There is world standard Russian furniture, and it’s furniture made from Karelian birch. Karelian birch furniture and souvenirs are Russia’s national treasure. 

In many celebrity homes, belonging to Madonna, designer Montagne, and obviously, in Rudolf Nuriev’s Paris apartment, you will find objects made from the wonderful Karelian birch.

Karelian birch is the symbol Karelia, a northern Russian republic covered by lakes and forests.

In terms of classification, Karelian Birch (Betula Pendula Roth, f.carelica) is a subdivision of warty birch (Betula verrucosa). It grows individually or in small clusters. It is a short tree that reaches 5 to 7 meters in height, and occasionally grows as a shrub. The bark is rough with bumps and circular protuberances. 

The wood has a distinctive cut, and this is the reason it is used for making furniture, and souvenirs. The artificial cultivation of Karelian birch goes as far back as 1930s. It is still grown today.

Karelian birch is a tree that was gifted by a nature a wood of extraordinary beauty, whose pattern mimics that of marble. It can be distinguished from an ordinary birch by its trunk, which is not as straight, and amply covered by bumps and ridges. 

Karelian birch grows slower than the ordinary kind, and its distinctive characteristics may appear only after a few decades, and then become more obvious with age. Only 30-40 percent of the seeds produce Karelian birch. The rest grow up to be ordinary trees.

It is interesting that it in Russia, mainly in St.Petersburg, minimalist and plain mahogany furniture was said to be “in the English style”. It attained great popularity throughout Europe, and significantly bolstered the British Treasury’s coffers.

So for a long time it was the imported British furniture that served as an attribute of luxury. However, in order to satisfy the demand of the entire court and aristocracy, to furnish the many palaces and mansions with which, both, Moscow and St.Petersburg were populated, home production was initiated, and by the end of the 18^th century a high standard of quality was achieved. As if competing with their English counterparts, the Russian artisans discovered a new eye-catching material- Karelian birch, distinguished by its golden colour, and an unusual pattern.

The Russian classicism of the 19^th century is one of the few Russian movements that achieved ubiquitous recognition in art catalogues and histories. Although historically derived from France, it has its own, thoroughly Russian features. For example, Karelian birch does not exist anywhere else, but Russia.

In Russia, the best examples of the court and Empire-style mansion furniture were designed by architects A.N Voronikhin, K.I. Rossi, V.P. Stasov. To make it, Karelian birch, distinguished by its moiré pattern was often used; gold-coloured wood was also used to embellish the furniture, instead of bronze. The romanticism of the times of Alexander I can attract, both when buying whole sets of furniture, and separate items made from whole mahogany, Karelian birch, or walnut.