American red oak—the dominant species in U.S. hardwood forests—is plentiful and affordable. The heartwood has a distinctive grain and ranges in color from pinkish to reddish brown, though not always. (The name refers to the color of its leaves in fall.) Being hard,...

American hardwoods often play an outsize role in projects by Desai Chia Architecture, a New York firm led by the husband-and-wife team of Arjun Desai and Katherine Chia. A lakeside vacation retreat in Leelanau County, Michigan, designed in collaboration with...

Whether grand and sweeping, fleet and elegant, or strong and straightforward, a hardwood staircase offers homeowners a chance at truly elevated design. With its graphic shape and functional importance, a striking staircase of oak, walnut, maple, or some other...

The annual Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) is North America’s largest trade fair dedicated to all aspects of kitchen and bath design. This year’s extravaganza, which boasted more than 600 exhibitors, was held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It...

London’s Royal Academy of Music, the oldest conservatoire in the U.K., occupies a handsome Edwardian building next to Regent’s Park. Made of red brick and stone, it’s about as traditionally British an edifice as you could wish for. Behind the academy’s very proper...

The front door of a house signals what sort of home lies behind it: quiet and traditional; sleek and modern; warm and welcoming; large and imposing—and a wide range of other possibilities. Here are three hardwood front doors, each with its own distinctive look, that...

From cute playthings for the nursery to elegant furniture for the living room, there’s a universe of attractive hardwood products out there that will check all the boxes on your holiday gift list. Here are six items I’ve already got my eye on.Knotwood LA—a...

Each fall I look forward to attending Field & Supply, a modern interpretation of a traditional arts and crafts fair held annually at the Hutton Brickyards in Kingston, New York. This year’s event, which took place over Columbus Day weekend, was of special...

When it comes to choosing surface materials for the bathroom, most people think tile or, budget permitting, marble. But an increasing number of savvy designers and homeowners are using hardwood to clad bathroom floors, walls, and built-in furnishings....

This year, our sister organization, the American Hardwood Export Council, sponsored an intriguing collaboration with eight of Australia’s most highly regarded young design studios. AHEC asked each to replace the timber they normally use for a signature product with...