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Pine: originally the poor mans furniture
Unlike some Scandinavian countries, furniture made of pine was originally intended for the poorer end of the market in Britain. The wealthy commissioned their furniture from cabinet makers and would usually have it made in a more expensive hardwood such as oak or, if they could afford it, mahogany.  Sometimes it would be made of oak or beech and then veneered with more expensive woods such as walnut or mahogany,  we offer a beautiful solid mahogany range in the Blenheim range - why not take a look through some of our dark wood chests too?

Pine for ‘lesser’ furniture was imported in large quantities mainly from Scandinavia and sometimes furniture made from this timber would be referred to as deal.  Deal is not a species of wood; the term was originally applied to the quantity of timber being traded, which was originally 7ins wide, 3ins thick and 6 feet in length.  Deals were commonly, but not exclusively, pine.  Spruce and fir trees were also imported from the same sources and sold in deals.

The archetypal Victorian bed is usually thought of as being made of metal – typically brass – but some people, usually of modest or low incomes, would have had pine beds.  The wealthier sections of society might also have purchased pine furniture, but not for their own use.  It would have been provided for their army of household servants.

Pine furniture becomes popular
By the end of the Second World War, several factors combined to stimulate a huge rise in the popularity of pine furniture.  One of the obvious effects of the destruction was that it created a shortage of housing and a shortage of furniture.  Less obvious perhaps was that people had grown tired of dark, drab and dreary colours and now wanted bright, cheerful colours and a world of light, rather than gloom.   

In architecture, dark, gloomy Victorian housing was swept away and, in the urge to live in light, bright conditions, replaced with modern blocks of flats.  In furniture terms, heavy ornate Victorian furniture became deeply unfashionable and was replaced with pine.  Britain’s woodlands could not supply the demand for furniture timber and so supplies of pine were brought in from the larger forests of the Scandinavian countries.  Pine furniture was light and cheerful – and fitted perfectly with the mood of the period.

Shops such as Habitat, which opened in 1964, embraced Scandinavian-style pine furniture.  It was perhaps towards the end of the 1960s when it was realised that much of the old, dark Victorian furniture being discarded was actually pine furniture hidden under layers of dirt and wax polish.  When this furniture, including perhaps the odd pine bed, was cleaned back to the bare wood it had an attractive light colour and had been mellowed by age.  This furniture was very popular and so gave birth to the era of stripped pine.   

Stripped pine
It might seem odd to future generations to think that buying old furniture and then removing all its paint or polish was such a popular fashion, but many new businesses, including our supplier CPW or Country Pine Warehouse, were started up to exploit this new market.  They would seek out Victorian pine furniture, dip it in baths of acid to remove everything from the surface of the wood and then sell it on.  The experience gained in this way has meant CPW is today an expert in accurately manufacturing traditional styles of solid pine furniture.   

There is one element to all wooden furniture and to pine in particular that sometimes confuses purchasers.  This is the fact that, as it ages, it will change colour.  Newly made pine furniture is almost white in colour but, as time passes, atmospheric conditions cause the wood to darken and yellow.

The colour of a pine bed
The difficulty is that, for example, a pine bed is bought and then followed some years later by the purchase of another item from exactly the same range.  When the new item is delivered there will be some concern because of a difference in colour between the two.  The purchaser will not have noticed the gradual change in colour of their bed during the years of ownership.  Fortunately however the colour disparity between the old and new items will lessen considerably, within perhaps a few months to a year.