Out on a litnb Designers get creative with hardwoods

1f\AK had its Golden Age in the \rl9th century. Cherry and maple have been treasured since Colonial times for their strength and smooth, satiny grain, while walnut first gained its reputation as "the aristocrat of woods" in the l50os.

Today, the popularity of U.S. hardwood products is stronger than ever, spurred in large part by consumers' desire for beauty, versatility, durability and lasting value in the home. Architects, builders, designers, and their customers still regard American hardwoods-not only oak, cherry, maple and walnut, but also other species such as birch, hickory/pecan, alder and poplar-as the standard for quality.

"There's a trend toward natural materials in interiors," says Joe Pryweller of the American Society of Interior Designers. "There's been a definite upswing in their use in homes."

Former ASID president Charles Gandy of Atlanta, Ga., says his design firm is looking more to hardwoods because his clients "have a gut reaction to natural materials" and "an interest in quality and longevity." In a firm that believes in keeping it simple and classic, "it's easy to attain those goals through the use of wood."

The demand for natural materials is strong among today's upscale home buyers. Thanks to modern forestry practices that continue to increase our nation's hardwood inventory, this naturally renewing resource is there to answer this demand in new, exciting ways that our ancestors never imagined.

One current trend is to use hardwood consistently throughout a home as a unifying element, taking it beyond the traditional floor and kitchen cabinet applications. Gandy's interior design firm recently used cherry in niches, shelving, bookcases, built-in units---even in panels suspended from the ceiling of the living room/dining room pavilion in a contemporary rendition of a coffered ceiling. These "clouds" of cherry conceal lighting and define the space ofthe l8-to-20-ft. ceilings.

"I like to use a lot of different woods," says Pittsburgh, Pa.-area builderTim Kelly. His own home uses butternut, and he's done a library in Dutch elm and an entire house in cherry-bookcases, floors, doors and trim. "It looks so much richer when a similar pattern is carried out throughout the house," he says.

Wood from the cabinets or a kitchen door may show up down the hall in a closet door. cabinets in the family room, or bookshelves in the study, as decorators carry color and visual themes throughout a floor.

"Builders and designers are tying these things together," says George Bashkingy, IkaftMaid Cabinetry, Inc. "Another thing we're seeing is that, even if someone elects to use a white cabinet, they accent the white products with wood moulding or wood trim that gives it just a touch of traditionalism."

They're also taking cabinets out of the kitchen and using them in new, creative applications throughout the home. Custom cabinetry now app€ars in bedrooms as built-in replacements for dressers and armoires, as entertainment centers in great rooms, and even in the bath, wrapping a whirlpool tub in cherry in place of ceramic tile or marble. Many cabinet manufacturers offinishes and colors. centers of floors and drop in custom borders or accents, such as family coats of arms. If a border or accent piece is installed while the floor is being laid, he says, it adds a great deal to the value of the home without greatly increasing the cost. offer matching wainscoting, trim, crown mouldings and other finish accents that enable builders tocreate a true finished look.

"Stairs made entirely of wood offer limitless color possibilities," says Indianapolis, Ir., designer Ron Budney. "A handrail may be natural wood, while vertical supports are painted and other decorative parts are stained with color. Colored stains such as plum or green used on mouldings make it possible to add color to a room without sacrificing the natural beauty of the wood."

A desire for a more natural look has inspired lighter shades in many contemporary hardwood floors. According to Budney, people are learning to appreciate wood floors, partly "because they set off Oriental carpets so well. Finished with matte or satin finish, the floors give off a wondrous glow without much fuss and care."

Another small but growing niche is for homes that use as many natural materials as possible to accommodate the concerns of health-conscious consumers, as well as those with special needs.

"Hardwood offers obvious health benefits," points out John Senechal, Bald Mountain Homes. Asheville, N.C., which builds what he describes as custom. non-toxic houses. "It is attractive, and it is a natural material that makes people feel good in their homes."

As lifestyles of homeowners change, designers and builders have modified traditional cabinetry to accommodate new needs. Hideaway doors for large entertainment centers and computer consoles make them disappear while not in use, and their hardwood surfaces can be designed and finished to match the trim, other furniture, floors, or any other focal point of the room.

Jack Williams, Williams Woodwork, Hilton Head, S.C., creates these built-ins with large, counterbalanceweighted doors of white oak, walnut or cherry. He has also used burled elm veneer in several houses, or oak with mahogany detail. Near Hilton Head, he has built second-floor libraries with a view of the ocean, in which hickory and wormy chestnut bookcases harmonize with the view.

The natural beauty of hardwood can be enhanced by an infinite variety of paints, stains and modern "miracle" coatings such as polyurethane, prompting many leading interior designers to experiment with a variety

Lighter floors in maple or cherry, both planked and board, are becoming much more common. Also appearing more frequently in both contemporary and traditional homes are inlaid parquets, jeweled floor borders and floors with medallion patterns that include as many as 12 different species. Budney sees a great deal of potential in patterned floors such as herringbones, and has created one using 39-inchlong pickets to exaggerate the scale. He has built heningbone floors with cherry, maple and birch

Floor specialist John Stern, Kentucky Wood Floors, Louisville, points out that home buyers who want to "distinctively differentiate" their homes can do so through individualized patterns, colors and grains in borders and accent pieces.

"The many shades of hardwood allow for endless variation-from purple to red to black to the light glow of natural finishes and lighter stains," he says. "Hardwoods may be mixed with other woods. or with other media such as brass."

Stern sees many homeowners upgrading to custom floors in medium-priced and high-end homes. To upgrade, they may rout out borders or

In a recently completed home, Senechal used hardwood paneling in every room-oak in the living room and other living spaces and poplar in the bedrooms. For the exterior stairs in his multi-level homes, he uses locust, and a variety of species for allwood closets and cabinets.

Unique design and decorating possibilities with hardwood products abound for the creative architect, designer and builder willing to draw from the past-as well as for those willing to look to the future.