Solid wood

Core beech

Core Beech or Beech Heartwood is a type of red beech with a striking colour scheme and vivid grain. In contrast to the calmer standard beech, heartwood displays striking contrasts between light-coloured sapwood and darker heartwood – for an expressive, natural look.

What does heartwood beech look like?

Heartwood beech is a striking, long-lasting hardwood with a vivid colour play. As beech trees age, they develop a darker heartwood zone in the trunk. The result is characteristic irregular, reddish-brown streaks and contrasts created by the mature heartwood at the core. This natural figuring gives the wood a warm, lively appearance.

As heartwood beech is a natural material, every piece of furniture varies in colour, structure, and grain. With solid heartwood beech in particular, every table and every bed becomes a true one-of-a-kind.

Unlike standard beech with its calm, light surface, heartwood beech is produced by deliberately selecting timber from the core zone of older trees – resulting in a high-contrast, dynamic look.

Heartwood beech with natural colour play

What is the difference between beech and heartwood beech?

Beech and heartwood beech come from the same tree. The difference lies in the selection of the timber: standard beech uses the outer, uniformly light sapwood. Heartwood beech, by contrast, deliberately incorporates the more richly coloured and structurally lively heartwood from the centre of the trunk – the zone that older beech trees develop over time. The result is a noticeably more expressive look.

Feature	Beech (standard)	Heartwood beech
Wood type	European beech (Fagus sylvatica)	European beech (same species)
Grain	Calm, even	Irregular, lively
Colour play	Pale, uniform reddish brown	Pronounced colour variation from light to deep reddish brown
Appearance	Simple, elegant	Striking, expressive
Applications	Classic furniture, interior fitting	Contemporary contrasts, design furniture, one-of-a-kind pieces
Grading	Sapwood, calmly graded	Heartwood with figuring and character

All general details on heartwood beech

Which beech variant is right for me?

If you are looking for a lively wood appearance with natural colour play, heartwood beech is the right choice for you.

If you prefer a calm, even look, classic beech will suit your style better.

Heartwood beech at ekomia

Heartwood beech captivates with its lively colour play of pale sapwood and darker heartwood. That is why we use it for our made-to-measure tables.

We source exclusively European beech from FSC- or PEFC-certified forestry.

For surface finishing, we use a plant-based, vegan furniture oil that enhances the structure, keeps the wood breathable, and makes care and repair straightforward.

As heartwood beech is a natural material, every piece of furniture can vary in colour and grain – from soft pale beige through to deep reddish brown.

When producing matching sets – for example a table with coordinating benches – we ensure that all elements are visually cohesive. The more attractive face of each timber board is always selected as the visible surface.

Questions & answers for Core beech

Here we answer some questions about Core beech that are frequently asked by other users.

Heartwood beech is a special type of red beech. It comes from the inner, darker heartwood of older trees and is characterised by a vibrant play of colours with reddish-brown stripes. Each piece is unique with a natural, expressive character.

Calm, monochromatic floors go particularly well with heartwood furniture – for example in grey, beige or light wood tones. These allow the vibrant colour play of the heartwood to come into its own. If you like contrasts, you can also choose dark floors that emphasise the warm character of the wood.

For tables made of beech heartwood, a colourless or slightly white-pigmented plant-based furniture oil is ideal. It enhances the grain, protects against moisture and allows the wood to breathe. Look for a vegan, solvent-free oil to ensure an easy-care, long-lasting finish.