Stokke® is best known for its wooden products, as it closely represents its Scandinavian heritage. As the face of Stokke®, The Tripp Trapp® has been a staple for many homes and generations which has accompanied toddlers until they're old enough to have their own. While many homes are already familiar with wooden furniture in one form or another, newer generations may have instead grown up with plastic alternatives since the mass-production boom of plastic furniture items since the 80s and 90s, as adavnced polymers have become more common.
General maintenance
While plastic products are quite uniform in structure and colour, the same does not necessarily apply to wood. This not only changes how the products look and feel, but also how they are meant to be maintained. First and foremost, it is important to understand that wood is a natural material, whereas plastic is a synthetic, man‑made material. Due to its porous, fibrous structure, wood can absorb water or other liquids if spills are not wiped away promptly. When moisture is absorbed, the material may expand, which can lead to small surface‑level cracks over time. Therefore, it is important to follow the cleaning instructions for maintaining wooden products to ensure that the products remain in pristine condition.
Stokke® products, as they are designed to be used by smaller children, are extremely safe and do not contain any harmful substances. This also means the products do not contain any toxic coatings to achieve special effects, as only water-based lacquers and paints are used. Regular maintenance should not include any disinfectants or baby wipes, as frequent usage can result in gradual erosion of the top layer of paint or lacquer due to the alcohol compounds found in disinfectants and the oils that are often used in baby wipes. Routine maintenance should include a damp cloth (not wet), to wipe the chair clean, followed by a dry cloth to wipe away any excess moisture before it has a chance to be absorbed by being left on the wooden surface.
Color differeneces
- Fully pigmented (solid colors with no opacity)
- Stained (darker transparent colors with limited opacity)
- Partially pigmented (transparent colors with varying opacity)
- Transparent (No color treatment with full opacity)
All the colors of Stokke® wooden products fall somewhere in the above and the opacity level will determine how much of the original wooden grain will remain visible after the layers of lacquer have been applied.
If the primary goal is to have consistency between separate parts, one of the solid colors is the best choice. This can ensure that purchasing the same color chair in the future (if still available) will fully match the existing unit. However, such a color does not necessarily exhibit the fact that it is a wooden product, as the grain is entirely hidden underneath. The solid colors often include timeless choices, such as Black, White or Grey and fit a wide variety of interior design choices.
Stained and partially pigmented colors work still remind its users that the product is made of wood, as the wooden grain will be visible underneath the layers of lacquer. This gives the product a distinguished look and makes each product entirely unique, as wooden grain is essentially the fingerprint of a tree which cannot be replicated. These may include darker or lighter colors, though darker tones are more commonly found in stained and partially pigmented colors.
The Transparent finish includes just one color: Natural. As the name suggests, no additional color pigments are applied, allowing the wood’s appearance to remain true to its natural state beneath a clear lacquer.
Because the wood is left largely untreated in terms of color, it continues to develop over time. Exposure to light gradually deepens the tone, meaning the appearance will naturally mature rather than remain unchanged.
For this reason, achieving an exact color match between a chair that has been in use for some time and a newly produced one is very difficult, as a new piece will typically appear lighter by comparison. This effect is further influenced by the wood’s unique grain and natural undertones, which can vary slightly - from warmer yellow hues to softer pink shades - depending on the individual tree from which it was sourced.
Wood types
Stokke® wooden products are made of different types of wood and the wood type is highly dependent on the product. The Tripp Trapp® is primarily made of Beech, while variants in Oak and Ash also exist.
Unless the official name states otherwise, the Tripp Trapp® has been made of Beech wood. Beech in general has a very smooth, soft and wavy grain with shorter darker waves between the lighter waves. There can be quite a lot of variety between two different Tripp Trapp® chairs in terms of grain. The finish of Beech chairs is quite smooth to the touch, making it perfect for solid color lacquers.
Oak chairs generally have more consistency within the grain between different units, as two Natural Oak chairs are more likely to match than two Natural Beech chairs. That being said, Oak also has a much more rustic feel which Stokke® gladly highlights within its Tripp Trapp® range. Oak chairs are stained so that the natural feel of the wood can be felt and seen even from a distance - it has a more porous look compared to other wood types. Oak chairs are also sold at a premium price point.
Ash chairs are less common from Stokke® and not many variants have existed. The limited edition 50 year anniversary version launched in 2022 is one of the rare Ash editions to ever grace the collection. It is closer to Beech in terms of its grain and coloration, but includes a lot more darker lines within its grain patterns and is more straight than wavy.
Bamboo is not used for Tripp Trapp®, but has been launched in 2026 to be used with the Steps™ & Clikk™ product lines. Both Steps™ & Clikk™ previously used Beech legs by default.
Transparent colors and what to expect
While technically present in all wooden products, there may be minor areas on wooden parts that appear slightly darker in tone - these could appear in colors such as brown, grey, or even black, and limited to a few stripes or spots. While Stokke® wood production filters out any pieces that deviate too much from the general color target due to too many imperfections, it is possible that some small spots or stripes may still remain and be found during assembly of the product. These types of imperfections are more commonly found on colors that are either transparent or semi-pigmented in lighter colors, as the sharper contrast helps to highlight these discrepancies.
Generally, such small spots or stripes are hidden, or simply not visible once the product has assembled. If any larger spots or stripes remain very visible and take away from the general aesthetic, it would be possible to raise this type of complaint to the Stokke® team for further review. That being said, such small imperfections are often valued, as they give more character to the product and remind its users that it is a product made of wood, and not plastic.