Sustainable wood drives demand for quality oak furniture

Style-conscious homeowners are increasingly opting for oak furniture to feature in their homes, as the trend
for sourcing sustainable materials impacts on interior design.

The Montana media unit from The Oak Room

That's the view from leading Birmingham retailer Lee Longlands, which is seeing a rise in sales of oak ranges
including reclaimed wood transformed into new pieces of furniture.

Director Robert Lee said the company has seen trends in styles and materials come and go throughout its 110
year history.

He said: “Around 20 or so years ago, everyone wanted pine, it was affordable softwood which could easily be
painted or stripped to suit. But hardwoods have always proved popular and recently, there has undoubtedly been
a resurgence in the demand for oak. It has the versatility to work well in a range of rooms and lends itself to
contemporary and traditional themes.

“For hundreds of years carpenters and craftsmen have chosen oak to fashion beautiful items for the home. It is
known for its strength and durability as well as having a distinctive and timeless beauty, ranging in rich
colours which span from a light golden to mid brown shades.

“We are seeing that more and more customers are looking to buy sustainable and hard-wearing pieces, whether
that's oak bed frames, wardrobes or dressers for the bedroom.

“Sales of oak dining tables and chairs are also up, and although there will undoubtedly be a new style trend
behind this increase, we believe there is also an environmental awareness factor driving demand.

“Our buyers work closely with all our suppliers and manufacturers to ensure all the timber used is carefully
sourced from ethically sustainable forests. We are proud to offer quality oak products sourced by our buyers
without harming the world in which we live.”

Mr Lee added: “Our oak collections are made from both 100 per cent solid oak but also combinations of solid oak
and an oak veneer. This is a great combination as it gives the look of a solid product but reduces movement in
the panels which can occur in modern centrally heated houses.

“We also offer reclaimed oak furniture which gives all the benefits of oak strength durability and style but
using pieces of wood that were previously used for other furniture pieces. The beauty is in the rustic
appearance achieved with no two pieces ever being the same due to the very nature of the different aged pieces
being used.”

For more information about Lee Longlands visit www.leelonglands.co.uk or follow the store on facebook at
www.facebook.com/leelonglands or on Twitter @leelonglands