European beech is a wonderful wood. All of our newly made chairs are made in Italy from European beech and so this makes it an important topic for us and our customers alike. For starters, it's necessary to make the distinction between North American and European beech as they are different despite originating from the same family. In fact, there are several differences between the two, however, for our purposes we'll simply focus on their properties and uses. They are both classified as hardwoods but their appearance and workability are not quite the same. For instance, North American beech is mostly a reddish brown and has a considerable colour variation between boards. The grain is usually very straight, closed, and much coarser ...