Anthology Woods

Restaurant projects have always been near to our hearts at Anthology Woods.  We recognize the important role coming together over food & drinks plays in building relationships and creating community, and we love our connection to that process in sourcing & preparing old wood for a new life in restaurants. 

White wood flooring - is it right for your project? 

The practical aspects of white wood flooring...

Clean, bright white spaces lend an uplifting feeling of contemporary simplicity, and this palette of white sometimes extends to the floor in the form of white-washed, bleached, lyme (limed) or lye treated, soaped, cerused or even painted wood plank flooring.  If you are thinking about using a white wood floor in your project, there are a few things to consider to help you assess how good of a fit it will be long-term.

Patina vs. Pristine: Inevitably, a white floor will wear (as all floors do) but you can care for it to extend the original look.  If your goal is to maintain the pristine white look of your floors for as long as possible, keep them clean.  That sounds like an obvious statement right?  By clean, we’re talking about shoes being left behind and clean stocking feet providing the only traffic.  If the space you are considering white floors for will receive traffic from many people other than you, are you prepared to chase each person to the surrender of their shoes?  If the answer to this question is no, then embrace the flip side of patina & wear.  Part of the journey of any floor is wear, and embracing that wear emphasizes a casual, relaxed atmosphere.

This article from Architectural Digest offers additional insight to white wood floors in an interview with Kevin Greenberg.

How to embrace white wood floors in a user-friendly way:

White – but not that white: We love a tinted white oil finish (zero VOC) to give a soft, pale and minimalist/Scandinavian influence to wood floors and wall paneling.  As a white finish that is not “bright white” your floor will show wear in a more subtle manner.  A white oil can also be re-applied as needed without having to move all of the furniture out & re-finish everything together – you can even just do spot touch-up.  Our Sugared Teak at Chillhouse in New York features this kind of simple subtle white finish.

Character: A wood species with an active grain and a live-sawn (aka european sawn) or flat sawn pattern will create increased variation, as will reclaimed character.  With a more casual feel to begin with, floors will age more gracefully.  Below is an image of our Pacific Madrone in Select Grade showing off an elegant sweeping grain with a white finish.  In addition to flooring, this look is available in classic wall cladding & our ThinClad wall paneling as well, in a variety of widths.

Texture: A textured surface will help hide scratches and will create increased variation as well.  Wire brushing is an easy way to add texture (and you can create either a subtle wire brushed texture or something more aggressive, depending on aesthetic preference).  Our Left Coast White Oak: Oxley pictured below has a wire-brushed texture:

This residence in Santa Barbara features Pela Teak reclaimed flooring from Anthology Woods with a clear oil finish

The owners of this home in Santa Barbara wanted the rich red-brown and deep caramel to cognac color tones of a tropical hardwood for their remodeled flooring, with some natural patina & texture to make the wood wear well and age gracefully.  Our reclaimed engineered Pela Teak was the perfect fit, with traces of old saw marks, decades of natural patina, and the beautiful rich color tones from years of seasoning.

The zero voc clear natural oil they selected for a finish imparts depth & richness to the color while retaining a very matte and almost unfinished appearance.  The natural weathering and texture in the boards contributes to a rustic influence that hides wear well and results in a durable, easy to maintain wood floor.  A hefty wear layer on the engineered flooring means they can sand in the future if they need to, but with an oil finish and a little regular care, they should never need to!  This beautiful distressed reclaimed Teak can also be used as wall paneling and ceiling cladding and is available unfinished or pre- finished to your specification.

Anthology Woods' Grey Medley Wall Cladding was featured in a corporate project by Neumann Monson Architects awarded the 2016 International Interior Design Association Award for Corporate and Best in Show categories. 

Neumann Monson has shown a commitment to sustainable design and consistently creates stunning interiors using sustainable materials and practices.  The setting of this project is a penthouse office with commanding views. 

Along with sharing images of this stunning installation, Anthology Woods is happy to announce the newly available mixed width specification of our Grey Medley wall cladding - a blend of gray weathered oak wood wall paneling (or ceiling cladding) with natural shades of light to dark gray and some brown tones.  FSC certified post-consumer reclaimed, of course.  Visit our Grey Medley product page or contact us for more information!

