Walnut is a good furniture wood: it is less prone to dents and scratches than softer woods like pine, and it has an even grain and a deep brown color. It is also the wood behind our best seller: the solid walnut dining chair sold 220 units in the twelve months to 3 November 2026, more than any other product we list.
In this guide (5)
Walnut gives furniture a deep color, an even grain and a hard-wearing surface
Five traits explain why walnut is the wood we reach for most. The table pairs each one with what you can check on our own pages.
| Trait | What to expect | What our pages show |
|---|---|---|
| Color | Chocolate brown to very dark brown; every board is different | Our returns policy: solid wood has its own grain, knots and color |
| Grain | Straight and even, with a smooth, satiny feel | Product pages describe the “rich grain” and “natural grain” of the walnut |
| Strength | Less prone to dents and scratches than softer woods like pine | The dining chair page lists kiln-dried European walnut and reinforced joints |
| Shaping | Cuts, carves and shapes easily and holds its shape while it is made | Tapered, turned and curved legs and a bean-shaped desk top |
| Finish | Can be left natural or given a more polished look | Natural, protective varnish, matte Italian and glossy Italian finishes |
For hardness numbers and a head-to-head with a second hardwood, see our oak vs walnut dining table guide. If you are weighing walnut against a lighter wood, our chestnut vs walnut guide covers color and durability side by side.
Expect walnut to look darker and more varied than the photo
A product photo shows one board in one kind of light. The same table can look lighter in a bright room and darker in a dim one, and the dark streaks in one board will not repeat in the next. That variation is normal: our returns policy says that solid wood has its own grain, knots and color, so small differences from the photos aren’t a defect.
Four habits keep the surprise small:
- Look at every photo on the product page, not only the first one.
- Judge the color in the light of the room where the piece will stand.
- Hold it against your floor, your walls and any wood you already own.
- If color is the deciding factor, pick a standard piece over a custom one, because only standard pieces can be returned for a change of mind.
Here is how the return rules work. A standard piece can be returned within 30 days of delivery in the US and Canada: if the box is unopened we refund the full price of the item, and if it has been opened or assembled we accept it in like-new condition with a 15% restocking fee. For a change of mind you pay the return shipping. A custom piece can’t be returned for a change of mind, which includes color preference, but we send you photos of the finished piece before it ships and refund your payment if you tell us before it ships that you are not happy.
Pick the walnut piece by room
The word “walnut” is in the title of 87 of the 154 active products in our catalog (3 November 2026), so you can stay with one wood from the dining room to the bedroom and the desk. These five show what the product pages say.
| Room | Piece | What the product page says |
|---|---|---|
| Dining room | Oslo dining table | 100% solid walnut with tapered legs; six sizes from 47 × 28 in to 95 × 40 in |
| Dining room | Walnut dining chair | Kiln-dried European walnut, black leather cushion, reinforced joints |
| Bedroom | Scandinavian bed frame | Solid walnut low platform in Full, Queen, Olympic Queen, California King and King, with or without a headboard |
| Bedroom | Mid-century nightstand set | Solid European walnut with tapered beech legs; a drawer and a shelf in each nightstand |
| Home office | Bean-shaped desk | Solid walnut with a 1.5 in (3 cm) top, in 45 × 27.5 in or 59 × 31.5 in |
To compare these pieces with the rest of the range, browse our solid walnut furniture.
Size a walnut dining room from the table outward
Start with the table, then add chairs. Our Oslo walnut table comes in six sizes, so you can fit it to the room instead of the other way around.
| Oslo table size | In centimeters |
|---|---|
| 47 × 28 in | 120 × 71 cm |
| 60 × 30 in | 153 × 76 cm |
| 68 × 32 in | 173 × 81 cm |
| 72 × 34 in | 183 × 87 cm |
| 80 × 36 in | 203 × 91 cm |
| 95 × 40 in | 241 × 102 cm |
Of the 32 Oslo tables we sold in the twelve months to 3 November 2026, 13 were the 60 × 30 in size and 7 each were the 47 × 28 in and 72 × 34 in sizes; the other three sizes sold 5 between them. For how many people each size seats and how much floor space to leave around it, use our dining table size guide. For chair height and width, see dining chairs for a table you already own.
Over the same twelve months the Oslo solid walnut dining table was our most-sold dining table, and the solid wood walnut dining chair was our most-sold product overall.
Frequently asked questions
Is walnut a good wood for furniture?
Yes. It is less prone to dents and scratches than softer woods like pine, has an even grain and a deep brown color, and can be cut, carved and shaped into tapered, turned or curved parts. It suits modern and traditional rooms alike.
Is walnut harder than oak?
The two are close, and the exact figures depend on the species. We put the numbers side by side in our oak vs walnut guide.
Why does walnut look darker than the photos?
Light, finish and the board itself all change how walnut reads. Solid wood has its own grain, knots and color, so small differences from the photos aren’t a defect. Judge the color in the light of your own room.
Can I return a walnut piece if the color is not what I expected?
A standard piece can be returned within 30 days of delivery in the US and Canada, with a 15% restocking fee if it has been opened or assembled. A custom piece can’t be returned for a change of mind, and color and grain differences are not a reason for a return.
How long does a walnut dining table take to arrive?
Most pieces are made to order, and each product page shows its own build and delivery time. As an example, our shipping policy says a dining table takes about 6 weeks to build and about 2 weeks in transit, or about 3 + 1 weeks with Expedite.
Ready to choose? Start with our solid walnut dining tables and compare sizes, legs and finishes.
Sizes, materials and finishes are taken from our product pages, and sales counts come from our own orders (3 November 2025 to 3 November 2026). Product photos show our own pieces. This article was prepared with AI assistance. Updated November 2026: rebuilt around product-page facts, sales data and our policies.
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