How to choose the right wood for a piece you’ll live with for decades
Most people start this decision the same way: “What’s the best wood?”
It’s a fair question, and it’s usually asked with good intentions. You want something beautiful. Something durable. Something worth the money. Something that will still feel right in ten years.
But the better question is quieter.
“What wood makes sense for how I actually live?”
Because wood is not a paint colour. It is not a swatch. It is a living material that carries its own temperament: how it handles light, how it reacts to seasons, how it takes wear, how it shows time.
Choosing from the many types of wood for furniture is not about picking a winner. It is about alignment.
This guide is meant to help you choose confidently. Not quickly. Confidently.
IMAGE SUGGESTION: HERO IMAGE OF A FINISHED TABLETOP IN NATURAL LIGHT, WITH TWO OR THREE WOOD SAMPLES (WALNUT, MAPLE, OAK) IN THE FOREGROUND.
Before we talk species, it helps to name what you are asking the furniture to be.
The same wood can be a great choice in one application and a frustrating one in another.
Durability is not just a property of wood. It is a relationship between wood and lifestyle.
Wood moves with seasonal humidity. It changes with sunlight. It responds to heat sources and cold walls.
Most well-made furniture anticipates movement. Still, certain woods are more forgiving than others.
Do you want the piece to be:
Wood choice has a strong influence here because grain and colour are visual weight.
IMAGE SUGGESTION: SIMPLE DIAGRAM OR PHOTO GRID SHOWING “LIGHT WOODS VS DARK WOODS” IN THE SAME ROOM STYLE.
You’ll hear “hardwood vs softwood” often in furniture conversations. It is a helpful framing, with one important caveat: hardwood does not always mean hard, and softwood does not always mean weak. The terms describe the type of tree, not a guarantee of performance.
Still, in furniture-making:
If you want a piece that will handle decades of use with grace, hardwood is usually where you start.
If I could reduce the decision to two questions, it would be these:
Some woods wear like denim. They take on stories. Dents and marks become part of the character.
Other woods feel more like stone. They resist change and keep their surface more consistent.
Neither is better. One is just more honest for you.
A lot of people say “I want walnut” when they really mean “I want warmth and depth.”
Others say “I want a light wood” when they really mean “I want calm.”
Naming the feeling helps you choose more accurately than chasing a species name.
At Redbird, we’ll work with a range of woods, but our core is intentionally focused. It lets us be excellent rather than broad.
To keep this useful, I’ll cover the most common species people consider, with honest pros, cons, and best uses.
This deserves its own section because it’s one of the most practical factors, and also the one people often feel awkward asking about.
Wood impacts price in a few ways:
Some woods simply cost more per board foot because they are less available or in higher demand.
In many markets:
A board can be expensive, but what matters is how much of it is usable.
Highly figured wood, wide slabs, or consistent colour matching can increase waste. That waste becomes cost.
Some woods are harder on tools. Some are harder to stain evenly. Some require special handling. Time becomes cost.
Sometimes the right decision is not “all solid wood everywhere.”
A well-built piece may use:
The key is transparency and quality. Veneer done well can be beautiful and long-lasting. Veneer done cheaply is disposable.
IMAGE SUGGESTION: PHOTO OF A MAKER HOLDING A BOARD WITH A FEW PRICE TAGS OR LABELS LIKE “STANDARD,” “PREMIUM,” “EXOTIC” TO VISUALIZE BUDGET TIERS.
This is where wood becomes interior design without trying too hard.
If your home is already full of warm woods, a cool-toned walnut piece can feel balanced. If your home is bright and minimal, maple can feel like a continuation.
Grain is visual texture. The bolder the grain, the more “movement” the piece adds to a room.
If your room already has a lot of pattern, a quieter wood may feel calmer. If your room is simple, a dramatic grain can become the focal point.
You do not need to match all the wood in a home.
A better goal is coherence:
Wood choice is one part of that story.
Here’s a quick guide that tends to hold true.
Needs: durability, stability, repairability
Great options: white oak, maple, walnut (if you welcome patina), ash
Approach: choose based on lifestyle. Tables are honest surfaces.
Needs: a surface you enjoy touching daily
Great options: maple, walnut, cherry
Approach: consider glare, feel, and how easily marks show.
Needs: stability, consistent grain, strong joinery
Great options: walnut, maple, oak, cherry, mahogany, birch in certain builds
Approach: decide whether the piece should be quiet or present.
Needs: rot resistance and weather performance
Great options: teak, cedar, redwood, white oak in some designs
Approach: decide whether you want a maintained finish or weathered patina.
IMAGE SUGGESTION: “BEST WOODS BY FURNITURE TYPE” TABLE GRAPHIC.
It’s easy to turn this into a spreadsheet problem.
Hardness ratings. Cost per board foot. Moisture movement charts.
That information matters. But it is not the whole thing.
The best wood for furniture is often the one you are excited to live with.
The one that feels right in your home. The one that matches your values. The one that fits your budget without compromising what matters.
When you choose wood with intention, the finished piece carries that intention quietly. You can feel it.
Most clients don’t need more information. They need clarity.
Our role is to translate the options into a decision that makes sense for your life and your space, then build it properly.
Here’s what that support looks like in practice:
The goal is not to sell you a species.
The goal is to build something that feels inevitable in your home.
Wood is a material you live with.
You will see it in morning light. You will run your hand across it without thinking. You will place your keys on it, your coffee on it, your life on it.
So it’s worth choosing carefully.
Not obsessively. Just carefully.
If you’re exploring options for your own piece, this is exactly the kind of conversation we enjoy having.