Buying furniture is one of the most exciting parts of moving into a new home in Western Australia. It’s a thrilling thought–filling your new space with timber cabinets, beds, tables, and chairs that fit your preferences and personality. Your shopping decisions will depend on no one else but you, and that reinforces the fact that you now have a space that you can call your own. At the same time, it also places a heavy burden: how should you choose the furniture that will define your new home? And what will your new furniture reveal about you?
Young professionals today are aware of how their furniture choices will affect not only the look and feel of their property but also the environment they live in. As eco-conscious consumers, they try to invest in furniture pieces that are well-designed, durable, and sustainably harvested and made. If you’re a part of this crowd and you want to make your new home as eco-friendly as possible, you can choose furniture pieces made from locally sourced and sustainable timber. Here are a few of the timber species you should look for:
- Corymbia calophylla (Marri or Port Gregory Gum) – Native to Western Australia, Marri or Port Gregory Gum is a popular choice for making fine handcrafted furniture, but it’s also used to make sporting equipment. This type of bloodwood has high gum content, so it’s rare to see first class timber made from the tree. However, the extensive gummy protrusions that made it undesirable in the past are proving to be a popular feature now; its red veins are seen as an attractive highlight in wooden floors. The Marri furniture in Perth shops are typically honey-coloured with a course but even texture.
- Eucalyptus marginata (Jarrah) – A hardwood, Jarrah is quite resilient due to its extensive root system, which can help the tree spring back to life even after a fire. This timber has dark-red heartwood, pale yellow sap, and pinkish red regrowth. It’s also relatively easy to work with and is used extensively for furniture, joinery, flooring and panelling, and general construction.
- Eucalyptus diversicolor (Karri) – Karri is one of the tallest hardwoods in the country. It is quite dense and heavy, making it a little more difficult to work with compared to Jarrah. The timber from this tree typically has red-brown heartwood and course texture. Karri is often used for general construction, flooring, panelling, and shipbuilding, but it also has the potential to be used in making highly durable furniture.
- Eucalyptus patens (WA Blackbutt) – Commonly called yarri, WA Blackbutt trees are often found near the same place where Jarrah trees grow. It has pale yellowish heartwood and is relatively easy to work with. The timber from this tree is often turned into flooring, panelling, or furniture.
With proper care, furniture that’s made from sustainable timber should last you more than a few years. During their lifetime, these pieces will serve as a reminder that you can continue making lifestyle choices that impact the environment in a positive way. After all, doesn’t it feel great to sit on your sofa or lie down on your bed knowing that the process of making your furniture didn’t harm Mother Nature?
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