The furniture we offer are made from hardwood species that come from and are closely associated with the Philippines: Narra, Molave, Kamagong, Ipil and Habuling. These wood species are well suited for outdoor furniture, which, in contrast to indoor furniture, have to be built with special requirements such as strength, moderate- to high- natural resistance to decay, good natural color, and resistance to checking and splitting (low shrinking and expansion).
Narra, the scientific term of which is Pterocarpus indicus, is the hardwood noted for its ability to take a high polish. Narra comes in varying colors: the heartwood varies from pale yellow to deep blood red while the sapwood, which is usually narrow in mature trees, is lighter. Narra is moderately hard and heavy, with a distinct cedary or camphor-like odor. Its popularity, utility, aesthetic value, hardiness, tolerance and history made it the unanimous choice as the Philippines' national tree. Narra wood has a very low shrinkage and as such has very little tendency to check or warp while seasoning. When well seasoned, it is one of the most stable woods in the Philippines. It has high resistance to termites and wood borers and takes a very high finish. It is used for any purpose where beautiful and durable wood is required. Furniture made from Narra is the delight of homeowners. In durability, in beauty of its grain, and in the beautiful finish it takes, it ranks with the best cabinet woods in the world. Thus, it is the premiere Philippine wood for high-end furniture.
Molave (Vitex Parviflora) is one of the most widely-used woods in the Philippines. It is used for high-grade construction where strength, durability and good weathering properties are required: shipbuilding, posts, railroad track, paving blocks, window sills, window frames, and doors and balusters, and more. Molave has diffused porous woods in which the vessels are evenly distributed throughout the cross-section. This is a very durable wood, light-colored (light yellow, yellow brown, olive or pinkish gray), hard to very hard, straight or wavy grained. The texture is fine to moderate, with dense to very dense fibers. Like Teak, Molave belongs to the Verbenaceae family. Unlike Teak, though, Molave is rated by a Forest Product Research and Development Institute study to be of high strength (80.0 MPA and up, where MPA is 145 lbs/square inch) while Teak is rated to be of moderately high strength (63.0 to 80.0 MPA) only. Additional Ratings: Molave: Janka side hardness 1,155 lb for green material and 1,255 lb for dry, Forest Products Laboratory toughness 405 in. lb for green wood and 330 in. lb for dry (2-c specimen). And for Teak: Janka side hardness 1,000 to 1,155 lb for dry material, Forest Products Laboratory toughness 116 in. lb average for green and dry wood (5/8 in. specimen).
These old door panels were salvaged from an old house and will be recycled into furniture.	Kamagong is an extremely hard wood found only in the Philippines; it is a wood that some say is nearly indestructible. In ancient times, this wood was used to make weapons such as knives and swords. The scientific name of this tree is Diospyros discolor Willd (Ebenaceae). It has grayish or mottled sapwood and black heartwood with brownish streaks. Kamagong in its pure black form is one of the five most rare woods in the world.
Ipil (Intsia bijuga) is one of the most valuable wood species in Southeast Asia. This very attractive wood is one of the most valued timbers throughout South East Asia. It is stronger than Teak and is one of the most decay-resistant timbers known (when not in contact with the ground); in the Philippines it is used as a standard against which the durability of other timbers is assessed (National Academy of Sciences, 1979). Used for all high-class general construction, flooring (it produces the famous 'merbau floors'), posts, beams, etc. and also for musical instruments, furniture and cabinet making. Bark and leaves are used medicinally and the seeds are edible. In addition, the wood is a dye source.	This old door will see new life as an antique treasure in a new house.
A lot of our furniture are made from recycled wood; wood taken from old buildings that have been torn down. Old wood is very durable and stable and will not experience the movement (expansion/contraction) that besets new wood that has not been sufficiently dried. We also use stumps and roots of trees that have fallen due to natural causes. These pieces are aged and dried before being handcrafted into fine pieces of furniture and artifacts.
Windows made of molave and capiz, waiting to be evaluated for recycling.	Even the logs, used for support in the old house, are candidates for recyling.
Photography Credits - Kathleen K.