Using reclaimed wood on doors and walls

Using Reclaimed Wood on Doors and Walls

Salvaged timber is one of the most flexible reclaimed materials. Its form and appearance vary hugely depending on its previous usage, and I love to lean into the quirks of the material when thinking about how to reuse it.

Leftover Shelves

This batch of shelves were rescued from an office building that was changing their shelving system. The front trim was made from expensive oak, but the bulk of the shelf was made from a cheaper tulip wood.

Why we love them

• There was a large quantity, which gave us lots to work with, and we could use it on a large surface.
• The oak strip provided interesting geometric interest.
• Tulip wood contains a huge variety of natural tones, which are especially prevalent when natural light shines on it.
• Tulip wood also ages beautifully and takes knocks, scratches and UV-light exposure really well.

How we use them

• Joinery door fronts: we split the shelf in two to give us twice the surface area with half the depth to create a veneer.
• Parquet flooring: another of our ideas for this material would have been to do a large-scale parquet floor.