I've seen lots of interiors of original mid-century homes featuring plywood walls / partitions, but it doesn't look like birch ply - not as pale, any ideas what kind of plywood it would typically have been?
Appears possibly "African mahogany" (genus Khaya) face veneers sliced to feature "ribbon stripe" grain figure. Commonly used in the US ca. 1950's-1970's. Color can vary widely between light pinkish tan to dark red/brown so it's important to source and inspect material from one production run for consistency. Importers/dealers were often a little loosey-goosey about accurate species identification back then so other similar-looking species were sometimes sold as such, too. Tends to be relatively soft compared to some other tropical hardwoods and therefore more susceptible to dents and scratches. Kitchen cabinets and other interior trim in our 1963 house is made from it.
@tktoo - Very interesting! Never heard of African mahogany. I kinda like the appearance. Maybe it's a bit too much in the picture but it looks quite nice and warm.
"People buy a chair, and they don't really care who designed it." (Arne Jacobsen)
"African mahogany" is a misnomer assigned to a number of species lumped together and sold as substitutes for true mahoganies.
The original finish on our cabinets has darkened considerably, I assume, over the years. I'll try to post a photo later.
I believe our own dear @sdr worked in a cabinet shop near here back in the day and may be more familiar with various plywood veneers popular then.
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