Decca: How veneer layup can change the design of furniture
BCFA member Decca makes luxury furniture for creative designers in Europe and the Middle East, they spoke to us about veneer and how it can be used to change and enhance the design of furniture.
Practiced by furniture makers for centuries, veneer pattern matching is a real celebration of skill achieved by matching veneers to create unique patterns that can change the overall design of the furniture piece.
Veneer layups are hand crafted patterns achieved by laying wood veneers in a variety of ways. Some are best suited to a particular application, for instance a starburst veneer layup on a round table, but all have their own intrinsic beauty. These are some of the more common layups:
Book Matching
Successive veneer leaves are laid next to one another which appear to have been turned like pages of a book. Since the reverse side of one leaf is the mirror image of the succeeding leaf, the result is a series of pairs. The crafts person must choose the veneer leaves carefully to ensure that when 2 pieces are butted up against each that the grain matches.
‘Book Matching’ veneer pattern on a dining table from the Objets collection by Michael Kirkpatrick
Slip Matching
Often used with QTR cut veneers, this is the process in which a sequence of matching veneer leaves are laid in consecutive sheets, creating a continuous display of uniformity where the joins are less obvious.
Slip Matching’ veneer pattern on a stunning desk from the Cosmopolitan collection by Dakota Jackson
Sunburst (also known as Starburst)
Ideal for enhancing the appearance of a circular table top, this is arguably one of the most spectacular layups that feeds out from the centre like section of a pie chart. If laid well it can even resemble a solid wood like a section of tree truck.
Incredible ‘Sunburst’ Amber Crotch veneer pattern on a coffee table from the Modern Bronze addition to the Domicile collection
Decca are very proud of their talented craftsman who can help you achieve your exact design specifications.
If you enjoyed this article then we think you’d also enjoy; The Story of Wooden Mouldings with Larson Juhl and Considering Our Roots by Jim Biddulph.
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