Woods, Finishes & Materials

Finishes/Upholstery
Each WILLEM SMITH piece comes with standard finish and upholstery options, though customization is available.

Below is a chart of our all our WILLEM SMITH finish selections and leather upholstery colors. For standard choices by piece, please click our furniture menu to the left.

Available Wood Finishes:                                               
Rubbed Mahogany  Light Cognac          Espresso         Black            
 
Available Leather Upholstery Colors:
 
Handles & Hinges
Some of our specialty bronze is cast, polished and machined in Rhode Island by third generation artisans.    Many of our pieces have bronze feet or sabots; not only do they look terrific, they will withstand generations of bonking by shoes and vacuum cleaners.

For proper care of bronze, please click here.

Woods
WILLEM SMITH pieces are typically constructed with Maple, Oak, Cherry or Sapele solid components and surface veneers in Mottled and Fiddleback Makore, Figured European Ash, Mappa Burl and Cherry.

MAKORE (tieghemella heckelii)
Also known as Baku, African Cherry, Ukola and Douka, Makore is a sought-after wood for its durability, texture and veneering qualities. Native to the West Coast of Africa. The tree seeds and fruit, a delicacy for elephants, produce oil that is eaten and the fruit is used to make soap in its local environment.

Makore trees can reach 150-200 feet with a diameter of 48 –120”.  Its appearance, similar to mahogany, is lustrous with straight grain, but it can have interlocking grains that produce a mottled or fiddleback pattern with irregular veins of darker color.  The heartwood is pale pink to pink or reddish-brown.

CHERRY (Prunus Serotina)
Cherry, also commonly referred to as American Cherry or American Black Cherry, is widely found throughout the East Coast of the United States, particularly in Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and New York. In 1900, over cutting reduced the species to 10% and in 1904 a disastrous fire and disease weakened the species, but through sustainable forest management, particularly in Pennsylvania, the supply of cherry is thriving.

Cherry is easy to process and stains and polishes very well.  It produces and excellent smooth finish. The hue varies from rich red to reddish brown and will darken on exposure to light. The wood has a fine uniform straight grain, smooth texture and naturally contains brown pith flecks.

MAPPA BURL
Mappa Burl (Populus nigra, European Poplar) is a type of poplar that
originally hails from Western Europe.  The wood, highly figured
yellowish-tan with brown knots, is the only type of poplar that
features this type of burl.  Its aroma smells very similar to leather.

Mappa Burl trees can reach heights of 90-130 feet; their leaves are
diamond-shaped and range in size from 2-5", and are green on both
surfaces.

EUROPEAN ASH
The European Ash (Fraxinus excelsior), also known as the Common Ash in the United States, is a tall deciduous tree, native to most of Europe with the exception of northern Scandinavia. The northernmost location is in the Trondheimsfjord region of Norway) and the southernmost in Mediterranean Europe. Ash occurs on a wide range of soil types, but is particularly associated with basic soils on calcareous substrates. It is a decidous tree, that grows to a heigh of 20-35 metres. Ash wood is very easy to bend. It is therefore the material of choice to make Bows. Tennis rackets and the long poles used for snooker are sometimes also made from it.