It may be a surprise to the general reader to learn that in Europe, during the various periods, more furniture was made of walnut than of any other material.

In England it occupied the interval between oak and mahogany - that is to say, from about 1650 to about 1720, or, roughly speaking, from the days of Cromwell into Georgian times. Colonial America usually followed English procedure, though other native woods were frequently used. In France oak had some considerable employment but the staple was walnut. During all periods walnut was the standard wood of southern Europe.

Cheaper material was naturally generally employed for lacquered and painted furniture. Hepplewhite, Sheraton and others often chose satinwood for fine furniture toward the end of the 18th Century.

A very practical consideration comes in at this point: not only did walnut intervene between oak and mahogany in point of time but it is also midway between the two in its characteristics as a wood. Its grain is closer and it is better adapted to carving than oak, but inferior to mahogany in the latter respect. The forms to which the wood is naturally adapted are lighter than oak, but mahogany will stand the greater strain and hence its contours may be slighter still. The influence of the material employed has therefore had its influence in the development of British styles.

English and American walnut are not identical woods and they differ in their colouring. This may be partially due to finish but not altogether.

In England the four woods principally employed - oak, walnut, mahogany, and satinwood - roughly block off certain periods.