When you think of fine furniture, you think of oak, maple, mahogany and, of course, cherry. Of these, cherry, with its classic grains and color, is in many ways the most delectable.

What is cherry wood furniture?

Top quality cherry furniture is made from the black cherry, also called the American cherry. It’s harvested mostly in the Northeast and Midwestern states. There are a few other varieties that get occasional use. Sweet cherry, also called European cherry, is a lighter colored wood that’s durable but harder to work. Patagonian cherry can be used in flooring and small wooden items. Other cherry varieties lack black cherry’s workability and beauty and are used in construction lumber.

Solid cherry or veneer?

Veneering is an ancient and respected art, and a lot of today’s best furniture is veneered. Be sure to look at what’s underneath the cherry veneer. Often, it’s solid cherry. Other times it’s another hardwood such as oak. Both cherry veneer and solid cherry furniture have their advantages. Veneer is less subject to warping and more stable, while solid cherry can be refinished, and some find it more attractive.

Is cherry wood good for furniture?

Many experts think American black cherry is the best furniture hardwood in North America. Few woods are as durable, and pieces often darken and grow in character as they age.

Cherry wood furniture is beautiful. Nothing matches the satiny smooth texture of cherry. The grain, simple and fine closed, is especially admired. Each piece has a unique personality due to variations in hue and the minute black flecks in the grain. These are pitch pockets, mineral deposits that have replaced sap.

And then there’s the color, the beguiling reddish brown that develops over the life of the furniture.

Cherry wood is easy to work. The grain is smooth and straight and the wood mills readily. Cherry steams easily for bending and shaping. Furniture builders are eager to use cherry in their manufacturing.

Cherry wood furniture lasts. It’s hard and it resists decay. Because it’s so valued, it’s purchased by top manufacturers. Artisans exercise the greatest degree of skill and care in crafting cherry wood furniture. The best pieces can pass from generation to generation.

What color is cherry wood furniture?

When it’s first cut, cherry wood has a pinkish tone with hints of yellow. However, exposure to light darkens it over time. Eventually it becomes the rich reddish-brown color that cherry aficionados find so captivating. The sapwood, closest to the bark, starts out with a yellowish color and doesn’t darken as much. It’s the heartwood that owns the most luxuriant colors. Heartwood is prized for veneer and for all visible parts of the furniture.

Individual pieces of wood show variations in tone and color. Because of that, and because of the distinctive black pit pockets, no two pieces of cherry furniture are exactly alike.

What colors go with cherry wood furniture?

It depends on what kind of room you have and what you’re trying to accomplish. With cherry, different complementary colors work differently.

Lighter tones tend to call attention to and highlight the wood. White can work, as well as pastels such as light blue and yellow. Greens of all lighter shades provide interesting contrasts.

Cherry wood can enliven a neutral, especially beige, and make it less bland. Earthy tones make cherry furniture more casual.

Cherry furniture can also stand up against intense colors such as royal blue and rich reds and greens. The reds and even purples bring out hues in the wood. These dark mixes create drama, but it’s good to lighten the feel with metals, mirrors and white and off-white curtains and furnishings.

Choose your color to enhance the richness of cherry or tone it down. Whites and pastels are best for small rooms, and neutrals tend to promote warmth.

Remember that cherry wood furniture has variations in tones and hues not only from piece to piece but within the same piece. If you’re painting with one of the more adventuresome colors, be sure to start with a sample swatch.

What style is cherry wood furniture?

A lot of cherry furniture is mission style or Amish style, which tends emphasizes straight lines and timeless simplicity, but that’s far from the only way to interpret cherry furnishings. Sometimes cherry is intricate and ornate, for example, an elegant armed or armless chair with a plush seat pad. You’ll find classic cherry examples that are at home in an elegant cherry dining room set as well as modern-looking furniture that supports contemporary design.

How do I decorate with cherry wood furniture?

If you use a cherry dining set or a cherry wood dresser and bed frame, it establishes cherry as the theme for the room. It’s also possible to use a few cherry accents in a living room or a den. Think about a pair of end tables, a cherry coffee table, a media console, a writing desk. Touch up a bedroom with a bookcase, a cherry nightstand or a mirror with a cherry wood frame.

One caveat: cherry has a lot of presence, and too many pieces lead to a crowded look. Cherry wood furniture requires a streamlined and orderly room arrangement.

No matter what the prevailing style of your home, there’s a way to welcome cherry wood furniture into it. Whether you remake an entire room with a cherry theme or awaken a space with a few accents, a well-chosen item of cherry wood furniture will give you years of enjoyment and may become something you pass on to the next generation.