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On My Mind

Monday, June 26, 2006

American-Made Solid Wood Furniture: Not Just an East-Coast Thing

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).


Solid Wood Furniture at House2Home Furniture


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

8 Comments:

At 1:49 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

...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/

 
At 12:30 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

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.

 
At 4:37 PM, Blogger Ed said...

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.

 
At 3:45 PM, Anonymous Jeffrey Campbell said...

The Sauder Furniture Co. makes ready-to-assemble furniture in Archbold, Ohio.

 
At 10:49 PM, Anonymous office furniture said...

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

 
At 11:36 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Solid Hardwood Made in the USA AV Furniture at www.wood-tech.com

 
At 11:38 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Made in USA, Eco Friendly Sofas and Chairs, NC craftsmen

www.bkind3.com

 
At 10:33 PM, Blogger Peggy Farabaugh said...

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

 

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