The Age of Oak by Will Green

Originally, collectors sought out oak with a singular, scholarly focus. They travelled the country in search of pieces with rare carvings, ‘right’ ironwork, and original feet and stiles which hadn’t rotted from sitting on impermeable flagstone floors. They built collections rooted firmly in furniture of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. These early collectors helped define the academic standards by which oak furniture was understood for generations.

Today, I feel the market has evolved. While those academic principles remain important, buyers are now prioritising aesthetics: the richness of colour, the balance of proportion, and the character of design.

For me, there are two main appeals of oak furniture: Firstly, no matter how sophisticated or impressive the design, it never seems pretentious. No other timber has such a humbling, welcoming and warming effect on a home. Secondly, it gives me a strange sense of national pride. Historically, oak is arguably our country’s most important timber. It built warships, framed houses, boarded floors, lined walls and furnished room for many centuries. Ignoring the fact that vast amounts of our oak furniture was made using timber from the Baltics - whenever I walk into and a room furnished with oak, it triggers an appreciation for historic Britain; our tastes, our society, our timber.

Colour & Patination

The colour of oak differs from period to period - the 16/17th century pieces are often patinated with blackened skin, softened with warm biscuit-coloured highlights where handles have been pulled, lids lifted, and bums sat. The later period of oak - that of the 19th century - tends to be lighter and blonder, with clear medullary rays. I almost see them as completely different timbers and, to be pedantic myself, they probably are.

Proportion and Design

The proportion and design of oak furniture also shifted over time: from simple utilitarian plank construction in the 15th/16th centuries, to the carved continentally inspired style of the 17th/18th, to the strong Neo-Gothic and ecclesiastical period of Pugin. Michael Eaton’s collection is primarily made up of pieces from the 17th/18th century - heavy and imposing livery cupboards, deeply carved coffers and intriguing geometric chests.

Original Features and Restorations

Whilst I think the shift from academic to aesthetic values is understandable, I always tell clients who are looking for oak pieces to keep a pinch of the old-school collectors concerns in mind: ask about the originality of the iron-work and the feet, and try to reveal the secrets of any past restorations. Although they don’t always affect the look of the piece, they often influence our feelings towards it. It’s always best to know all we can about what we’re getting involved with, warts and all.

Living with Oak

When it comes to living with oak, don’t be too precious. We’re far from the world of polite mahogany and satinwood where the naked bottom of a mug of tea can cause so much anxiety. Oak - like most ‘provincial’ timbers - is forgiving. Bumps and bruises almost always wax out and occasionally, in the long run, add to it’s story and beauty. Mix it with softly faded Persian and Anatolian carpets, blue and white Delft or Safavid fritware (cracked or pristine), and at this time of year dress table tops with vases filled with paper whites, snowdrops or hellebores.

Oak has travelled with us through centuries of domestic life. Its sturdiness, its warmth and its ability to anchor a room make it as relevant today as it was to the collectors who first championed it. And while tastes continue to evolve, its appeal endures, rooted in history, enriched by use, and ready for the next chapter of appreciation.

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Auction Details

Wednesday 14 January 2026, 10.30am GMT
Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

Bidding is available in person at our salerooms, online, by telephone or you can leave commission (absentee) bids.

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