OKE NAPA: 02/19/2012

/ ;

What is the best way to book your cruise? In the current climate everyone is looking for the best possible value for money for their holiday, but is cheaper always better? This may sound like a very daft question, but read on and all should become clear..........

More are more people are choosing to book their cruise and flights separately. Usually for Mediterranean cruises, where the cruise is booked with the cruise line and the flights with a low cost carrier like Easy jet or Ryan Air. Under usual circumstances this could save you a small amount from the cruise line fly package, especially if you are a big group or large family. £30 here and there certainly adds up. Royal Caribbean are offering a free flight package until the end of February on Med cruises. At the moment this is the only exception to the above rule, but this is not what I am wring this blog about.

What happens if you make your own arrangements, and there are flight delays, or any other unforseen hold ups? Unfortunately if you have booked flights on the same day as the cruise and you miss it, you are not covered at all. You will responsible for making alternative arrangements to either meet the cruise or get back. To avoid this it is always wise to book your flights a day or two before.

Alternatively, we (Cruise.co.uk) can offer the full package. This is posibly the best option as, we will always fly you out a day or so before, and can include transfers, hotels, tours etc. To make your holiday a memorable one. We should still be cheaper than the cruise line package, yet provide added extras. Plus you will be covered by us under our ATOL licence so win, win.

Any questions please let me know, but if you do decide to book your own flights just give yourself enough time to cover any possible unforeseen outcomes!

"I see a rhinoceros!"- FAVOURITE PERFORMANCES AND ENSEMBLES OF 2011

FAVOURITE PERFORMANCES

This year had a few major breakthroughs, the most notable being Jessica Chastain. La Chastain is beautiful and lovely and on her way to becoming a great actress. Anyways, here's my list-

Honourable Mentions- Ezra Miller in We Need to Talk About Kevin, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis in The Help, Mia Wasikowska in Jane Eyre, Craig Roberts in Submarine, Hunter McCracken in The Tree of Life, Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter 8.

Special Mention- Michael Fassbender

I haven't seen Shame yet. If I had seen it, I am pretty sure Fassy would have been in this list. The trailers make me go crazy.

20.

Jessica Chastain in EVERYTHING

I cannot choose. She was a darling in her Oscar-nominated role in The Help, the face of grace itself in The Tree of Life and the strength behind Michael Shannon's character in Take Shelter. I haven't seen The Debt, but I am sure I would have liked her in that too. I think this is only the beginning for her, and she will give even better performances in the future.

19.

Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids

I have loved her ever since Gilmore Girls. People think she's a comedian and she's just being funny here, but it's such a different kind of funny. She's adorable, but Megan verges on being scary. In a way it is almost as no-holds-barred a performance as Rooney Mara's was in Dragon Tattoo. But comedy is given such less attention. I'm so happy she got her Oscar nomination for this (my pick if they would only listen).

18.

Christopher Plummer in Beginners

He is such a darling in this film. A breath of freshness even though he is an old man. I think everyone would love a dad or a granddad or a friend like Hal, and that's only because Plummer plays him with so much care and affection .

17.

Albert Brooks in Drive

Oh cruel Oscar snubbery. This was such a creepy role, played with so much ease. He was a great villain. Something about the way he talked was so brilliant; I can hear that voice whenever I think about him and it is so sinister. That is how awesome he was.

16.

Joel Courtney in Super 8

I have written about this before. He was natural and sweet and just a real kid. I love his performance because it makes me feel all warm inside.

15.

Shailene Woodley in The Descendants

She was the best friggin' part of this film. Like Joel Courtney, it was such a naturalistic performance. And she is sassy and funny and beautifully emotional (that pool scene) and holds her own against a massive star like George Clooney with the utmost ease. Kudos.

14.

Michael Shannon in Take Shelter

With his imposing height and that weirdly fantastic face, Shannon often plays the half-crazed guy. But the sadness and despair in his performance in this film, along with the impending insanity, is something else. It is quite a heart-breaking performance, and he does it excellently.

13.

Ewan McGregor in Beginners

*Sigh* When will the world just accept the brilliance of Ewan McGregor? He delivers one fantastic performance one after the other, and no one notices. Oliver is exactly like that. Subtle, sad, quirky, sweet- he is so lovely in this film. Even though all three leads + dog are all fantastic, I am most blown away by the simplicity of McGregor's acting.

12.

Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life

Yes the first time I saw this film, I was extremely annoyed with his character. He seemed plain awful. But on the second viewing, I understood him so much better. He is strict, yes, but he is also loving in his own way. He was actually the most multi-faceted character in the film. It was a simple role in which Pitt gave his better performance of the year.

11.

Elizabeth Olsen in Martha Marcy May Marlene

I loved her in this. Most of the film focuses on her face, as we try to understand what is she thinking. Though she seems aloof, she is mostly scared or confused of what is happening to her and seemingly around her. It is a complicated performance, one that could have been boring or overly-dramatic, but she does it absolutely with the expertise of a veteran, even though this is her big screen debut.

10.

Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris

Even though he is the Woody-doppelganger in this, Wilson makes this role his own in every way. His natural comedic talent makes his performance so genuine. We don't only want to be him because of all the wonderful things that happen to him, we want to be him because he is a really good, smart and fun guy.

Alan Rickman in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Yes I did take all the films into consideration, but mainly this one. He is so heart-breaking in this film. A great character portrayed by one of the best actors working today. No one could have played Snape. Ever. I salute you Alan Rickman.

Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn

I thought she was spectacular in this. We all have our ideas about who Marilyn Monroe really was, and I think Williams captured mine almost perfectly. I love the mystery behind Monroe's onscreen glee. Williams was incredible in both her happy parts and her sad parts, and it will be a performance I won't stop thinking about anytime soon.

Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia

I love how soul-sucking she is in this, but what is magnificent is that how her own soul suffers first. It is a brave performance, though an almost uncomfortable one to watch. I love Dunst and how usually bubbly she is, but Justine is very much the opposite. And she plays her superbly.

Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin

This woman constantly amazes me more and more. Her despair and horror and occasional awfulness in this film is so harrowing. Even though we don't want to put ourselves in her position and understand what she is going through, Swinton's performance makes us do that. It is unnerving.

Jean Dujardin in The Artist

In a year in which had all the Hollywood heartthrobs starring in films, an unknown French man in a black and white silent movie ends up being the one that charms us the most. That is artistry.

Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

It must be difficult to take such a beloved character, that has already been portrayed once and to much acclaim, and make it her own. But Mara manages to do this perfectly. Her quirky and mad Lisbeth is unique and brilliant and it is a bloody ballsy performance that no one will be able to forget in a long time.

Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

When in The Hollywood Reporter actors' roundtable Christopher Plummer was asked what makes a great actor, he answered that it was the great rage which is something Gary Oldman possesses. His words, not mine. Of course I agree completely, and this is what makes George Smiley exceptional because he is so restrained and collected. He seems to be doing nothing, but you understand that a great mind is at work. It is an astonishing performance, one which has been thankfully rewarded by many.

Charlize Theron in Young Adult

I deemed Mavis Gary as one of my role models as soon as I saw the film. It was because she was awesome and kind of crazy, but as time has passed, I have really grown to appreciate the performance, and Charlize Theron's guts for doing it such great justice. I mean, Mavis is a total bitch, and no one should like her at all. But we still get her, and even feel sorry for her at times, however reluctantly. It is not easy to be someone that realistically unlikable, and Theron is just so spot-on with it. She has made me a real fan after this.

Ryan Gosling in Drive

Uh duh. It was the Year of the Gos people, who else could you expect to be number 1? The Driver is just fantastic. The control, the silence, the loneliness, the smiles, the anger, the violence. It is a film that will be spoken about for ages, and Gosling as the Driver will be remembered forever.

FAVOURITE ENSEMBLES

Since we are talking about best performances, I thought best ensembles are also in order. It is difficult to have one great performance in a film, and when everyone in the film is amazing, that's quite something else. These are my picks.

Honourable mentions: The men of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the women of Bridesmaids, and the men and women of Carnage.

Super 8

All these kids were fantastic. J.J. Abrams wanted to make one of those old Spileberg films with kids, and he got the perfect cast of child actors.

A Separation

A most affecting film, mostly because the honest performances by everyone in it. My heart breaks most for the children of course, and they too were incredible in it.

Beginners

The three leads are adorable. That dog makes me reevaluate my overwhelming fear of his species. Also Mary Page Keller, who has minor role as Oliver's mother, is quite brilliant. A great cast altogether.