See the full award feature here: http://iida-gp.org/archives/4212

We were thrilled when the team at McCall Design Group selected our Heritage Oak Reserve: Oxley fumed Oak flooring for a couple of Philz coffee locations in the San Francisco area.  This particular product undergoes a hands-on multi step finishing process to give it a rich dimension & depth with color tones in the warm gray, taupe, and tobacco brown range, with the grain highlighted with a light wire-brushing and white wash accent.  The fuming step actually requires the wood to be locked in a chamber & permeated through & through in the tannin-reactive process.  Fun fact: the "tanning" of leather centuries ago in Europe was actually done with tannin from Oak, but back to wood - - the variety in color between boards is a function of the difference in tannin present (and of course the previous life and seasoning of the boards).

When it comes to reclaimed wood, every board has a story and a unique slice of character - especially with the European cut of our reclaimed Oak.  This is also known as a "plain" or "flat" sawing style, and maximizes the variety of character present.  In terms of connecting to American heritage and history, reclaimed Oak is the wood that seems to speak most powerfully of that story. 

Anthology Woods is delighted to share photos of the recently completed Tavolata Restaurant in the Capitol Hill Neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.

You’ll find our reclaimed Stout’s Legacy Weathered wall cladding on the bar back and a few accent areas throughout the restaurant designed by Atelier Drome Architecture + Interior Design, and completed by Dovetail General Contractors of Seattle. 

We love the fusion of rustic grey wood with the modern/industrial feel of the space.  The use of natural materials softens the hard concrete surfaces and adds to the warm hospitality of the restaurant.

Details on the wood: the designer opted for a single width (6-1/2” wide) in the Stout’s Legacy reclaimed redwood cladding.  The varied shades of grays & browns in the natural patina were mixed throughout the installation.  Tongue & groove millwork makes for precise installation of the plank wall paneling.     

When an architect in New York asked us if we had reclaimed lath boards....

We knew we had a sourcing challenge on our hands.  Occasionally, an architect or designer will ask us for something we’ve never sourced before, or uncommon dimensions which will pose a challenge - - but Anthology Woods is not opposed to a challenge!  Often out of a "one-off" assignment, we'll set up the parameters for a highly-desired product, and sometimes it can be added to our core product line (such was the case with our Pearly Teak, created when a Vancouver, BC designer asked for white washed Teak for a project in Honolulu, Hawaii).

The project was located in Sag Harbor, and in need of around 10,000 square feet of reclaimed lath for sensational ceiling applications in a full remodel of a building more than a century old-- destined for a new life as a private residence.  Being in the business of giving old wood new life, we love seeing old buildings breathed into by the creative spirit & resurrected into new masterpieces paying homage to the past!  The project renderings were absolutely stunning and we loved the used of a rustic, reclaimed wood with texture & character in the clean & modern interior design.  It was rustic modern at the finest:

For unique projects for which we are providing a custom product not appearing in our core product offerings, we are happy to say that if it is out there, we can probably find it.  Not only will we find it, but we will shape a custom specification to detail the dimensions, character, and color range in the product – helping the contractor understand exactly what they are dealing with.   

Lath is not a common product in the reclaimed world, but with some legwork on the part of our sourcing manager we tracked down a repeatable source to sample in a mock up order.  In the reclaimed wood world “repeatable” typically means “consistently inconsistent” with a broad range of color & character represented.  The mock-up order was placed in excess of a full year before the project was ready for the lath installation, so it was important to ensure we were working with a source that would still be available when the project was ready.   

If you live in an early 1900’s American Bungalow or Craftsman style home there is a good chance that your original wood flooring is 3-1/4” Douglas Fir, a native of the Pacific Northwest and the Inter-Mountain West.  CVG Douglas Fir is the classic choice for homes of this type and era. There is a great article on this style of home here. 

Today the Doug Fir floor in these homes is often the “subfloor” under newer materials that may have been added during subsequent renovations. Peel back that carpet and have a look!  You may be surprised to find Clear Vertical Grain (CVG) Douglas Fir.  Often these floors can be re-finished to showcase the natural beauty and patina of an aged, historic wood floor.

