Katalox
Near-black, purple-brown heartwood — one of the densest cabinet woods available. Reserved for statement pieces.
Slab tables · plank bases
Madera Selva of America — San Diego, California
From selva
to structure.
Solid tropical hardwood — Katalox, Tzalam, Chicozapote — sourced from Mexico's jungles and hand-built into one-of-a-kind furniture and engineered structural lumber, entirely in San Diego.
5.0 ★12 Google reviews
1 of 1Every slab, one-off
MX → SDJungle to workshop
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Katalox✦
Tzalam✦
Chicozapote✦
Katalox✦
Tzalam✦
Chicozapote✦
Katalox✦
Tzalam✦
Chicozapote✦
Katalox✦
Tzalam✦
Chicozapote✦
Signature Build
One tree. One slab. No seams.
Cut from a single trunk and finished by hand — this piece is the clearest statement of what Madera Selva builds: nothing joined, nothing veneered, just solid wood in its original form.
Philosophy
Wood engineered, not manufactured.
Selva is Spanish for jungle — and the name is literal. Every board starts as a solid tropical hardwood log, sourced from the forests of Mexico, before it ever becomes a lumber element or a piece of furniture. Nothing is veneered and nothing is composite; if it looks like solid wood, it is solid wood.
That same material moves in two directions from the workshop: into structural lumber — beams, planks and engineered elements milled for construction — and into furniture, where a single slab becomes a dining table, a cabinet, or a pair of matched coffee tables built to outlast the house they sit in.
"Chicozapote lumber structural elements — from the construction site."
Madera Selva, site visit notes
The Wood
Three species, three characters.
Each hardwood carries its own density, color and grain — and gets used for what it's naturally best at.
01
02
Tzalam
A warm, honey-brown hardwood from the Yucatán, prized for holding its finish and shape over decades of daily use.
Coffee tables · casework
03
Chicozapote
Dense, reddish-brown and structurally strong — the species Madera Selva mills into lumber for construction sites.
Beams · structural lumberThe Work
From the workshop floor.
A sample of what's left the shop — every piece built to order, none repeated.
DiningDrum-Base Dining Table
Dining SetTable & Stump Stools
BedroomLive-Edge Platform Bed
OutdoorSlatted Chaise Lounge
DetailLive-Edge Corner
Custom BuildThe Long Slab
DiningRiver Slab Table
CaseworkFloating Wall Shelving
CaseworkSolid Wood Sideboard
DetailHand-Carved Nameplates
In the WorkshopHand-Finishing a Slab
What clients say
★★★★★
"Can't explain how much I love my kitchen table. 100% custom design that creates a unique statement piece for my house. Thank you for creating my dream table."
Nikole Lanchares
Owner reply — One of our best statement pieces yet: a solid Katalox slab table top on solid Katalox plank bases.
★★★★★
"We bought this twin coffee table set about 5 years ago, and they still look almost brand new. The quality has held up incredibly well."
Diego Santoyo
Owner reply — One of the first pieces we built — "Las Gemelas," the twins. In-house design, solid Tzalam planks.
★★★★★
"Madera Selva made me custom vinyl shelves and speaker cabinets and I couldn't be happier with the result. Truly passionate about what they do."
Alexis Carlos · Local Guide
Owner reply — Really happy you're satisfied with the final setup.
Get in touch
Start your custom piece.
Every project starts with a conversation — the space, the wood, and what you want the piece to do. Call, message on Instagram, or stop by the workshop.
Workshop
2254 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone
(858) 752-8488
Hours
Opens 7:00 AM — call ahead to confirm
Follow the work