Cabinet makers use a decorative technique known as “cérused wood” or “limed wood,” in which they fill the grains of wood planks (usually oak) with white wax, creating contrast against the stain. The limed oak effect became popular in the Art Deco era, and was pioneered by French interior designers Jean-Michel Frank and Austrian furniture maker Paul T. Frankl. In the '50s, the look was widely imitated by contrasting a whitened grain against a black stain rather than a light one.
