Black Walnut, White Oak: a History of America’s Favorite Woods
A recent survey by L.A. based designer, Frank Eybsen confirms what many of us already experience on a daily basis–white oak and black walnut are America’s top two hardwoods of choice. White oak sits atop the list in 2023 as the number one wood choice for flooring and cabinetry, and walnut is the American favorite for custom furniture, a spot it’s retained since 2016:
Graph by Frank Eybsen at Buildlane.
To be sure, woods like ash, maple, and cherry remain popular in their own right throughout America. These woods are extremely good choices for furniture making. They’re all similar in terms of sustainability, strength, and durability. And they each have their own unique textures, grain patterns, and colors that make them beautiful. But their popularity is niche, even scant, when compared to the prestige of white oak and walnut.
The purpose of this post is to delve deeper into the history of white oak and walnut in America to better understand its towering importance in the furniture industry. The intended audience is interior designers, home decor enthusiasts, and woodworkers.
White Oak and the King’s Arrow
Even before French and British colonists settled in North America, white oak was well-known in Europe for being the strongest hardwood available. Modern proof for this came during the 2019 Notre-Dame Cathedral fire, when 16-inch solid white oak beams refused to burn, keeping the main scaffolding of the building intact as most of the masonry and steel was burnt or melted away.
During the colonial period, the British made white oak synonymous with the American colonies. It was commonplace in New England, Virginia and down through the Carolinas to see arrows carved into white oak trunks, a mark made by British officers at the behest of the King. Any white oak that had received the “King’s Arrow” was deemed property of the British Empire, and using it for personal purposes was punishable by death. By 1797, and with the construction of America’s first major naval vessel, the USS Constitution (known popularly as “Old Ironsides”), white oak was solidified in the American imagination as a symbol of everlasting strength and endurance. Valued as much for its hardiness as it is for its strikingly pleasant color, white oak remains a top choice for flooring, doors, and built-in cabinetry and casework.
The Age of Walnut
From the end of the 17th century through the middle of the 18th century, walnut was the most valued wood species for furniture in Europe due to its notable variation in texture and color. During the colonial era, British furniture makers popularized walnut in cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Wilmington, ingraining the wood in the American imagination as the most valued timber choice for luxury and high-end furniture.
Following a series of severe winters in France and England that depleted 90-percent of Europe’s walnut supply, the British Empire again turned to the American colonies, resulting in entire towns being built around walnut-specific wood mills. Valued specifically for the depth of its chocolatey brown heartwood, walnut skyrocketed into American culture as the go-to wood for making a statement. Fast-forward to the 1960s, and walnut was again among the top American wood choices, this time as a part of the Mid-Century Modern furniture movement that swept the nation.
Whether it comes in the form of an ornate 18th-century armoire, a retro-Scandinavian credenza, or a contemporary farmhouse dining table, walnut is a wood that is at once foreign and familiar to the American consumer, with a storied history of popularity as colorful as its grain. Here’s a picture showing how striking walnut is even in the raw, before it’s sanded, polished, and sealed:
There’s a very good chance that wherever you’re reading this post, there is a piece of furniture close by that’s made of white oak or walnut. A testament to the historical timelessness of both woods. Check out the Brenelli collection to see examples of our latest white oak and walnut pieces.
