Assembly Room - Designed in London, Made in Britain

Favourite Woods

What's your favourite wood? A nice oiled teak, or maybe walnut - perhaps the swirling effect of burr walnut in particular? I'll go out on a limb and say my favourite three woods are teak, Brazilian rosewood and walnut. That's probably put the cat amongst the pigeons.

I was thinking of burr walnut the other day. You know how these things pop into your head. True burr walnut comes from the wood of growths that appear on walnut trees. These growths form as a mass of compacted tiny branches that give that fascinating decorative swirl. Looks particularly well on the dashboard of a Jaguar E-type. Maybe we should get our dear friend Bertie Bainbridge to talk a bit about the the burring process sometime.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe burr walnut is used so much in modern furniture. Too rococo? Too rare?

Walnut Occasional Table from Assembly Room

Walnut still has its place at the table though, even if its fine tumorous growths aren't being used so much. For example, we have the Allesley Side Table in solid walnut from Assembly Room above and below. That centre is made from heat-resistant and waterproof Scottish-made linoleum for placing your martinis, tea cups or flower vases.

I don't want to overdo the trivia today, but linoleum is worth a little mention. Invented by Englishman Frederick Walton - so many things invented in Britain, be proud you Brits - linoleum is a natural material based on linseed oil. Kirkcaldy in Scotland remains one of the biggest linoleum producing hubs in the world.

Assembly Room's furniture business developed out of the interior design work of founders and designers Peter Wall and Cathy Spooner in 2010. They aim to create durable furniture that is "manufactured employing the best of British craftsmanship and using the highest quality materials that have been carefully selected for their function, aesthetics and sustainability". Which makes the products future classics and the company perfect Tweed Pig fodder.