Elegant houses with reclaimed wood

For many of us the association of reclaimed wood with elegance seems impossible. We fail to see that wood used decades, even hundreds of years ago can be salvaged and reused to build elegant homes. But we forget that wood never loses nobility and warmth. Nucul will continue to remain an aristocrat, oak tree to command respect and the paltin to fascinate with its 'silk' many years after a piece of furniture has been built. Why then do we think that wood used to build houses, barns or other furnishings would lose its qualities?

The years have taken their toll on the wood used in construction, giving it a natural patina that can make it even more valuable. I had a chance to see what the oak pews in a 200-year-old church looked like after cleaning. Before, they looked black and the design of the wood was almost invisible. After they had been carefully cleaned, the patina of age remained in the pores of the oak, and in the end they looked incredible. By cleaning, the wood regained its color, and the patina brought out the design. Certainly, if new oaks had been made, it would not have looked so good.

But back to houses. Pictured above is the living room of a chalet. Yes, a luxury chalet in the Austrian Alps that can be rented for €7000/night. It's not a large building with dozens of rooms, but a chalet that can be used by up to 11 people. Much of the wood in the lodge is salvaged from the old 18th century building. The green wooden shutter covering the mirror was also salvaged from there. Do you think it would have been more elegant without the old beams or the weather-structured wood that the walls were clad with? I think that's where the charm comes in and justifies the price.

Another house, this time in Wyoming, USA, that you might think is at least several hundred years old. In fact, it was built a few years ago by a company that uses reclaimed wood from old houses in the northern US. The firm specializes only in special, custom designs, and can replicate the feel of old ranches in the Wild West or combine old wood with steel and concrete for a modern look. The old homes are brought to a home in their own space where the wood is salvaged and sorted. Some is used in the structure of the houses, some is processed to make doors, windows, flooring or furniture. What is extraordinary is that the architects of the company also involve the beneficiary in the project, who is invited to choose the most suitable wood for his or her future home.

The construction is actually composed of 5 buildings connected by wooden and glass walkways. In some rooms, reclaimed pine wood has been used to make the walls as they were built in the past, i.e. horizontal wooden beams with the gaps between them filled with clay. Despite this old look the room loses none of its elegance, and the antique pieces of furniture, brought from France and England, only serve to emphasize this.

Reclaimed wood is also found in the kitchen. The simple, gray cabinets blend perfectly with the stone countertop, and the old, oval table, solemnly set with silver candlesticks, adds to the kitchen's elegant rustic look.

Even if it seems impossible, reclaimed wood can also be used to build modern houses. The same US firm combines it well with concrete, steel and glass.

The design of the house is modern, with straight lines, large glazed spaces, structured concrete and stacked floor plans. Wood is used in the construction of some of the walls as well as the interior part of the roof. A fireplace is built on one of the outside terraces, which offers a superb view of the mountains. The floor is a combination of concrete and reclaimed planks and the furniture is made of old beams.

Inside, we discover an elegant, airy space with minimalist furnishings. We find the combination of glass, concrete and wood from outside. It's a light-filled space, slightly chilly because of the stone and the dominant gray color, a chill mitigated by the woolen white carpet and fur-covered armchairs. The ceiling and one of the walls is reclaimed wood, and the coffee table between the armchairs and sofa is made from three huge slices of wood.

Recovered wood is a material ennobled by the passage of time and it is a pity not to use it. It would be better to start throwing away less and recovering more. And reclaimed wood from old buildings should only be put on the fire if it is rotten or decayed and becomes dangerous to the "clean" wood in the house.

photo source: luxuryretreats.com (Austria); onsitemanagement.com (USA)