Midnight in Paris

What is this film without its million superb characters from a different and magical era? Fitzgeralds, Hemingway, surrealists (Adrien Brody is my favourite cameo of the year) and of course Owen Wilson as Gil and Marion Cotillard as Adrianna. And the awful people from today, and the first lady of France. It is quite a dream of an ensemble.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

This series employed the majority of the British film industry for the last decade. I mean when in BAFTAs the reporters were talking about TTSS being an outstanding British film which has many of its members, I wanted to throw a Grawp at them. Come on! Everyone in this is awesome. They are a part of my childhood. I will never forget anyone and love them for all eternity.

Modern Furniture For a Modern Way of Life

If you want to update the decor in your home there is no better way to do it than with modern furniture. Even an older home can be given a fresh new look with modern furniture, and if you have some precious antique or older pieces you want to keep it is possible to mix the two styles together.

Whilst older furniture was designed to look reassuringly solid & was made in fairly dark woods, the new modern aesthetic is light, bright & ethereal. White, pale beige & pale grey are the staple colours, but modern furniture is also being made in fabulous brights as well, either combine different colours if you are feeling brave, or combine with neutrals to create a special feature. Modern furniture is often the style of choice for many newer homes as it takes up less room. The clean lines & minimal styling mean it also looks like it takes up less space as well, an important feature when you are trying to decorate a smaller home.

The materials used to make modern furniture are an important part of this, white gloss lacquer reflects the light, whilst glass, shiny chrome & pale fabric & leather, combined with thin legs on tables, sideboards & sofas add to the illusion of space.

In addition technological advancements & market demand has lead to many pieces of contemporary furniture having hidden, inbuilt storage or being decorative space efficient storage in their own right. The new wall units are a perfect example of this, leaving the floor empty they are barely there yet provide an incredible amount of storage for all of the possessions that might otherwise be scattered around your living room.

Most of the best modern furniture is made in Italy. Whilst not inexpensive the quality & attention to detail make it worthwhile. Contemporary furniture can be very unforgiving, marks on the top of a table won't give the piece an air of shabby chic, it will simply make it look like it should be thrown out, so it is important to buy pieces that will last for a long time whilst still looking good, & that look good to begin with.

Because the Italians are so expert in creating contemporary furniture they also lead the market in terms of innovations. From special mechanisms for extending dining tables to amazing new storage options for wardrobes & the most incredible leather on their sofas it is fair to say no one makes furniture like the Italians.

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons modern furniture from Italy is so popular is that it is made to order. Whilst this means customers will have to wait anything up to 12 weeks it has some significant advantages. The first is the choice of colours available, which means you can incorporate new furniture into your existing colour scheme easily. In addition a lot of contemporary furniture from Italy is made in a lot of different sizes, so if you have a difficult gap to fill, or simply want to make sure the size of the piece suits your room it is always possible to get something that is just right.

Modern furniture is growing rapidly in popularity, because it can be adapted to the way we live, & makes our home a calming refuge from our ever busier world.

my Sea Devil Says

Mike Macquisten (left), Steve Thorp and Kelly Symonds meet over a glass of wine at the taps at the Vancouver Urban Winery on Dunlevy in Vancouver.

Photograph by: Ric Ernst , PNG

If you’re offered wine on tap at a restaurant, take my advice. Don’t sneer, don’t condescend.

Just like screw tops, wine on tap is becoming serious business — that is, for mid-range wines that don’t require aging.

It’s all the rage in the U.S., and Vancouver is clambering on board. At Edible Canada on Granville Island, the wine on tap (from Nichol Winery in Naramata), is fresher and more aromatic than its bottled equivalent, according to owner Eric Pateman.

And now, two young Vancouverites have started a business to package keg wines, taking the concept to an intrigued market. Their company, Vancouver Urban Winery, is the first in Canada to ‘keg’ bulk wines for bars, hotels and restaurants. That is, they pump finished wines from tanks into kegs and nitrogen guards against oxygenation. It’s ready to be served by the glass, on tap, and it keeps fresh for a long time.

Principals Mike Macquisten and Steve Thorp took over a too-cool space on Dunlevy St. to launch this pioneering business. Their primary focus is packaging wines in kegs for wineries to sell to restaurants and bars. But they’re also kegging their own wine, too, under the brand name Nice Catch. So far, they’ve kegged 22,000 litres of bulk New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and it’s ready to go; it’s available for tastings at their facility and they’re waiting for restaurants and bars to catch up with taps to match. In two weeks, they’ll be receiving Chilean Malbec which they’ll also keg. They’ll keep an eye on demand before adding more wines to Nice Catch.

