How to Choose the Best Handmade, Reclaimed Wood Furniture for your Café or Restaurant?

Why Choose Reclaimed Wood Furniture for your Cafe or Restaurant?

Every piece of our furniture here at The Bespoke Carpentry Co. is carefully crafted using the highest class of UK-sourced reclaimed wood. Full of character and wonderfully diverse, no two pieces are ever the same and come in a huge variety of woods and finishes. Because our furniture is handmade, we can personalise it to your exact specification, whether you’re looking for a uniform set of small dining tables or a large bar table to fit in that awkward corner.

The wide array of finishes available allows you to match your new piece of furniture to your existing sets. Create dynamic contrasts with light ash and dark walnut, go for a more traditional feel with the warm hues of oak, or embrace modernity with a white wash. Our items are all finished with a hard wax oil which makes it easy to swipe away spillages, and helps to make the furniture even more long-lasting.

The process of reclaiming timber keeps perfectly good wood out of landfill and reduces the demand for newly sourced timber, which in turn reduces the need for deforestation. Woods such as oak are extremely long-lasting, not only making reclaimed wood furniture a fantastic sustainable option for your restaurant or cafe furniture, but a sensible investment as well.

The Bespoke Carpentry Co. - Solid Reclaimed Butcher Block Oak Dining Table

 

Which Types of Wood Make the Best Dining Tables for Cafes and Restaurants?

Whether your guests will be sipping coffee, eating a sandwich, or enjoying a luxury three-course dinner, your dining tables will be handling a high level of traffic. Durability is key, and the harder the wood, the longer it will be able to withstand wear and tear from customers, spillages and cleaning alike.

Our Premium Hardwood Collection features three of the most durable woods - oak, ash, and walnut. These woods resist dents and heat, making them ideal for the busy dining area of your establishment.

 

Factors to Consider when Buying your Reclaimed Wood Restaurant Furniture

Layout and capacity

The amount of traffic your tables and chairs will need to sustain, as well as customer expectations and needs, is influenced by the type of establishment you’re looking to furnish. You should first consider how many customers you’ll need to seat in your dining area whilst also leaving enough room for servers to navigate between the tables. Then consider the types of customers you’re expecting to serve - large groups, families, or couples?

Cafés

Cafés serving coffee and cakes tend to see more people in smaller groups who visit for shorter amounts of time, so lots of smaller tables which can be pushed together to accommodate larger groups is ideal. The high traffic means a harder, more durable wood such as oak or walnut is great - these woods will also fare a little better when faced with a hot drink spillage. 

Restaurants

Customers tend to spend longer in a restaurant eating a full meal, so they have higher expectations for comfort. Combining a comfortable, cushioned chair with a large hardwood table provides enough space for meals to be laid out and enjoyed without feeling cramped.

Bars

If you’re buying reclaimed wood furniture for a bar, it’s a good idea to provide customers with a range of seating options. Long, high bar tables with matching stools allows large groups of friends a place to socialise, as well as comfortable booths and benches. A few smaller tables for couples will ensure there’s something for everybody. Your tables are likely to see a lot of sticky spillages, so a moisture-resistant wood such as oak with proper finishing and upkeep would be a great choice. 

Style

Furniture goes a long way in establishing a uniform style across your café, restaurant or bar. The warm, amber tones of oak invokes a more traditional, countryside feel, especially when paired with a live edge. However, rural becomes urban with the addition of a steel frame, transforming your new piece of furniture into warehouse chic. 

Outdoor Restaurant Furniture

Using your establishment’s outdoor space is a great way to maximise the number of customers you’re able to seat. Reclaimed wood furniture must be properly designed and treated to withstand the elements when left outdoors, such as a 5mm gap between the planks to allow water to run straight off them, which is present in all of our outdoor furniture. 

Picnic-style tables with benches are particularly effective outdoor dining solutions, and you can match the wood and finish to your indoor furniture to create a uniform look.

Budget

Reclaimed pine is one of the most budget-friendly options for your reclaimed wood furniture, especially in larger cafés and restaurants. This is largely due to how quickly pine grows in comparison to hardwoods like oak and walnut. This makes pine much more abundant, and also less dense - making it easier to work into beautiful furniture. 

However, particularly in establishments with a high level of footfall, pine may not hold up as well against wear and tear as the hardwoods. It’s important to consider upkeep and potential replacement costs as well as the upfront price.

 

Maintaining Your Reclaimed Wood Restaurant Furniture

All of our furniture is finished with a hard wax oil, which we recommend you reapply at least every six months. This quick drying blend of natural oils and waxes offers exceptional durability, especially when followed by an application of a polishing wax.

You’ll be cleaning your tables countless times a day, so make sure you’re not using a cleaning product which strips the wood’s finish. A product formulated for wood with natural oils, gentle soaps and a neutral pH is ideal to prevent erosion of the wood’s coating.

 

Are you Looking for Handmade, Reclaimed Wood Restaurant Furniture?

At The Bespoke Carpentry Co., we use hand-selected, genuine reclaimed wood, with every single one of our pieces lovingly crafted to be entirely unique. Our experienced carpenters take the history-immersed timber and rework it into stunning handcrafted dining tables, completely tailored to your requirements; providing you with pieces which fit right into your restaurant, café or bar and will reliably serve your customers for years to come.

To get started browse our range of dining tables online, or get in touch with us by giving us a call on 01305 849386 or filling out our contact form to discuss your commercial furniture requirements.