Color-Stained Furniture, the Next Big Thing?

Thanks to Rhinebeck, New York-based furniture workshop Sawkille Co., I’ve been imagining every chair and table in my house cast in a pale blue. Sawkille’s latest designs are made of bleached hardwoods, which, they’ve discovered, takes well to color. “We love the boney white of the raw wood,” they say, “but it’s also an obvious palette for some pigment.”

To create transparent color, Sawkille hand mixes it own wood dyes in shades of indigo and royal blue. “Unlike paint, the pigment is not as controlled,” they explain. “Each piece of wood has a different reaction, so the final patina is something unique.”  Once the furniture absorbs the dye, the designers apply a hand-rubbed oil finish to seal in the color. For pricing and custom color information, contact Sawkille Co. directly.

Above: The Senate Chair in indigo (left) and pale royal blue (right).

Above: Some of the yellow tones of the wood mix with the indigo and result in a sea blue.

Above: The company’s signature Sawkille Bench is available in a variety of lengths and finishes.

Above: The Dutchess Low Dresser shows off Sawkille’s darkest shade of indigo.

Above: Short Back Tremper Rabbit Chair displays the dye’s spectrum from pale legs to deep blue seat.

Above: Sawkille makes dining and bar stools in a range of sizes and shades: “We are forever shooting for that perfect dusty blue.”

For more stools, go to 10 Easy Pieces: Wooden Counter Stools. Interested in indigo? See Commune’s indigo wood floors and our studio visit with Small Trade Company in San Francisco.