What is mahogany?
Mahogany is a type of straight grained hardwood that is reddish-brown in colour. It is from species of the genus Swietenia, indigenous to South America and part of the pantropical chinaberry family, Meliaceae. The three Swietenia species are classified officially as "genuine mahogany". Mahogany is a commercially important timber appreciated for its beauty, colourways and durability. It is used for creating furniture, paneling, boats, musical instruments and many other artifacts.
Why is mahogany great for traditional furniture making?
Mahogany is a valuable hardwood and varies in colour from medium brown to a deep red brown, depending on the age of the timber. It is a lovely dark and rich wood, providing a warm and luxurious feeling to any interior decor scheme. It is extremely traditional, adaptable and is a favoured type of wood for cabinet making. Mahogany is often used in solid form for the whole construction, also it's a popular choice making veneers.
Nowadays, mahogany is still used widely in new cabinet making as well as being popular by antique furniture collectors. Mahogany is a hardwood with a tidy, straight grain and is available in a range of shades for all requirements.
The mahogany used in the building of our furniture is from sustainable sources. The tree varieties are usually Swietenia macrophylla & Swietenia mahogany from Java, Indonesia. These varieties of mahogany originated fron South America and are not part of the original forests of Java. Indonesia is not cutting down vast swaths of South American rain forest to make our furniture, the timbers are harvested from plantations.