Between myth and art, the quality
of walnut wood lives in your home

Originally from Asia Minor, it was later introduced to Europe by the Persian kings. Plinio the Elder testifies in his manual “Naturalia Historia” that walnuts were imported by the Greeks as early as the 7th century BC. As a royal gift, the Greeks dubbed it “Karya Basilica”, or regal walnut and considered it a prophetic tree. It is walnut wood, a precious, refined and very ancient material that conquers its place of honor in the history of furniture and art.

In Greek mythology, the walnut tree was linked to the god Dionysus. It is said, in fact, that Dionysus, a guest of the king Dion of Laconia, fell in love with one of his three daughters. Caria reciprocated his love, but the two jealous sisters began to gossip about the Dionysus who, furious, first drove them crazy and then killed them both. Caria died of pain and Dionysus, still in love, transformed her into a lush walnut tree, so that it could produce fruitful fruit. The Laconi later built a temple in her honor, and at the entrance they placed

statues carved in walnut wood depicting the three sisters, who were later called Caryatids. Art, legends and mythology intertwine with one another and tell the incredible story of this precious wood, still used today in the furnishing of the most elegant homes.

But what makes it a great support for tables, chairs, bookcases and much more? Walnut wood is not only a piece of art in itself, but also the most appreciated material by connoisseurs of design and home decor.

Bontempi provides different declinations and applications of walnut, ancient solid walnut, solid walnut, edge-glued walnut and veneered walnut.

The peeled ancient solid walnut wood of the Bontempi Casa collections is a selected wood, coming from areas certified of controlled reforestation, managed according to strict environmental and social standards. A valuable feature of this wood is its unique origin: it is minutely obtained from the trunk or branches of trees in the lush American woods.

This is why Bontempi’s ancient walnut design products carry the signs of each plant’s life path. Live nodes, natural splits and variations of color palettes, testify to their authenticity and uniqueness. All the tops are externally treated with acrylic-based paint that gives protection to moisture infiltrations, maintaining the natural color of the wood.

The solid walnut wood of the Bontempi Casa collection is selected from the best available on the European and American markets.For a more natural effect, the outer side edge retains the original shape of the tree trunk, giving the top uniqueness and craftsmanship.

Thanks to the particular water treatment, the solid wood tops have a protection against moisture infiltrations, while maintaining the natural color of the wood.

      Alfa chair with solid walnut wood structure

Edge-glued walnut wood

The edge-glued wood top combines the aesthetic performance of solid wood with those of veneered tops. The outer edge of the top is in fact made of real solid wood with an irregular shape, that is shaped with a radius that simulates the radius of the trunk.
The upper part of the top is instead made of fine wood that gives it the appearance of a real solid wood top.

Veneered walnut wood

The undisputed value of this material is its lightness, combined with flexibility and non-deformability, features that make it especially perfect to be used in humid environments, such as that of a kitchen.
Composed of panels of agglomerate covered with sheets of wood of noble essence, aesthetically a veneered top in noble essence has a visual impact similar to a solid one.