The materials we work with
In the workshop we build only with solid wood, plywood and glued panels of the species we handle: tzalam, parota, oak, walnut, rosewood, cedar, cumaru, and poplar for frames and internal structures.
That list isn't an aesthetic preference. These are materials whose behaviour we know: how they move with humidity, how they take each finish, how they respond to a hardware screw, and how they age. That predictability is what lets us stand behind a piece after it's installed.
What we don't use
We don't build with MDF, melamine, laminate or plastic derivatives such as WPC. They're widespread because they cut cost and speed up production, but they fall outside what we master and what we can stand behind in the peninsula's climate.
When a client arrives with a reference built in particle board, we don't discard the design: we propose how to achieve the same look in wood, plywood or glued panel. The form can be reproduced; the material isn't up for negotiation.
Where each material goes inside a single piece
A well-resolved piece is almost never made of a single material. Frames and internal structures usually use poplar — stable and light — then get clad in plywood or the chosen species. Doors, fronts, tops and edges — what you see and touch — use the project's wood.
That combination gives a piece the presence of solid wood without unnecessary weight or the kind of movement that later shows up as misaligned doors.
What this means for your budget
A piece in solid wood and plywood doesn't compete on price with particle board, and we don't pretend it does. When the budget needs adjusting, we adjust the scope — fewer drawers, a more accessible species, a different finish — never the quality of the material or the hardware.
To see how this plays out per piece, look at our closets and dressing rooms, kitchens or bespoke furniture services.