Thanks to the backlit veneer the room is immersed in a warm, pleasant light. Photo: IFN/Schorn & Groh GmbH
For many years, veneer has given designer furni-ture that certain “je ne sais quoi”. Veneer goes a step further if it not only makes the surface of a piece of furniture more attractive but also – thanks to modern lighting – it can glow in all its beauty and warmth. “Illuminated veneer shows off the full elegance of the wood. Very ordinary furniture becomes magically unique pieces for individual tastes”, explains Dirk-Uwe Klaas, Secretary of Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN) e.V.
A good example of backlit veneer was provided by the Managing Director and co-owner of the Karlsruhe cabinetmakers “a-mano”, Bastian Gründer: He designed a modern kitchen, which attracts all eyes through a 1.70 metre wide wall unit made of Olive Wood backlit all over. There are also matching base units, which have been finished with the same interesting veneer. Nonwoven backed veneer was used to enable the round shapes of the wall unit to be formed; this backed veneer is thinly sanded, smooth, flexible and particularly crack-resistant. The back lighting was installed in the front, so that the crockery in the cabinet does not show through the veneer. “The overall result is a work of art, which immerses the whole room in a pleasant, subdued light. This example shows really well how real wood veneer can be used variably and that it can match facings made of other materials in every respect”, says Klaas about the best part of the tree.
How veneer is made:
Veneer is obtained from the wood of selected trees, which are mainly grown in sustainably managed forests. The tree species mostly used for veneer production are Maple, Beech, Oak, Ash and Walnut, where the majority of these come from domestic and European forests. This means that the transport distances can be kept short, which in turn is a further large gain for the environment. If the right tree is found with an interesting look and texture, it is peeled or sliced. This produces thin sheets of wood, which are around 0.45 to 6 millimetres thick. These are dried, stacked according to quality and grade, are cut to the required size and are glued onto substrate materials such as solid wood laminboards, particleboard, MDF boards, multiplex boards or plywood. In this way the surfaces of fine furniture are also produced which, thanks to the stability and easy-care properties of wood, are highly fit for purpose.
Impressive in every respect: Backlit veneer. Photo: IFN/Schorn & Groh GmbH
