Perhaps it is my East-coast bias, but I always associated furniture manufacturing with North Carolina/Southwestern Virginia/Pennsylvania, with a nod to New England for smaller scale production of pieces by cantankerous Yankee craftsmen! Some of the better known furniture makers have fallen on hard times in recent years, and as with other sorts of manufacturing, it is getting harder to find American-made solid wood furniture.
I was happy to discover, however, that there is a vibrant furniture-making tradition in the Pacific Northwest. While searching for American-made Windsor dining chairs, I came upon
House2Home Furniture 
, an online store that carries solid wood furniture from a number of American manufacturers. The site features a number of
Oregon-based furniture makers, including
John Boos & Co. (makers of kitchen butcher block furniture),
John Greenleaf (a wonderful brand of unfinished solid wood furniture),
Pacific Woodcraft, and
Westview Products.
House2Home Furniture also carries my favorite lines of wooden children’s furniture: brightly painted
Jellybeans, made in America’s Heartland, and
Little Colorado (you guessed it—made in Colorado!).
Other American-made brands at
House2Home Furniture include
Catskill Craftsman (kitchen furniture),
Old Adirondack (natural cedar furniture from New York State),
Richardson Bro.s (Sheboygan, WI),
Maco Wood Products,
Country Furniture Mfg (home office, hutch and buffet furniture), and
Quality Craft (solid pine furniture made in California).
In addition to regional differences in furniture-making styles and techniques, biology plays a role. East-coast furniture usually features hardwoods such as maple, cherry, and oak, whereas West-coast furniture makers often use red alder, birch, and pine. For handcrafted Adirondack chairs, expect natural cedar. (A nice site to learn more about America’s native trees and the qualities of various hardwoods is the
American Hardwood Information Center)
I can’t leave the topic of furniture without paying homage to the Windsor chair that started it all. The most beautiful example I found was the individually handcarved chairs of David Spero, on his site
Vermont Windsor Chairs. I hope Santa is taking notes!
[Disclosure Note: I have joined the House2Home Affiliate program, so a small percent of purchases made from the links on my site will go to support StillMadeinUSA.com.]Stephanie, Webmaster
StillMadeinUSA.com
12 comments:
...agreed that it's harder to find solid American made furniture...we bought some children's adirondacks from this place (the Chinese ones broke)...they're very solid...
http://www.elllc.com/
We still proudly manufacture solid wood furniture in the heartland of America. For good solid value and something you can proudly pass on to the next generation, visit our website - www.borkholder.com/furn.
Another great American Made kids furniture company is Wild Zoo located in Oregon. They make very solid high quality computer desks for small children. They come in single desks, a two kid "buddy desk", with or without a hutch and in multi colors. We've sold their desks for over four years at SensoryEdge and have received rave reviews since day one.
The Sauder Furniture Co. makes ready-to-assemble furniture in Archbold, Ohio.
Furniture made of wrought iron is not only stylish but also weather resistant, sturdy and requires minimal maintenance. Attractive and long lasting, it is no wonder that you will find wrought iron furniture in many patios, gardens, courtyards, balconies and other outdoor spaces
Solid Hardwood Made in the USA AV Furniture at www.wood-tech.com
Made in USA, Eco Friendly Sofas and Chairs, NC craftsmen
www.bkind3.com
Vermont has high quality, solid wood, handmade furniture that is almost always guaranteed to last a lifetime. Vermont Woods Studios provides online access to over 20 of Vermont's finest furniture makers.
www.VermontWoodsStudios.com
Committed to America!
Today, La-Z-Boy is hard at work building an all-American invention right here on American soil. With the corporate headquarters still based in Monroe, Mich., five U.S. manufacturing plants, four distribution centers and nearly 70 company-owned retail stores,
It’s a pretty interesting tool. I will definitely be using it once I get the chance. Thanks for sharing!
I am new to the boards and just wanted to say i am very very happy to read this blog.
Beautifully done! Thanks for sharing how you did it. So lovely I'm sure your guest will love it. My personal favorite is the addition of the ornaments. Thanks for posting.
Post a Comment