Care & Materials — NAII Furniture

What we build in

Six materials, held in stock.

Anything specified in these ships on the standard lead time. Each ages differently, which is the point — none of them look worse at ten years, they look older.

American WalnutLightens with sun
Kiln-dried OakDarkens with oil
Belgian BoucléPills once, then settles
Full-grain LeatherPatinas at the arms
Brushed BrassDulls unless polished
Riyadh LinenSoftens with washing

Up close

What you would see if you could touch it.

A website cannot hand you a swatch, so we drew what each surface actually does at the scale you would see it from an inch away.

Move across a material to magnify it

Belgian BoucléContinuous loops — which is why you shave a pill off and never pull it

American WalnutGrain wanders; the flecks are where a branch once left the trunk

Kiln-dried OakStraighter and more open than walnut, so it takes oil deeper

Riyadh LinenPlain weave, over and under — the reason it softens with washing

Full-grain LeatherPores left intact. Corrected leather sands these off and loses the patina

Brushed BrassDirectional grain from the brush; polish across it and it goes cloudy

Ten years from now

It will not look worse. It will look older.

Drag through a decade. Nothing here is damage — walnut lightens toward honey under Riyadh sun, bouclé warms a shade, and the whole piece settles into the room. This is the argument for buying solid timber once.

Today

Today10 years

WalnutLightens toward honey, fastest in the first two years
BoucléWarms half a shade; pills once, then settles
Oiled finishDeepens with each re-oiling, never films over
The jointsUnchanged — that is the whole point of a mortise

Looking after it

An hour a year, honestly.

The short version: keep it out of direct afternoon sun, wipe spills immediately, and re-oil the timber once a year.

Timber

How often should I re-oil?

Once a year for a dining table, every two for a piece that is not eaten off. Use any hard-wax oil; we give you a bottle with the piece. Wipe on thin, leave twenty minutes, buff off hard with a dry cloth.

There is a white ring on my table.

That is moisture trapped in the oil, not damage to the timber. Rub along the grain with a cloth and a little oil; it usually lifts in a few minutes. If it does not, bring the piece in and we will re-sand and re-oil the top at cost.

Should I worry about the grain moving?

No. Solid timber expands and contracts with humidity, and a tabletop can move a few millimetres across its width between winter and summer. Our tops are fixed with buttons that allow for it.

Fabric and leather

My bouclé is pilling.

Expected, and it stops. Loose fibres work their way out over the first months. Shave them off with a fabric comb — never pull them, because the loops are continuous.

How do I clean a spill?

Blot, do not rub, and work from the outside of the mark inwards. Water for most things, and nothing stronger without asking us first — solvents can lift the dye.

The leather is going shiny at the arms.

That is patina, and it is the reason to buy full-grain. It will deepen for about three years and then hold. Condition it once a year with a neutral cream if you want to slow it down.

Brass and everything else

The brass has gone dull.

Brushed brass is unlacquered, so it dulls. That is a finish, not a fault. Polish it back with any brass cream, or leave it — most people prefer it after a year.

A hinge has started to sag.

Tell us. Soft-close hinges adjust in three axes and it is a two-minute job. We will talk you through it on the phone, or send someone if you are in Riyadh.

Six materials,and what eachone wants

Six materials, held in stock.

What you would see if you could touch it.

It will not look worse. It will look older.

An hour a year, honestly.

Come and sit in it first.

We are still building this one.