to paint, glue, and stain, the furniture comes with various colors. Hemlock even gives some hardwoods a run for their money as a lower cost, yet strong, easy-to-work furniture stock. In fact, this softwood actually grows harder with age!
See our hemlock option here!