Not everyone likes plastic "clones", even if created by the stars of world design. Items of mass production do not give a sense of stability, connection of times, continuity of generations. Therefore, antiques do not go out of fashion, but they are expensive, and the need of people to feel involvement in certain traditions is so high that it has generated a demand for imitation. To give the appearance of noble antiquity to new furniture, craftsmen patinate the surfaces, make cracks, chips.
The best choice for those who do not like fakes and are looking for things with a true history, can be items from the so-called reclaimed wood, in particular "antique teak".
Teak itself is a wonderful tree species that grows in South, Southeast Asia. For strength, hardness, resistance to aggressive environmental influences, the medium is sometimes called "wooden gold". Teak has a spectacular, coarse texture. The color scheme is dominated by soft ash or golden brown shades. The wood, containing oily substances, is resistant to decay, which has provided it with an excellent reputation in shipbuilding, house building, and furniture making. Thanks to these properties, the material is able to live several lives in different qualities.
The practice of reusing teak wood is widespread on the islands of Indonesia - Bali, Java, Sulawesi, Lombok. Dilapidated houses, piers and fishing boats are becoming a source of valuable recyclable materials here. They are taken apart, and from boards that are decades old, I make both individual elements and whole pieces of furniture. A paneled door, for example, can turn into the headboard of an elegant bed, a column with a baluster can support a powerful dining table, and deck flooring continues its life in the cladding of a wardrobe - this is antique teak. Chairs, armchairs, tables, dressers, sideboards, beds, wardrobes for hallways and many other pieces of furniture and accessories are made of it, because teak can be compared to cognac - the older, the better.
Such products are in great demand in North America, Belgium, Holland, England, Denmark. Natives of these countries, finding themselves in Indonesia, quickly appreciated the potential of working with reclaimed wood, which is why American and European managers are at the head of many furniture industries. They have been able to transform handicrafts into successful businesses. In addition, reclaimed wood items have many advantages over “freshly planed” ones.
Wood, sawn and processed many years ago, is more stable, less prone to warping and other deformations than new material. In the latter, even those that have undergone technological drying, are still production risks, so it is always difficult to predict how an object from a “young” massif will behave. And with a "mature" tree, all the unpleasant metamorphoses that could have occurred have already occurred.
Another undeniable advantage is that over time, the texture of antique teak only gets more interesting. She has a pleasant to the touch relief. Old boards undergo a restoration procedure, but it does not destroy, but, on the contrary, emphasizes the traces of time - roughness and scratches received by the material in a past life. Sometimes shellac polish is applied to objects in several layers - a special varnish, in the manufacture of which an extract from the leaves of tropical plants is used. It gives things a thick chocolate color, protects against new damage and brings out texture. Since the natural palette of teak is equally beautiful, and over the years the natural color is enriched with subtle olive and sandy tones, completely transparent protective coatings are often used.
There are also objects assembled from painted parts: dressers with white, yellow, greenish and turquoise drawers, multi-colored chairs, striped wardrobes. Looking closely, you can see that the paints are in several layers - the upper ones have effectively rubbed off and peeled off, and layers of other colors are visible from under them. Furniture with such a picturesque surface is a rarity. It is made from planks taken from old boats, painted by former fishing owners. In the Indonesian islands, decommissioned flotation devices were once used in the construction of houses. With the development of technology, this tradition has almost disappeared, however, furniture makers have found worthy use for boats that have served for 40-60 years. Painted objects, reminiscent of children's drawings or post-impressionist canvases in color, bring a sense of lightness and joy of being into the interior. They are the best fit for creative people, thinking outside the box, and courageous.
Furniture made of antique teak is distinguished by simple, laconic, forms, but, thanks to the living natural texture and "acquired" rich relief, it looks soundly and solid. Details that come from different sources are always carefully selected and adjusted by hand, therefore two identical items in this production can not be. For lovers of sophisticated decor, this furniture may seem rude, handicraft, but it is intended for people who see beauty in simplicity and authenticity. Such people prefer everything true and man-made, travel a lot, love art and history. Most likely, their house is filled with "trophies" brought from wanderings around the world, and to complete the picture, there is just not enough closet or whatnot. They like that every object in the interior, whether it is a dining table, at which the whole family gathers, or a flower tub for any palm tree that served as a mortar for rice two hundred years ago, can become the topic of a fascinating conversation, an occasion to fantasize that these things had a chance to survive.
The use of old teak planks is fully consistent with the idea of recycling - a careful attitude towards natural resources, which is expressed in their reuse. It is not for nothing that architectural objects, where a restored tree is present in one form or another, are awarded additional points for certification according to the international LEED eco-rating.