According to the Old House Journal, Doug Fir was chosen because it is strong, attractive, lightweight, and knot-free.  It was used as an “all-purpose” wood through the first half of the 20th century.  It was once the mainstay of the aircraft industry, as well as common for framing lumber into the 1960s. In the past it was a standard offering in modest houses, such as Foursquares and bungalows, or in nonpublic areas such as bedrooms and third-storey spaces. A durable softwood with a warm, pleasing grain.

At Anthology Woods we reclaim Douglas Fir from a variety of sources including gymnasium bleachers and old barns.  We are able to achieve a variety of looks from this utilitarian wood including our Frontier Blend and Gray Frontier Blend, for rustic applications, or our Grandstand Fir Flooring and Wall Cladding for a cleaner look.

Anthology Woods recently completed a project for a client restoring and older bungalow in the San Francisco Bay Area.  We were happy to provide a custom milled Grandstand Fir at  3-1/4” width consistent with the existing historic floor.  The tight grain of our old-growth Grandstand Fir was a perfect match for this turn of the century renovation project. 

Another client, in Oregon, was seeking the warmth and neutral color tones of Douglas Fir, but with a slightly more rustic appearance.  We were able to supply large format mixed-grain FSC reclaimed Fir stair treads from large vintage beams to compliment their modern design.  These pieces were sourced from timbers reclaimed from a covered bridge deconstruction in NW Oregon.

One of the best parts of our job is seeing the transformation that can take place when old, worn and weathered materials are re-imagined in a new form, and placed in a completely different setting.  Take for example barn beams that are removed from a decaying, crumbling structure, and then placed in a clean and contemporary modern office space.  Along the way those beams may go through many processes: de-nailing, re-sawing, ripping, planing, molding, etc. and emerge from other side as completely different looking products.  

Other times, simply juxtaposing a rough and rustic element in a unusual setting is enough to create a stunning, and eye-catching element.  The effect can be truly amazing!  We love helping clients find the "right" material for their space, and we love sharing the story of how that look came to be.

  Anthology Woods is comprised of experts in the industry.  We know how to connect the dots better than anyone else. We take pride in turning something old into something new.

From the barn beam to the boardroom.

From Low Brow to High Rise.

From the chicken house to the penthouse.

From down and dirty to high and mighty.

From rustic to modern. Dirty to clean. 

Anthology Woods can deliver.

We make it easy to integrate Anthology Woods into every element in your project. From inspiration to implementation Anthology Woods will make sure your job is done correctly. On time. On budget. For designers, architects, contractors, homeowners. For you.

This story begins with a tip we received about a unique source of reclaimed wood: Reclaimed Teak timbers sourced from a dismantled Indonesian prison.  The prison had been built maybe as much as a century earlier, so we knew it was likely to be amazing old-growth wood. We decided to investigate.

I met up with my contact in Jakarta, who would be helping translate and navigating to the location of the wood. We had to drive across town to pick up the his local contact.  If you’ve ever been to Jakarta you know that a simple trip across town is never simple. After zipping in and out of the swarming motor-bikes, dodging a sea of pedestrians, and navigating through uncontrolled intersections we arrived at a plaza in the heart of the city.  After a quick circle around the block we locate our contact, who excitedly jumps into the backseat next to me and without introduction immediately begins speaking rapid fire Bahasa Indonesian. He is really excited and animated and they engage in a quick back-and-forth.  I can tell something is up, and we rapidly pull away from the plaza.  I finally interrupt to ask what is going on.

You have to understand, my contact is a very soft-spoken, demure young man. As I ask my question he develops a pained expression on his face as he searches for the right words to explain the situation.  It’s obvious he is trying to soften the impact, convey that I shouldn’t really be alarmed… But it turns out there was a bomb threat on the plaza.  To this day I’m not sure if there was actually a bomb that had been found, or only the threat. But of course I think about all of the people on that busy Jakarta plaza, and of course I think yes, we are truly on an adventure now.

We drive for a while down narrow back-alleys and side streets with various twists and turns, and I realize that I have no idea where I am now.  As dusk is setting in we arrive at what looks like a very small wooden shack-like structure with a recessed portico that resembles a car-port.  Behind this opening sits the Teak.  Beautiful, premium, old-growth reclaimed Teak.  There is at least 5000 board feet of material here, and it is stacked 10’ high and the beams run 20’ long easily.  Long lengths like this in reclaimed wood are rare.  They are big timbers: 8”x8”, 10”x 10”, and larger.  I realize as I look at this pile of wood that it appears that the wood was here first and the house was built around it!  I can’t imagine how we will ever remove the wood without first removing the buildings that surround it.  

