After a long love affair with rich espresso finishes and exotic wenge wood, designers and manufacturers are rediscovering medium and light tones. Wood grains are celebrated, blemishes and knots unmasked.

Sometimes, the grain is scraped or wire-brushed for maximum exposure, then highlighted in the limed finishes that have been so prominent at European furniture shows, such as Maison et Objet in Paris, for the last couple of years.

This whitewashing ranges from blond, to taupe and dove-gray that resembles weathered driftwood, to a medium cafe au lait.

A strong retro vibe has been a catalyst, too. When Baker Studio introduced a collection at the High Point furniture market in North Carolina last fall, some modern pieces paid homage to Scandinavian and Asian design, with tables, stools and armoires crafted from quarter-sawn oak. The company says the grainy texture is reminiscent of coconut wood used in 1930s design.

From the same era are several French finishing techniques, such as light limed oak, which underscores pores and graining in creamy white, or a dark limed counterpart contrasted with sable-colored grain.

The current fascination with wood grain has even spawned translation into faux bois ("false wood") in accessories, ceramic or porcelain tiles, and textiles.

When Martha Stewart launched her expansive home collection at Macy's, one category featured faux bois bed sheets, towels, and ceramic bath accessories.

"I find stylized wood can punctuate any room with character and wit," Stewart says on Macy's Web site. "It's simple to add rustic sophistication to your home with its natural elegance."

Furniture offerings have led to new wood contenders, alternatives to classic choices such as oak, cherry, mahogany, walnut and pine. Bamboo has been growing in popularity, both in flooring and furniture. A striking example in the Acacia catalog is an undulating screen that rolls into a 7-foot coil for storage.

Teak is often considered an outdoor wood, but it was a midcentury modern staple and an often-used element of 1950s and 1960s Scandinavian furniture. Today, many teak furniture designs are suitable for use in both sheltered and unsheltered settings.

Shesham, a plantation-grown wood, is used in a dining table from CB2. Made by hand with narrow slats spaced a few millimeters apart, its natural glow is maintained with light linseed oil.

All the style bases are covered in the lightened-wood look, from rustic to country to a refined elegance that can team up with more formal pieces.

A playful example is Lando's Gingerbread collection. The Italian-based company designed furniture inspired by Caribbean architecture. The pieces resemble cardboard cutouts, flat in some dimensions, in an unvarnished whitish oak.

Some wood pieces even involve an intriguing point-counterpoint. In designing a 66-inch-tall decorative wall mirror, one designer plays on the notions of natural and man-made.

Long planks of myrtle or American sycamore asymmetrically frame the mirror from manufacturer APF Munn. But a subtle decoration adds sparkle and a surprising dress-up to the rough-hewn design: Filling ever-so-skinny cracks in the wood's surface are Swarovski crystals.

"The planks have been minimally processed to retain the inherent uniqueness and expressive qualities of live wood," says Lena Kim of the designing Rockwell Group. "The natural cracks are filled with hundreds of tiny hand-applied crystals. We like the texture and feeling these materials bring to a space."

A long-standing argument for introducing wood into an interior (through flooring, moldings, furnishings or window treatments) is the warmth it brings.

"Wood is grounding for people," says Jennifer Sypeck, director of product trends for Smith and Hawken. "There's also a backlash to disposable stuff, to plastics, to the shiny and new. We're looking for more tactile surfaces, something to touch and feel connected to nature."

Current fare at Smith & Hawken includes a lightly distressed honey-gray ash farmhouse dining collection, including a buffet and hutch-console, that is crafted in northern Italy.

Sypeck says organic accessories made of mango and pumani wood are coming for fall.

"Everyone wants something personalized," she says. "That's the beauty of it. A single piece of wood has a specific grain and knot. Each is different. It's not purist to one style. It's more eclectic."

Many of these newly popular woods are sustainable, which gives them cachet as part of the ever-growing green movement.

A Dallas-based company, Groovy Stuff, has an entire product line designed with reclaimed teakwood furniture from Thailand. Some borders on funky, featuring antique farm implements, yokes, plows, sugarcane grinders and wagons repurposed into tables or benches.

Organic shapes play into some woodsy furnishing designs. That translates to furniture made of twisted vines, gnarly stools crafted from tree trunks, tables with log legs, and bowls with textured barklike cladding.

Seemingly just plucked from the forest is a pedestal table spotted in the Tracy Porter catalog. The grove table's base resembles a tree trunk with curvy roots wrapping around it; it sells for $1,100.

"I love the rustic feel that natural untreated wood brings into my home," designer Porter says. "I adore the fact that each one differs slightly, making it truly one of a kind and an absolute treasure.

"And, of course, I do like the slight imperfections. With four boys, slight imperfections are definitely welcome, as they tend to add their own layer."