Exotic Atlanta Wood Cabinetry – What You Need To Know
Contemporary Atlanta custom kitchen cabinets with a European flair have generated considerable interest in the U.S. kitchen and bath market. Merging contemporary designs with western expectations and an ever increasing “green” movement have created opportunities for an eclectic mix of styles. Environmental conscious homeowners acknowledge resource conservation and environmental protection in making home improvement decisions. Eco-friendly alternative options to traditional wood cabinetry have become available in reconstituted Wenge veneers and reconstituted Zebrawood veneers. These wood species appeal to homeowners looking for contemporary products with a “green” history, representing the preservation of valuable natural resources.
Wenge and Zebrawood are exotic African wood species considered threatened in their natural states. Efforts to provide these beautiful wood species without further accelerating their threatened status have resulted in reconstituted man-made veneers which are created from less expensive wood species and made to emulate true Wenge and Zebrawood. Reconstituted Wenge and Zebrawood begin with harvesting fast growing, sustainable woods such as Obeche. The Obeche veneer is peeled in layers, dyed the natural Wenge or Zebrawood colors, and then glued together, sliced and laminated into new layers. This process replicates the natural look of both wood species and combines the best natural resources with state of the art manufacturing technologies. Environmentally sound principles and forest conservation practices are implemented when harvesting trees for use in the manufacture of reconstituted products.
Wenge’s exotic features come from the dark brown heartwood striated with fine, black veins. It’s dark, rich color is bolder than any domestic wood specie. The exotic look of Wenge is emphasized through consistent, dark, bold colors running through the veneer. Due to the natural dark color of Wenge, finishes are selectively chosen to reveal and enhance the natural beauty of this dark exotic wood.
The grain pattern of quarter sawn Zebrawood resembles zebra stripes, with the dark stripes ranging from dark brown to almost black and the lighter portions ranging from light tan to golden yellow. As with Wenge reconstituted wood, finishing options are selectively chosen to reveal and enhance Zebrawood’s natural light and dark “zebra stripe” wood graining pattern.
The contemporary design appeal of both Wenge and Zebrawood lie in the clean, distinct linear appearance on horizontal grain patterns and vertical appearance on vertical grain patterns. Not limited to strictly contemporary designs, Wenge and Zebrawood are flexible enough to incorporate selected design elements and both may be combined with standard wood species as an accent piece to create a more traditional/transitional design. Styles may be further changed as crown moulding is added in either contrasting or contemporary finish color selections. Standard wood species may also be incorporated into the overall design and used as accent pieces to enhance the Wenge and Zebrawood species.
Shopping for exotic wood cabinetry? Atlanta kitchen cabinets provides only the highest quality cabinetry for discriminating buyers.