Vancouver Urban Winery is also a spacious venue for events (weddings, music, corporate events, parties, a quick game of hockey when the owners are restive) and for tap wine tastings to convert skeptics (winemakers, their reps, sommeliers, restaurateurs, the public) into fans.

“We’re pioneering wine on tap in Canada,” says Thorp, who shuns the term ‘draft wine.’ “They’ve been packaging wine this way in Europe for decades.” Like similar companies in the U.S., Vancouver Urban Winery doesn’t want consumer perception to associate keg wine with boxed wines. Food & Wine magazine selected a wine kegging company in the U.S. as one of the ‘best wine trends of 2010.’

In the U.S. in the past three years, wine on tap has gone mainstream. Even Daniel Boulud serves it in his casual restaurant, DBGB. Vancouver Urban Winery’s U.S. strategic partner, Flow Wines, has packaging contracts for tap wine with more than 50 big wineries in 35 states. “Wineries are now able to put better quality wines on tap because there’s no risk of it ever spoiling,” says Thorp.

Actually, at Lupo Italian restaurant, staff have been serving the Italian bubbly, Prosecco, on tap for some time. There’s always been big demand for it and customers can order it by the glass. Co-owner Michael Mameli was on a beach in Italy in 2009 when he was gobsmacked to see an ice cream vendor selling Prosecco on tap from his cart. When he returned to Vancouver, he made arrangements to bring some in.

“It doesn’t have the romance of opening a bottle at the table but when you’re going through three, four cases of Prosecco a week, you’re dealing with 45, 50 glass bottles. We’re no longer shipping that extra weight from Europe,” says Mameli.

When Edible Canada bistro opened on Granville Island last summer, Pateman built in wine taps. “Demand was way beyond what we expected,” says Pateman. “We thought we had enough tap wine to last six months. It was gone in eight weeks. It’s partly the green thing, partly curiosity but the flavour is far better than out of the bottle. It holds the freshness — I’m not a scientist but we’ve done tastings from the bottle and out of the keg. It’s more sustainable, it’s a better product and we save a bit of money.”

Pateman says the Nichol wines on tap are the least costly on the bistro’s by-the-glass list. One of them, a blend called 9 Mile — took an ‘Unsung Hero’ nod at a Vancouver Magazine food and wine event last year. “We save a bit and we pass some on to the consumer,” says Pateman. The keg wine is about 12- to 15-per-cent cheaper than its bottled equivalent, he says.

Matthew Sherlock, director of sales and marketing at Nichol, says its kegged wines are “more effusive and bright and fresh” than the bottled; the winery is so pleased with the kegged wines that it has developed a brand especially for kegging, called Clean Slate.

Nichol Winery initially kegged some of its wines manually for a restaurant in Naramata and for Edible Canada bistro. When Vancouver Urban Winery came on the scene, it became a client. “We took an 800-litre stainless steel tank and put it on the back of our truck and delivered it to them,” says Sherlock. “Factoring everything in [bottling, labelling, labour, transport], it saves us about 15 per cent. That’s huge! We can put four times as much wine on the same pallet.

“I’ve no concerns about the flavour. It doesn’t go through the bottle shock which mutes the aromatics. There’s consistency of quality, there are no cork issues or random oxidation or storage issues. The real barrier is people can’t believe it. They have to taste it. Major cities in the U.S. are about five years ahead of us in terms of a more progressive wine culture. In the U.S., it’s massive,” he says.

Vancouver Urban Winery’s winemaker Kelly Symonds Mean, whose job is quality control of the finished wines delivered in bulk from wineries, says: “The longer you’re in the wine business, you lose the romance and see the practicality.

“Our goal is to keg moderately priced, good quality wines.” She says the company’s system can fill 20 kegs in less than 15 minutes.

“As winemakers, we craft the perfect product and then we put them through filters and on bottling lines and put porous corks in the bottles. There’s exposure to oxygen and to expect the wine to be exactly the way we made it is challenging. Then at the restaurant level, we can never be sure of what they’re doing. If a wine is spoiled, the winery is the first to be blamed when it could be a number of things — the cork, the handling, the storage — it’s out of our control. The idea of bulk packaging is sounder than bottles. It’s always been well-known that wine ages better in a larger format,” she says. “I’m absolutely a fan of wine on tap.”

Restaurants are keen to sell wines by the glass because stricter drinking and driving laws have been cutting into the sales of bottles of wine. “They’re moving heavily into wine-by-the-glass market. It’s where they’re making money,” says Symonds Mean. Kegged wine is more efficient for inventory control; staff don’t have to keep restocking shelves and dealing with partial bottles and empties and of course, there’s no spoilage, as happens with opened bottles.

