The wrong material choice is set before you buy a single piece. A designer's guide to how timber, stone, upholstery and metal actually perform — and how to build a material palette that holds together over time.

Burr, birdseye, quilted, pommele, mottled and flame. A guide to the figured woods that give bespoke joinery and furniture their character, and how Kaiko Design specifies them within warm, considered interiors.