Design
Let’s enjoy the delights of stripped wood
reading time: 4 minutes

Wood recovers its natural appeal, as interpreted by stoneware
Wood recovers its natural appeal, as interpreted by stoneware
The concept of stripped wood immediately calls to mind colourful, rolling fields of fragrant lavender, fabrics with small floral patterns in bright shades, and natural wood. It only takes a few items of stripped wooden furniture, either bleached or painted in shades of ivory, to create a home with a typical Provencal look. Wood items that have been stripped and repainted in pastel shades of beige, ivory and grey-blue also feature in the very trend shabby chic style, currently all the rage not only in interior design but in fashion too.
Technically, the term “stripping” means the removal of varnishes, gilding or patinated finishes from the surface of furniture to restore the natural colour or original paintwork of the wood.
What does stripping furniture mean?
Quite literally, what it says - stripping dirt or coatings from a surface.
In this procedure, the surfaces of wooden furniture are cleaned to remove any material deposited on it, including dirt, paint or varnish, revealing the bare wood with all its knots and vein patterns.
Wood is a natural material and different sections have different density or hardness. When it is brushed, the bristles bite further into the softest parts, leaving tiny grooves into which the pigment penetrates deeper when decorative coatings are applied.
Furniture can be given a lived-in shabby, vintage, timeworn or stripped look with the aid of a wide range of finishing products. The “right” one is chosen depending on the final effect required and the context of use.
There is a wide range of colour shades to play around with, but the most popular are white or natural wood colour. White furniture is easily included in a design scheme, either on its own or in combination with other similar pieces to create an attractive ensemble effect. Pieces in natural wood bring a touch of tradition to interiors and fit well into the fashion for sustainability.
When it comes to choosing a finishing, there is a wide selection of products and decorative techniques available, both modern and traditional.
The demarcation lines between some techniques are not really very clear: furniture can be stripped, lightly coated, patinated, lacquered or decorated to give it exactly the look we want.
The use of stripped furniture or floor coverings is now a well established trend, popular with design and furnishing enthusiasts. The appeal of stripped wood is that it is able to bring a touch of modernity to vintage items...
There are some very realistic and attractive interpretations of stripped wood.
One of the most popular is the one in stoneware; its advantage is that it can be laid anywhere in the home without any particular problems. Easy to clean and hygienic, it is really amazingly versatile.
One outstanding example by Marazzi is Treverkatelier, which fits perfectly into design schemes intended for lovers of the stripped wood look, bringing warmth to the interior and creating a Provencal effect.