Macquisten says research trips to the U.S. revealed the popularity of wine on tap. “Bartenders and servers absolutely loved its efficiencies. Consumers understood it right away and loved it.”

At this stage, forecasting how much to bottle and how much to keg is a challenge for B.C. wineries, says Thorp. But make no mistake, it’s too attractive a concept to dismiss, for wineries, restaurants and bars.

When I was visiting the Vancouver Urban Winery facilities, Ian Ross, president of Grateful Wines, a rep for Rollingdale, Crowsnest, and Beaumont wineries in the Okanagan, walked in. He’d been fielding queries from some of his pub and restaurant clients about keg wines and had arrived for an initial meeting with Macquisten and Thorp.

“It was pretty new to me, but I’m going to be promoting it positively to the wineries,” he said a few days after his meeting. “Why take yourself out of a market, even if you might have to make a special wine? It sounds good.”

mstainsby@vancouversun.com

Blog:vancouversun.com/miastainsby

Help Me

Kobe Bryant lashed out at Los Angeles Lakers management Sunday night for leaving teammate Pau Gasol wondering whether he’s about to be traded. In a postgame monologue punctuated by a couple of profanities, Bryant said the Lakers either need to trade Gasol or come out and say it won’t happen.

Bryant’s comments came in the aftermath of a 102-90 loss at Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. He said he doesn’t want Gasol to be traded but it’s unfair for his teammate to try to play when he doesn’t know if he’ll be somewhere else the following day.

As Bryant put it: “If they’re going to do something, I wish they would just … do it.”
“Listen, he’s been the consummate professional,” Bryant said. “He’s going out and he’s trying to do what he can. But let’s be real. If you didn’t know you were going to be here tomorrow, if your head’s on the chopping block and you feel like you’re just waiting, it’s tough to put all yourself in the game.”

Trade rumors about Gasol have circulated since the team thought it had shipped him to New Orleans Hornets in a three-team deal before the season that would have brought Chris Paul to the Lakers. But NBA Commissioner David Stern blocked the trade.

“It’s hard for Pau because of all this trade talk and stuff,” Bryant said, bringing up the subject even though no one asked him about it. “It’s hard for him to kind of invest himself completely or immerse himself completely into games when he’s hearing trade talk every other day. I wish management would either come out and either trade him or not trade him.”

“It obviously starts with myself and Pau and the emergency of Andrew Bynum,” Bryant said, “but you can’t have one of our pillars not knowing if he’s going to be here or not. Do something. One way or another, do something. If they trade him at least you have some type of closure, he gets some type of closure. I talked to him a little bit about it,” Bryant said. “It’s just tough for a player to give his all when you don’t know if you’re going to be here tomorrow. So I’d rather them not trade him at all. If they were going to do something, I wish they would just … do it. If they’re not going to do it, come out and say you’re not going to do it. This way he can be comfortable, he can go out and perform and he can play and he can invest all of himself in the game.”

Comfortable and Practical Outdoor Furniture

Being outside is such a great feeling and people who have gardens will often want to make the most of them when the weather is good. If you are looking for furniture for your garden you will want to make sure that you are choosing the best possible types for your needs. Maybe you have never bought outdoor furniture before and need a little help on the subject to make sure you get it right. So here are a few things that you should think about before you go out and purchase your furniture.

• What type of outdoor furniture do you need? Some people love the look of Rattan furniture whereas other people will always want to go for traditional wicker furniture for their garden. Spend a little time thinking about this and check out the different styles and you will soon know which type you would prefer in your garden.

• Is the furniture going to be outside all year round? Many people do not have the space to take their outdoor furniture inside during the wetter months. With this in mind it makes really good financial sense to choose outdoor furniture that is all weather. This kind of furniture will stand up to wet weather and hot weather and will not start to disintegrate all look old and shabby.

• Do you need to provide shade with your furniture? If you are going to be positioning your outdoor furniture in a very sunny spot you need to think about UV protection. Make sure that you can buy a canopy or garden umbrella that will match your furniture so people are able to protect themselves from the sun while they are sat in the garden.

• How much are you planning to spend on the furniture that you buy? If you are trying to stick to what you might want to consider furniture that is made out of lighter materials and has an aluminum frame. These will work out to be much cheaper than furniture is made from hand woven materials and so on. However when it comes to choosing furniture for your backyard you should never compromise on quality as you want this furniture to last for a long time and give you many years of use as you enjoy your garden.

