Customers are often surprised to learn that natural cherry wood changes colors over time-- quite a bit actually. Natural cherry wood starts out as a light-toned wood, usually with a color similar to the Modern American 3 Drawer Nightstand shown and it takes time to darken as it is exposed to light.
The length of time to go from this light color to the darker color shown below in our Modern Shaker Bookcase varies with the amount of natural and artificial light in the room and can take anywhere from a month to a number of years. Most customers, however report that their furniture darkens to at least this hue within 4-6 months. Cherry furniture will darken even further given enough light.
People often ask if there is a way to speed up the ripening process.
Our craftspeople suggest exposing the furniture to as much light as possible. For cherry furniture that has an oil finish, you can also speed up the ripening (or darkening) process by re-oiling the furniture often. They recommend re-oiling once a day for the first week, once a week for the first month, once a month for the first year and once a year thereafter.
Adding a dark stain is also a possibility but woodworkers always plead with us to have patience and wait it out instead (there is really no comparison between stained cherry and the real thing).
The result-- a natural rich, reddish brown hue that is exceptionally lustrous and supple to the touch. It is truly worth waiting for especially since our furniture is purchased for a lifetime of use.
Check out more photos of our natural cherry furniture in the Modern American Collection, Contemporary Craftsman Collection and throughout our website.
