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Wood Types in Interesting Colors

The color of the wood is intensified by surface treatments such as oiling, staining or varnishing.
The color of the wood is intensified by surface treatments such as oiling, staining or varnishing. Photo: Getty Images

January 14, 2025, 3:53 pm | Read time: 7 minutes

Not all wood is the same. The natural material comes in different textures, grains, and hardnesses. However, the color of the wood is a decisive selection criterion. myHOMEBOOK author and interior design expert Daniela Matsuzaki presents types of wood in interesting colors.

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Wood is not only brown but has a varied color palette. There are shades from light to dark, even black wood. But there are also eye-catching colors such as purple-violet or bright red. An overview of wood types in interesting colors.

Overview of Light-Colored Wood Types

Wood types are typically categorized by their colors. Light wood tones have a special radiance and are often used for furniture and interior cladding, flooring, and furniture to make the room brighter, more natural, and more welcoming. Thus, a friendly and inviting living atmosphere can be created.

Well-known types of wood in light colors

  • Maple: Maple wood is known for its light, cream to slightly reddish color. The wood has an almost inconspicuous grain. Maple grows in Europe, the USA, and Asia. A special type of maple is the sugar maple, which is native to North America, especially Canada.
  • Birch: Like maple wood, birch wood is light to yellowish-white in color. It can also exhibit a light brown hue. Birch, being a fast-growing tree species native to Germany, is considered sustainable. Due to its light color, birch wood is used as furniture for interior fittings, for saunas, as flooring, and for making guitars.
  • Ash: With ash, not only the light color but also the dynamic grain stands out. Ash wood is cream to pale yellow in color.
  • Pine: Although pine wood is light in color, it can often darken. Pine wood is often used for rural and rustic design. Its grain and striking knotholes make it easy to distinguish from other types of wood.

Rare Light Wood Types in Interesting Colors

These types of wood are special due to their rarity and unique nature.

  • Elm: Elm wood is characterized by its striking grain. The color of elm wood is light to medium brown. The grain can produce striking wave patterns that contain interesting flecks. Since the 1920s, there have been reports of elm dying off due to a disease caused by fungi. This is why most elm wood in Europe is imported from China. Elm wood is used in the production of veneers, furniture, and parquet.
  • Burl poplar: Burl poplar wood has a light, creamy color and can also have a green to purple coloring in the grain. The grain or rooting is very special. This is because the roots look like irregular dark dots of color. This gives the burl poplar a two-tone appearance. The grain appears almost black in contrast to the light color of the wood.
  • Birdseye maple: Birdseye maple has a light to golden color, which is emphasized by the grain, which consists of approximately 0.5 cm large, ring-shaped formations. The light and shadow contrasts of the ring-shaped patterns create an interesting color gradient from white-yellow to brown. This type of wood, which has an interesting color, is often used in interior finishing, furniture making, musical instrument making, and automotive finishing. Bird’s eye maple is found in North America.
  • Canarywood: Canarywood has a bright yellow to orange base color. However, it can also vary from yellow to red, and sometimes, there are darker streaks or grain patterns that give the wood a unique look. Overall, Canarywood is known for its vibrant and warm color tones, making it a popular wood for decorative purposes and artistic projects.
  • Satinwood: Satinwood has a light to golden yellow color. It stands out because it has a silky sheen. Hence the name satinwood. Although the color can vary depending on the location, satinwood generally has a warm and appealing look. It is often used for fine furniture, veneers, and craft projects to create an elegant aesthetic.

Wood Types in Interesting Red Colors

  • Padouk: Padouk wood has a striking reddish to reddish-brown color. It is known for its bright and vibrant hues that darken and deepen over time. Padouk wood can also have beautiful purple or orange tones. The color intensity makes padouk a popular wood for decorative items as well as for the construction of musical instruments. However, the color of padouk can darken slightly over time due to exposure to sunlight and oxidation. This wood primarily originates from West and Central Africa but can also be found in Southeast Asia.
  • Bubinga: Bubinga wood has a striking reddish-brown to reddish-purple color with dark stripes or grain patterns. It bears a resemblance to rosewood. The color palette can vary from a warm brown with a hint of pink to a deep purple-red. These unique shades make the wood something special. This is why it is often used for high-quality furniture, musical instruments, woodturning, and handicrafts. Bubinga is found in Africa, particularly in eastern Nigeria, Zaire, Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, and the Ivory Coast. Some of these wood species have been protected under the Washington Convention since 2017.
  • Purpleheart: Purpleheart has a striking purple to dark purple color and retains its intense color even after processing. It is often used for high-quality furniture, jewelry, and decorative wood projects. Purpleheart comes from tropical rainforests in Central and South America. It is important to source this type of wood sustainably in order to protect the stocks.
  • Cedarwood: Cedarwood has a light to medium brown color with a beautiful grain. However, it can also have a slightly reddish to slightly brown hue. Cedarwood is often used for interior design and furniture. However, it is also known for its pleasant fragrance. This scent has natural repellent properties and is used for pest control, for example, against moths in the wardrobe. The most well-known cedar species include the Himalayan cedar, western red cedar, Atlas cedar, and the Lebanon cedar.

Wood Types in Green Colors

  • Olive wood: The wood of the olive tree has a very characteristic light to medium brown color. It can also have light green tones with gray nuances. The grain is marked with distinctive, dark, curved lines. Olive wood is often obtained from pruning trees that are no longer productive for fruit growing. Consequently, it is frequently crafted into decorative items like bowls, kitchen utensils, and chopping boards. Olive wood is often obtained from African olive trees. European trees are used for the production of oil.
  • Whitewood: The wood of the whitewood, also known as the tulip tree, has a light to light greenish color, whereby the exact color palette can vary depending on the age of the tree and the growing conditions. Known for its uniform texture and fine grain, it is a favored choice for furniture, interior design, and craft projects. This large imposing tree grows in North America.
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Dark to Black Wood Types

  • Walnut: Walnut wood features a color spectrum ranging from dark brown to black. However, the wood color can vary from tree to tree. Lighter tones, such as medium brown or reddish shades, can also occur. In addition to the beautiful color of the walnut tree, an attractive grain is often striking. This gives the wood a rich and elegant appearance. Due to its natural beauty and hardness, walnut wood is a popular choice for high-quality furniture, interior design, and decorative objects. The color intensity and grain can be influenced by the type of processing and the type of surface treatment. Walnut trees grow mainly in Europe, North America, and Asia.
  • Wenge: Wenge wood is dark brown to black with dark stripes. The grain of the wood is very distinctive. Wenge is often used for luxurious furniture and parquet flooring. Additionally, wenge serves as an alternative to ebony. Its contrasting grain and dark color give the wood a sophisticated look. Wenge naturally grows in the tropical rainforests of countries including Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.
  • Walnut: Walnut wood has a deep dark brown color, which is often accompanied by a striking grain. In some cases, the coloration may have a reddish or purplish tinge. The walnut tree is native to southern, central, and western Europe as well as the Middle East and Central Asia. Unlike other tree species, the walnut tree does not grow in forests but prefers open, sunny locations. For this reason, it is often found in plantations and open areas.

Tip: You should know that the colors of the wood can be further intensified by surface treatments such as oiling, staining, or varnishing.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of MYHOMEBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@myhomebook.de.

Topics Wood
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