• If you have children choose outdoor furniture that can be used by them comfortably. There are plenty of different sizes of furniture that you can buy a used outdoors. So consider your children when you're making your purchase and they will have the furniture that they need while they are outdoors.

• Can you build your outdoor furniture or will you need help? There are some steps that will come ready prepared and if you are not very good DIY you might want to think about buying this type. However if you have no problem with projects that will require you to build furniture yourself you can go ahead and choose any of the types that are currently on the market.

Get top quality designer wicker outdoor furniture at the lowest prices guaranteed. Retro Designs has a wide range of rattan outdoor settings from outdoor lounge to outdoor dinning furniture. Call or order online with our simple order process. All orders are backed with hassle free money back guarantee so you can shop with confident.

What Type of Furniture Should I Buy?

What is Solid Wood Furniture?

Solid wood is wood that has been harvested and cut into solid slabs and fashioned into furniture. The common types used are Mahogany, Cherry, Oak, Maple, and Walnut. Our Custom Furniture and Imported Furniture is hand crafted using sustainable solid mahogany and other Grade A woods throughout, we do not use particle board or Medium Density Foam.

While it is cost-effective and other times practical to use veneers and other composite wood materials, the best choice for longevity is solid wood furniture. Furniture manufactured by MBW is built to last a lifetime. Each piece is hand crafted, resulting in truly unique characteristics.

Why should I buy solid furniture?

Appearance

Solid wood will have the most naturally beautiful wood grain.

Durability

Solid wood furniture is durable and with proper care, will last for generations. Unlike composite wood, solid wood will more resistance to water damage and not disintegrate.

Maintenance

Small nicks and scratches can be easily touched up. Also, the finish of the furniture can be changed more easily. Whether it is to refresh the piece repurpose an item to fit in another space, solid wood can be stained and re-stained time and time again.

Design

Wood allows for much more ease in carving intricate details and ornamentation. This is especially important in Antique reproductions and other furniture that require many curves in the wood.

Will Solid furniture cost more?

Wood furniture (solid) requires large sections of wood that are relatively free from defects, so the cost is higher than those made of composite wood and veneers. however, we are able to offer superior solid wood furniture for the most affordable prices. Be assured that you are getting an heirloom quality piece of furniture that, with appropriate care, will last for decades or generations.

What does it mean when the wood is Kiln Dried?

Kilns are large ovens in which wood is dried or cured through carefully controlled heat and humidity. Kiln drying removes about 93% of the moisture from wood. Our factories employ this method in order to guarantee that your custom furniture maintains its stability for years to come.

Kiln-dried wood advantages:

Wood that has been kiln dried resists warping splitting and cracking.

Less likelihood of stain or decay during transit, storage, and use.

Reduced susceptibility to insect damage.

Increased strength

Better "hold." Nails, screws, and glue hold better in seasoned wood.

Better finishing. Paints and finishes adhere better to seasoned wood.

Better preservation. Dry wood must be used when treating with most wood preservatives.

Wood placed in kiln to removes moisture content for maximum durability and stability

What is Teak?

Teak is a type of tropical hardwood, recognized for its durability and stability. Teak is more durable than any other hardwood and has unparalleled rich beauty. Teak can withstand all types of weather, making it the perfect choice for patio or deck furniture.

Why should I buy Teak Furniture?

Teak is very durable in all kinds of weather, rain or shine! Teak is a very dense grain hard wood that preserves its original form and is resistant to physical changes such as warping or termite attacks. As teak gets older, its appearance actually improves since it develops a silver grey patina that really adds that individual character to the furniture.

Does MBW offer Teak furniture?

We offer most designs to be built with solid Teak wood at the customer's request. Please see our collection of Teak Furniture.

ENGINEERED WOOD

What is Plywood?

Plywood is created by pressing several layers of wood together. In certain cases, plywood is used with a combination of veneers instead of solid wood because of its resistance to cracking, shrinkage, and twisting/warping, and its general high degree of strength. It has a similar look to wood, but its layered structure is visible on the ends. While plywood maybe used in back panels and other parts of furniture, it is no match for solid wood in terms of beauty or ease of carvings and ornamentation.

Plywood with veneer

What is MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)?

MDF is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down solid wood into wood fibers, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure. It is commonly used in budget-friendly furniture in combination with veneers and is not as durable or strong as solid wood.

Medium Density Fiberboard

What is MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)?