What makes Southwest rustic furniture have that aged look? "Southwest furniture collection is quite literally a product of this setting, as the wood that is used consists of reclaimed beams, posts and planks from the area's abandoned haciendas, rural buildings, and decade-old churches. The unique textures and finish colors of every piece in this impressive collection exemplify classic Mexican furniture of the Spanish colonial era." (www.lafuente.com)

This small town is located in the Sierra Madre mountain range and is recognized world-wide as one of the main sources of rustic and hand-carved Southwest rustic furniture in Mexico.

The carpenters of Patzcuaro take this wood and hand-make each piece of furniture "in the style of old-world craftsmen, to produce warm and welcoming pine furniture that is solidly built to last a lifetime." (www.lafuente.com)

"The reclaimed wood is fumigated, kiln-dried, milled and graded and then stained and sealed for protection. The unique texture of the wood comes from decades of natural weathering..." (www.lafuente.com)

During fumigation the wood is "treated with a preservative that protects it from being destroyed by insects, fungus or exposure to moisture. Generally this is applied through combined vacuum and pressure treatment. The preservatives used to pressure-treat lumber are classified as pesticides. Due to potential hazards to humans and the environment, some are being phased out. Many newer preservatives are free of metallic compounds altogether, and are instead based on biodegradable organic chemistry. Treating lumber provides long-term resistance to organisms that cause deterioration. If it is applied correctly, it extends the productive life of lumber by five to ten times. If left untreated, wood that is exposed to moisture or soil for sustained periods of time will become weakened by various types of fungi, bacteria or insects." (www.wikipedia.org)

After fumigating the wood then needs to be dried, prior to anything else is done to it. This is done through the "process of drying or seasoning lumber naturally by placing the lumber in a kiln and exposing the lumber to heat for a prescribed period of time. Lumber must be dried in a kiln to a specific moisture content (typically 7%) before it can be milled into specific products such as flooring, paneling, etc." (www.sustainablewoods.net)

The armoire originated in France, around the 17th century, and was the cabinet originally used to store weapons. With time, armoires "underwent changes to a more contemporary and versatile armoire used as a clothes closet in homes that had no built-in closet." (www.oldplank.com)

Today rustic pine furniture armoires are available with or without doors and its use has extended outside of the bedroom. Now, armoires are used not only as closets but, also, as "decoration, main storage unit in any room for clothes, household furnishings, china and stereo equipment/computer." (www.oldplank.com)

A Commode, as it was originally referred to in France, is nothing more than a low dresser or chest of drawers. Southwest rustic furniture dressers and commodes are available in the taller and slimmer version or, shorter and wider - depending on the space you have available.

"A sideboard is an item of furniture traditionally used in the dining room for serving food, for displaying serving dishes such as silver, and for storage." (www.wikipedia.org)

There are varying models of sideboards and buffets. You will find this particular piece of Southwest rustic furniture having numerous drawers in varying combinations of both horizontal and vertical placing.

Southwest furniture trunks and chests are available with or without legs. Also, you may choose from simple trunks or ornately hand-carved ones. The hardware on these chests and trunks is salvaged, old wrought-iron which matches the rugged, rustic look of the piece of furniture itself. As with the dressers, these chests and trunks come in both the shorter and squarer, as well as the taller and more elongated versions depending on the space you have available.

Due to the fact that these pieces are made from old, solid wood which has been properly treated the furniture is very low maintenance. ".the best cleaning and maintenance we recommend you use products based on natural wax.to prevent cracks and wood expansion. If you notice that the wood is extremely dry treat it with medicinal liquid Vaseline to humidify it. Do not apply soaps, alcohol, products containing alcohol derivatives or abrasive products. Do not place hot or greasy items [on the furniture].The wood from which this furniture was made has had up to 17% of humidity removed; therefore, it is fundamental that the humidity level of the room where the piece(s) is located is not below 12%. Because this is live matter any drastic changes in temperature may provoke alterations and defects." (www.artesaniaydecoracion.com - translation by P. Smith)

Southwest rustic furniture is available in the original wood color as well as "any one of 8 exclusive finish colors with matching painted interiors." (www.lafuente.com)

Some companies will specify that they follow certain special procedures and provide you with the opportunity to change that to fit your particular decor. A good example would be the following blurb: "Unless requested otherwise, this item's top will be finished in the natural brown stain color regardless of your color selection. If you prefer the top to be finished in a color other than natural brown, please mention this." (www.lafuente.com)

If you have purchased a piece of Southwest rustic furniture which you believe may have some financial value, what you need to do is have it appraised. If you reside in a small town, check out the Yellow Pages of the closest large city. There should be appraisers there that can do the job.

There is a company called Chicago Appraisers (www.chicagoappraisers.com) who will accept photos of your Southwest rustic furniture, to provide you with the piece's appraisal value.