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One of the biggest challenges in interiors is bringing in colour, without losing the warmth and texture that natural materials offer.
Enter: coloured timber. Whether painted or stained, I’m talking about a treatment that allows the grain of the timber to remain visible, so you get the richness of natural wood with the added depth of colour. It’s layered, nuanced, and feels a little more elevated than flat finishes.
Whether it’s a zesty lime green on kitchen cabinetry, a golden yellow on wardrobe doors, or even a moody black stained library, colour-treated timber introduces colour in a way that’s tactile, grounded and sophisticated. And I really can’t think of a colour that wouldn’t work when applied to a timber surface!
There are a few ways to achieve this finish. You can either purchase a pre-finished timber grain surface, or apply a paint or stain directly onto timber veneer.
Pre-Finished Surface
The benefits of selecting a pre-finished surface means that you know exactly what you’re going to get.
However, you are limited in the colours to select from. Laminex have a new laminate finish called ‘Bayleaf AbsoluteGrain’, which is a soft green and shows the texture of a wood grain, it’s beautiful.
Alpi offer a designer range of timber veneers that are not only stained, but they are patterns you’ve never seen before. I promise, your mind will be blown! You can find them from Elton Group as well as the safer white, black and grey timber veneers.
Custom Stained Timber
The sky is the limit when it comes to creating your own colour stained timber.
An oil stain can be an effective way to colour treat and protect timber surfaces. Linolie & Pigment are a Danish company that produces a large range of beautiful colour pigments. They don’t use any new 20th century synthetic pigments in their stains, which are mixed with linseed oil. No microplastics, just gorgeous colour!
If you’re looking to incorporate colour that feels natural and luxurious, coloured stained timber might the perfect fit.
Painted Timber Grain
A 2Pac finish applied to a timber to highlight the grain will be a hardwearing option. The 2Pac is a type of polyurethane paint that is sprayed onto the timber with varying levels of gloss and transparency — and can be done in a way that retains and highlights the texture of the grain.
For an even more textured surface, timber can be wire-brushed before painting, to enhance the natural timber grain. You can work with your cabinetmaker or designer on this and request a few samples to test. (This method combines two finishes — timber veneer and 2Pac paint — which means it isn’t for the budget conscious).
