Faux bois for real

Wood-grain pattern has lots of fans

By Holly Ramer, Associated Press

Friday, May 16, 2008

Martha Stewart Living

The Martha Stewart Collection sells faux bois towels.

CP Lighting

Faux bois Log Lamp pendants are sold by CP Lighting in Mossy Bark, left, Fence, Knot, Sepia Bark and Wood Grain. "Faux bois" is French for "false wood."

Faux bois is something of a lost art. It's also everywhere.

French for false wood, faux bois encompasses anything that reproduces the appearance or texture of wood. Though only a handful of artists still produce the intricate, cement-covered steel pieces prized by serious collectors, the technique also is being applied to every home-decor product imaginable - pillows, plates, candles, coasters, scones, sheets.

You name it, someone has slapped a wood-grain pattern on it.

More often than not, that someone is Martha Stewart.

"We've put faux bois patterns on cookies, cakes and cupcakes. We do it on towels, bath accessories and rugs," says Kevin Sharkey, home-decorating editorial director at Martha Stewart Living. "It appears in the magazine in some incarnation in almost every issue - Christmas ornaments, Easter baskets, valentines. There is no place we think is inappropriate for faux bois."

Donald Tucker, a sculptor and artist in Houston, says the appeal of faux bois lies in the inherent beauty of wood's texture. His commissioned pieces - faux bois benches, tables and garden sculptures - can take months to complete.

"I always loved trees and tree forms and wood," he says. "I was drawn into the whole woodiness of it, the idea that you can sculpt some concrete into forms that replicate wood and that won't decay and won't get attacked by termites."

With the growing environmental movement, Tucker sees a connection between the popularity of faux bois and the rejection of pollution and mass production.

That doesn't mean faux bois items aren't being mass-produced, however. CB2, Crate and Barrel's more modern offshoot, sells tote bags made of wood-grain-printed fabric, plastic place mats with a wood-grain design and white resin soap dishes and ring holders resembling twigs.

Pottery Barn offers a chandelier made of intertwining iron branches with crystal leaves. Macy's sells Martha Stewart's line of faux bois towels, bedding, kitchen and bath accessories.

And at Target, there are brown resin vases that resemble logs and black aluminum candleholders shaped like branches.

Grace Bonney, founder and editor of DesignSponge, a Web site dedicated to home and product design, started noticing faux bois on pillows and other accessories in 2004, as tastes turned from bold colors to patterns. More recently, she's seen it paired with orange and other 1970s colors in a kitschy way.

"I think the pattern movement was very much joined by a trend or interest in natural materials, which manifested itself in imagery of botanicals, trees themselves or wood grain," she says.

Jonathan Lo, who co-founded itsknotwood.blogspot.com, a blog dedicated to all things faux bois, says faux bois is one of those "love it or hate it" designs. He appreciates it as another way to bring nature into his life.

"Artists have always been inspired by nature, whether it be the pattern or more literally. There's a certain inherent 'warmth' and visual comfort when you see something that is faux bois, even if it's made of plastic or metal or even concrete. The same can be said of something with a wood-grain pattern," he says.

Lo, an art director from Irvine, Calif., says faux bois also was big in the 1940s and '70s and remained prevalent in the in-between decades.

"Will trees ever go out of style?" he says.

For those looking to incorporate faux bois in their home decor, Lo recommends moderation.

"Think of it as an accent or way to add some texture," he says. "Try a faux bois candleholder on your dinner table or a dresser. Maybe try a bag or wallet with a wood-grain pattern. "

For crafty types, there are wood-graining painting tools that, when rolled across a surface, create streaks that resemble wood, complete with knots.

An even easier approach is applying wood-grain contact paper to dress up flat surfaces, says Lo.

"One of our favorite things is to use it in places you wouldn't expect, like high-tech items. Many people are contact-papering their laptops or cell phones with wood grain," he says.