Teak furniture, including teak fireplace surrounds, was popular in the 1950s and ‘60s, and such furniture is enjoying a surge in popularity at the moment – vintage teak fireplaces and other furniture items are in big demand today. However, teak is mainly used today in the manufacture of garden furniture and boat decks – teak hardwood is strong, easily worked, and possesses natural oils, which all make it suitable for outdoor use and exposure to the elements.
Teak comes from the hardwood teak tree, native to the tropical south Asia. Here, it is mainly used to make outdoor furniture for export, but in India teak is widely used to make doors, window frames, and a whole range of furniture.
Teak fireplace surrounds were never mass-produced, so they are not as easy to come by as marble or pine fire surrounds. However, there are some around, and a good place to locate these is with the help of an Internet search engine. Focus Fireplaces sell a range of traditional fireplaces in teak veneer and Wisdom Fireplaces sell a beautiful reproduction solid teak fireplace in the Arts and Crafts design.
Oliff’s Architectural Antiques are offering a solid teak fireplace from the turn of the twentieth century, and AW Fireplaces, based in Manchester, offer a range of traditional surrounds in a teak finish. Leorec (Leominster Reclamation) are offering beautiful Rhodesian teak fireplaces, hand-made in Zimbabwe. These are a lovely warm red-orange colour and feature attractive natural wood markings.
So, although teak surrounds as well as other wood fireplace surrounds are not commonplace, they are available at excellent prices, whether they be solid wood, veneered, or simply a teak finish. Teak is a beautiful coloured wood with lovely markings, and a teak fireplace will bring character and warmth to any home.