After a brief introduction I begin inspecting the wood.  I borrow a small flashlight and in the growing darkness start climbing a ladder to the top of the pile of wood to get a better look. These are very tight quarters as the 10’ tall pile is surrounded by the house and various lean-to structures, a chicken-coop… There is also a tree growing right up through the middle of the stack, and one end of the pile is under the low-hanging roof of a neighboring structure. To reach the end of the pile (so that I can measure the length of the beams) I have slide along my belly on the top under this dark recess. As I begin inching into the darkness I think to myself “I wonder how many poisonous snakes live in Indonesia?” 

After some inspection and a verification of the dimensions and quantity we settle in to negotiate the purchase.  We sit down at a small table in the “outdoor” room under a single incandescent light bulb hanging from a wire.  It is very warm and humid…sweltering is the word I’m looking for.  As I sit down I realize I have seen this setting before… It is uncannily like a torture scene from the latest action-adventure movie.  Of course my guests are quite hospitable, and I have nothing to worry about, but nonetheless the ambiance is unsettling.

Anthology Woods recently collaborated with Substance Architecture in Des Moines, Iowa to customize Reclaimed weathered wood for small display shelves in their retail space design for Urban Eyecare & Eyewear.  Each antique wood shelf is intended to showcase their eyewear, and we love the use of the rustic wood element in a clean contemporary space! 

Research notes natural materials like wood help contribute to a healthy, comfortable, and pleasing environment, and we love the way it enhances a space with the warmth of natural earthy tones and the interest of texture and variation.  Beyond making custom shelves and running the lightly textured weathered grey & brown wall paneling throughout the space, Substance also specified our Northwest Blend reclaimed wood for some other fixtures of their retail space - benches & tables!  A little connecting on the details between the architect on the project and our team at Anthology Woods, and a custom specification for widths & milling profiles was born -- tailored to the design! 

What are the top sustainable wood choices for outside?

Anthology Woods is receiving increasing inquiries about the best woods to use for decking that will have long-lasting durability and a beautiful look while protecting our environment.  The same species selected for Decking also make excellent choices for exterior siding in classic and rain screen applications, as well as soffit cladding.  We've compiled a quick list of your best bets in terms of beautiful woods excelling in exterior durability & sustainability.

1. POST-CONSUMER RECLAIMED TROPICAL WOODS (the finest ALTERNATIVEs TO RAINFOREST IPE)

As we discussed in a previous post, the immense market demand for newly harvested tropical hardwoods for exterior applications has caused unprecedented deforestation in the Amazon Basin and elsewhere in the world.  It's no wonder these woods are desirable - tropical hardwoods stand up exceptionally well to the cycles of sun, wind, rain and repeated abuse.  Luckily, there are a few post-consumer reclaimed options (meaning the wood is entirely recycled from a previous use, and no trees are currently being cut to provide for your project)!  You can either opt to finish your reclaimed tropical hardwood with an exterior finish or to leave it unfinished and allow it to weather.  Finished wood will always last longer, regardless of species.

Reclaimed Sakhay Teak is a premium old-growth Teak reclaimed from vintage structures in Southeast Asia.  The rich brown color tones & lively grain of Teak are distinctive to this species, and the natural oil & silica content in the wood makes it an exceptional choice for exterior projects.

Reclaimed Dinizia is originally from Brazil, with rock-hard density, extreme durability and excellent resistance to decay and insects.  Along with Teak, Dinizia is in the class of woods that can last for decades outside.

With a Reclaimed tropical hardwood you are getting the ultimate:  the best sustainability and the best durability.  Your reclaimed wood comes with reclaimed character to testify visually to your part in preserving our planet, too!

2. POST CONSUMER RECLAIMED DOMESTIC WOODS PROVIDE REGIONAL AND LOCAL OPTIONS

Domestic species from reclaimed sources are very sustainable, though they are not in the same A+ class for long-lasting durability as the tropical woods are.  Species like Redwood & Cedar are suitable for decking and siding, and Fir is often used in soffits or on siding with an exterior finish.  Unfinished Fir will age rapidly, though it is used frequently in the northwest. 

