The modern world values convenience beyond almost anything else, but this is not what the discerning home owner looks for. They prefer to have stylish, solid furniture that is skillfully made by true carpenters, the type that will last for generations. Amongst the best to match these criteria is oak furniture, which is made to last and made to impress.

It's not hard to understand why wood furniture appeals to consumers more than furniture made from more modern materials, such as chrome and fibreglass. There is an earthiness about wood, a natural, homey quality that adds to the sense of comfort that sitting on, sitting at or lying on a piece of furniture gives. It's a material with which one can relax, can ease oneself away from the chaotic happenings of the day: plastic, fibreglass and chrome just can't hit that spot.

Of course, should you go to a furniture store and view the oak section, you have more than just one option to choose, with oaks from different parts of world boasting slightly different qualities, and stains offering different hues to match the lighting and decor of every individual room. The range of furniture pieces available is also extensive, from individual oak chairs and oak TV units to complete oak sets for the dining room, kitchen or bedroom.

Depending on the design, the furniture can be minimalist or elaborate, classic or contemporary, again to suit the tastes of the individual, while different brand names will offer ranges that can appeal to everyone, such as the Mobel oak furniture range, which is one of the most highly regarded. Oak is one of the traditional woods used for furniture, with a history that stretches back to the early years of wood carving and carpentry itself. Throughout Europe, in particular, where the oak tree has grown in abundance for millennia, the popularity of oak has enjoyed a consistency because of its practical advantages.

Two such advantages are its resilience and relatively low cost. While pine wood is soft and light, oak is hard and heavy, making furniture made from in studier and almost impossible to break. Mahogany has been a hugely popular wood for furniture in Britain and Europe since the end of the 18th century. It is hard and durable, just like oak, with a distinctive beauty of its own, but solid mahogany pieces can be quite expensive. Oak is a more affordable option, even though it has the same qualities as its tropical cousin, a factor that has ensured that it retains its long-held place as a highly-desirable material.

Oak is available in two breeds, white and red oak, with red giving a reddish hue and white a paler greenish colour. Both are naturally resistant to moisture, which makes the wood long-lasting and ideal for furniture. However, while this is a strong selling-point, it is the range of stains and finishes that works so well with oak's natural grain that ensures its popularity, even in these contemporary times. Whether weathered, fumed, rustic or lacquered, the effect is always attractive.

For every room of a home or office, there is a piece of high-quality, well-made, contemporary or classical oak furniture to be found. In the bedroom, solid oak beds are complemented by matching beside cabinets, dressing tables, storage boxes and real oak mirror and picture frames. A kitchen suite typically includes hutches and buffets, cabinets and central granite-topped tables, while bathrooms are served by oak towel rails, toiletries racks and bathroom cabinets, and even oak laundry bins.

Furniture made from oak includes more than the stereotypical oak table and chairs set. It extends to modern necessities like oak shoe racks, storage benches and coat racks for hallways, oak office units and PC units. The Mobel oak furniture range, for instance, includes office suites that lend a crisp, contemporary feel to an executive's place of work. This even includes oak filing cabinets and oak cupboards that have been specifically designed to house office equipment, such as printers, fax machines and scanners.

The options are many, whether for contemporary needs, like oak TV units, or classical needs, like oak chests of drawers, but the added assurance of durability, elegance and long-lasting value makes oak the best furniture material to invest in.