During my recent trip to Thailand, I came across a small shop offering handcrafted wooden decor items. The majority of their goods were made from teak wood, which just happens to be one of my favorite types of wood! In fact, just a couple of months ago, I acquired three beautiful teak pieces from a few local furniture boutiques. I absolutely fell in love with the eclectic personality they brought to my space.
The shop featured a collection of sculptures, boards, coasters, display stands, and many other miscellaneous wooden objects. I couldn’t help but bring home a couple of display stands and a set of coasters!
Usually while shopping in the United States, coming across teak items is not too common, so I was thrilled to be surrounded by so much of it on my trip. You could say, “I hit the teak jackpot!”
Teak is widely utilized throughout Southern and Southeastern Asia, not only because it is beautiful, but because it is extremely durable. It can withstand extreme temperatures and weather conditions, which makes it great for indoor and outdoor use.
Although it isn’t the most common wood used to make furniture here in the United States, it was extremely popular during the mid-century modern era. During that time period, teak was crafted to look vastly different than the unfinished rustic teak shown above. It was usually finished with either a Danish or teak oil, or more commonly, an amber lacquer, which resulted in rich, warm-toned pieces (shown below).
Wood trends are, and will always be, dynamic. In the span of the last decade, I have observed many drastic shifts of preference. What once was a collective love for darker-colored wood flooring and furnishings (mahogany, cherry), evolved into a dominance of lighter woods (white oak, maple). Even an engineered grey-stained wood had a temporary moment in the spotlight. Last year, and continuing into this year, the revival of mid-century modern made those warmer tones trendy again—especially if you could get your hands on a vintage piece.
After reflecting upon my experience in Thailand, its clear that there are so many options that we do not even realize exist because we are surrounded by an abundance of extremely similar but slightly different items that all fit into the current popular aesthetic in that given moment. Design is a form of art, and the soul of art lies in creativity. However, it stops being an art when creativity is gone and everything starts to look the same. Trends come and go constantly, and it’s easy to base your choices off of what is ‘in’ at the moment, but ultimately, beauty and quality transcend the fleeting nature of these trends. Thus, the best options are the ones that resonate with us, and consequently, stand the test of time. And for me, it seems that the best option is teak!
We’d love to hear your thoughts!
~Schylar Osborne