 3. SALVAGED OR FSC SUSTAINABLE WOODS

Another great source can be salvaged or sustainable harvest woods.  Anthology Woods has begun working with partners to bring salvaged and sustainable woods to market including domestics like redwood & cedar, and tropical Mahogany.  Sources include urban, industrial, water or forest floor salvage, or in some instances, wood from sustainably managed forests.  These are often excellent woods in terms of lasting service & beauty, though they seldom match the sustainability of a truly recycled wood, and rarely have as interesting of a story.  Their advantage is often longer & more consistent lengths than are common for reclaimed woods.

A recent article in the Tico Times exposes continued illegal logging of Costa Rica's treasured tropical forests, including alleged links to organized crime.  Increasing demand for exotic wood products contributes to the pressure on native tropcial forests, while resources to protect them are often inadequate.

Anthology Woods teams up with DIY'S "Bath Crashers" with beautiful results!

When the team at Bath Crashers reached out to Anthology Woods seeking "Wood with a Story" for their "Ombre Tub" episode taking aim at a modern rustic feel with a bit of "farmhouse" influence, our immediate response was "YES -- What do you have in mind?"  Working together in support of their goals & needs, we quickly navigated to a product that would meet their vision for aesthetics,  speedy shipment (things happen FAST in TV land!!), and budget. 

Products making their television debut in this project were Anthology Woods Northwest Blend (a naturally weathered wood installed on a section of the ceiling, unfinished) and the extremely hard & durable Left Coast White Oak, a unique species growing only in a narrow strip of Oregon and bit in California & Washington (installed for the flooring, finished with Rubio Monocoat White natural oil).  The homeowners were able to easily apply the finish themselves prior to installing the floor, and the zero VOC nature of the oil insured it was safe to move right in!  The White tint to the oil gives a subtle white-washed look to the floors while maintaining a natural look and a supple feel underfoot.  For information about finish options, please read our blog entry about Poly vs. Oil.

The couple participating in the episode loved their floor so much they decided to add more, installing it in their master bedroom, as well!  The rich character of this natural Oak in a flat sawn (the old "European" way to cut Oak) wood product adds a timeless element & warmth to the feel of the space.  Finishing out the details of the room, the Bath Crashers team added natural marble in the shower with tones of white & gray, and apron-front vanity sinks for extra charm.  Looking closely at the grain, you'll see cathedral patterns in many boards, along with a great mix of flat grain with rift areas as well.

Anthology Woods is excited to share photos of this re-built guest cottage in Ashland, Oregon filled with 100 year old reclaimed wood re-used from the original structure.

When an Ashland couple contacted Coleman Creek Construction to re-build the cozy guest cottage adjoining their southern Oregon residence, it was observed that some of the existing wood in the structure might be re-usable.  A visit from Anthology Woods confirmed a considerable quantity of wood could be reclaimed, re-milled, and truly reincarnated for another life in the new structure!  Michael Hodgin of Coleman Creek saw to the careful deconstruction of the vintage structure circa 1900 and brought it to Anthology Woods where the task of removing metals began.  After metal removal, the wood was cut to a consistent 5" wide plank retaining the original antique rustic aged patina -- a unique wood look earned only through age and exposure.

The reclaimed wood was fastened to the walls and the homeowners chose to paint a portion of it white to brighten the interior - retaining the naturally weathered face on a feature wall that runs continuous through two levels & into a vaulted ceiling.  The soft natural texture of reclaimed wood both warms the space and absorbs more sound than sheet-rocked walls would. 

Coleman Creek also created reclaimed wood floating shelves from old joists in the building, to reside in the kitchen & bathroom.  A sliding barn door provides access to the bathroom, and was also custom-built from salvaged wood in the project. 

Finally, a storage loft was created in the vaulted ceiling, for which reclaimed Douglas Fir beam lumber was sourced from Anthology Woods.  The large reclaimed beams serve both an aesthetic and structural purpose upstairs, and enclose a comfortable sleeping space below. 

This charming and light-filled space was once a dilapidated structure, and now provides a restful guest house that utilizes recycled materials from the original building!