b2ap3_thumbnail_Parotaliveedge3.jpg

Is it a tree? Is it a table? It’s parota!!

A lovely warm Mexican wood starts taking center stage in furniture

We have been hearing about parota wood for many years in our Mexican travels. And in fact there exists a kind of “lore” about it. I remember that the first time I heard about parota I was sitting in the gorgeous Mexican living room of a dear friend near Cuernavaca. She told me, "In my beach condo in Puerto Vallarta, the furniture is all parota.” But it’s tough to find artisans who make it because they can end up getting sick unless they take certain safety precautions.” I was astounded ... and intrigued. Over the years we continued hearing about parota. Apparently that same toxicity that could made artisans get sick, made the wood furniture made of parota quite impervious to pests.

 

Why parota wood now in Mexican furniture

Nowadays one of the most popular items made of parota wood are those gorgeous live-edge dining tables. Parota wood lends itself perfectly for live-edge dining tables because of its color, its grain and its beauty. Parota wood can offer amber, reddish and honey colors. Because the parota or guanacaste trees grow rapidly in Mexico and parts of South and Central America, it is often possible to source large slabs of those gorgeous live edge or natural-edge pieces. Some parota trees can grow to 100 feet in height.

Parota is lighter and has a lesser density than other exotic woods, which also makes it a favorite when deciding on the preferred wood for your Mexican dining room.

The beauty of live-edge parota coffee tables, dining tables and other pieces of furniture will for certain attract attention in your Mexican vacation property. And parota is a great wood also for bedroom sets and dining 'hero' pieces. 'Finding artisans who have expertise in working with parota is essential. The wood is, as our opening story demonstrates, temperamental and demands exacting care, respect and experience. It tests the artisans. Those who are up to the task can accomplish spectacularly stunning pieces of furniture with the raw material that is this gorgeous wood.