Long relegated to a less prominent role in home wood usage, the design magazine says pine is gaining its popularity back.
Pine has gotten a bad rap as a “cheap” wood the past few decades, the victim of too many kitchen cabinet jobs and assorted uses around the house. But now Domino magazine, which chronicles design trends in the home and hospitality fields, is reporting pine is about to get its place back in the decorating world.
“Historically, pinewood has conjured one of two thoughts: way-too-orange kitchen cabinets from the ’90s or Christmas garland,” the magazine recently wrote in an online newsletter report. “Because it’s so inexpensive—typically starting at $5 per square foot compared to $8 for popular oak—consumers equate the material with low quality. However, the wood type, known for its knotty grain and widespread availability, doesn’t deserve the bad rep it’s been given.”
Domino editors recently visited two trade shows in Finland and found companies there using it again, touting its sustainability and natural look. “Pine trees are notoriously fast growing, so it’s a better option than slower (aka less renewable) trees like cedar or maple,” Miklu Silvanto, creative director of furniture brand Vaarnii told Domino. Vaarnii’s 1003 Hans pendant light has a light feeling but is actually solid wood, using thin strips of pine covered in pine veneer that make up the tiered shape.
It also noted that TV designer Leanne Ford had recently introduced her first-ever pine office furniture collection for Crate & Barrel. Her Haldeman pinewood credenza, part of the collection, features 12 drawers of storage space for office supplies and is adorned only with a lacquer topcoat and cutout finger pulls. And at $2,199 it clearly says there’s nothing cheap about pine anymore.
