Sean is drawing some interesting analogies between himself, Liz and natural cherry wood furniture today. 

Guest blogger:  Sean Henry

Editors note: Sean Henry and Liz Francese are our front line, crackerjack, Vermont-made furniture sales people.  If you’ve purchased from us before you’ve probably talked to them on the phone (and you’ve definitely received emails from them) so you’ll totally “get” Sean’s tongue-in-cheek essay on how people and cherry wood change over time.  If not, I guess you’ll just have to visit us at Stonehurst and see for yourself.

Let me explain something. When Liz and I were youngsters, we were adorable. No seriously, we were absolutely adorable. We were cute, blond, loveable, patriotic (me) and verbally expressive (Liz).  As I am sure you can see from the pictures we were the kind of kids that parents would love to pull pictures out of their wallets to show off to all their friends. But as you can also see, things change.  Well, maybe not all things change (this is where I tell you to look at both of the pictures of my favorite co-worker and see if you can find the similarities between the two pics).

Okay, so now that I have that part out of the way…  The one thing I wanted to point out — and yes I am finally getting to the point­­ — is that we both used to be blond or perhaps I should say dirty blond.  We both had a nice, light head of hair and over time it has become a darker shade of brown.  You may say to yourself, “what does any of this have to do with Cherry wood furniture?”  Well let me tell you.

Natural Cherry wood is a lot like Liz and I.  When it first arrives, it will be a light, almost dirty blond color.  The light color of new Natural Cherry wood may not be what you expect to see after looking at all the beautiful images of cherry wood furniture on our website.  Don’t worry, this will change.  Over time, Cherry wood darkens or “ripens” as it ages and as it is exposed to light.  As the Natural Cherry ripens, you will see the beauty of the wood and all its amazing characteristics come through.  You will start to see a noticeable change after just a few months. After six months to a year it will have that rich, ripe auburn color.  After that the color of the Cherry wood will change more gradually.  You can see the difference in the pictures above.

One last thing I want to point out before I stop writing this long-winded blog (I am new at this).  You have probably noticed my baby picture with the American flag and my very American red white and blue sailor suit.  I thought it would be a good reminder to everyone that our Memorial Day Sale is coming up soon.  So it might be the perfect time for some change and the perfect time to think about how our Vermont-Made, Handcrafted, ever-changing, beautiful, Natural Cherry wood furniture will look in your home!

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Our newest arrival, the Vermont Tavern Table is handcrafted in Vermont of solid cherry wood (table top) and a solid maple base that’s painted black.

We are excited to introduce our newest furniture item, the Vermont Tavern Table.  This is a little different from our signature Shaker Style tables.  It’s an Early American design, crafted with a thick, solid cherry top and a maple wood base that’s painted black.  The base is traditionally crafted with large, William & Mary style turned legs.  Our craftsmen were careful to remain true to the original designs and proportions of the tavern tables that first became popular in Vermont and throughout New England over 200 years ago.

You can customize the Vermont Tavern Table online in 6 sizes to fit perfectly into your dining room or kitchen.  And we’ve added a new cherry ladder back chair that goes perfectly with the table to round out the Early American design.

Let us know what you think of this new handmade dining room furniture in the comments section below or on our Facebook.  Give Liz and Sean a call if you have any questions.  We’ll have this table in our new showroom at Stonehurst if you’d like to see it in person.

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Need to round out your Frank Lloyd Wright Furniture collection?  Better give Liz or Sean a call today as Copeland Furniture will be discontinuing this line as of June 30, 2013.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but we were informed by Copeland Furniture yesterday that the following collections of their Frank Lloyd Wright furniture line are being discontinued as of June 30, 2013:

• FLW Usonian Furniture
• FLW Living Room Furniture
• FLW Dining Room Furniture

We are sorry to see these pieces go as they were a big hit with our customers.  If you currently have Frank Lloyd Wright furniture and think you may want to round out your collection, now is the time to do it.  Give Sean or Liz and call with any questions or to place an order.

On the upside, because of the limited nature of the pieces they are sure to gain value over time as they become collectors items.  The Dana Thomas Grand Dining Collection, FLW Barrel chairs, the Boynton chairs, the Usonian Collection, the Heurtley House chairs and all of the Copeland Frank Lloyd Wright furniture pieces would certainly be a good investment at this time.

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The Modern American Dining Room Furniture set is on sale today!

Every day, multiple times a day, we sit down to eat a meal. Most people do not eat lunch at home, but lunch aside, you probably eat breakfast and dinner at home. Where in your house do you eat these meals? Do you sit at the table? Eat over the counter? Sit in front of a TV? An increasing amount of articles, which you can read here, here and here, state that those who eat in front of the TV are more likely to be obese.

You may be wondering, “why is a furniture retailer writing about the correlation between TV watching and obesity?” Let me make the connection for you: we sell dining furniture. It’s time to break that habit of sitting on the couch to eat dinner. Perhaps a new solid wood table and hardwood dining chairs would be an incentive to start having meals in your kitchen or dining room again.

Our dining room furniture is available in a variety of designs, shapes, and wood types, so there is something in our online gallery to fit any home’s style. All of our pieces of dining furniture are crafted in Vermont using sustainably harvested hardwoods. Each piece is built to order, so you can customize the piece to fit your needs. Whether you’re just looking for a small table to fit in the corner of your kitchen, or you’re looking for an extension table so you can host the next family holiday, our craftsmen can craft what you need.

Right now all of our dining room furniture is on sale! This is a buy more, save more sales event. Take 10% off one piece, 15% off two pieces, and 20% off three or more! It’s easy to earn the 20% off discount with this sale; a solid wood table and two dining chairs would do the trick! Plus, all of our dining furniture is backed by a lifetime guarantee.

Browse our online gallery (not while you’re eating, we hear that’s linked to obesity too) for your new hardwood dining furniture. If you have any questions for our fine furniture specialists, feel free to contact them.

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This Natural Wood Furniture set is part of our 100% American made Modern Shaker collection.  The wood is sustainably harvested in local and regional forests that are managed by professional foresters.  Furniture finishes are non toxic and eco friendly.

American Made Furniture vs Imports

While we’ve watched the price of most home decor items skyrocket over the last 30 years, have you noticed that the price of furniture has actually tumbled?  It’s true. For a couple centuries we Americans prided ourselves on making high quality, natural wood furniture that was coveted around the world.  North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont and other New England states were leaders in the fine furniture industry.

But in the 1960′s  and 70′s many of America’s big furniture makers (like Ethan Allen, Broyhill, Thomasville and Lane) started to move their operations overseas and superior quality became a thing of the past (along with hundreds of thousands of American jobs).  Prices fell dramatically.  Instead of preserving our grandparents heirloom quality wooden furniture for our homes, we began buying cheap, trendy furniture imports and replacing them frequently as breakage occured.

Natural Furniture for the Healthy Home

Fast forward to 2013 when home owners are getting tired of cheap imported furniture that ends up on the curbside in 5 years.  And they’re worried about the health effects of toxic flame retardants and formaldehyde that come standard with imports. Especially in households with children, it is simply not worth the risk.

Families are coming back to American made natural wood furniture with non-toxic finishes.  Yes the furniture is more expensive up front, primarily because the American worker is paid a livable wage (as compared to wages that often amount to just a few dollars/day in Asia).  But the high quality and environmental integrity of American made furniture is winning customers over.  In fact, many brands  are offered with a lifetime guarantee, indicative of the superior value of American made furniture over time.

What kind of furniture is in your home?  Where was it made?  Is it time to rediscover the real thing?  Learn more about American made, natural wood furniture on the sustainability section of our website.

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This is our American Shaker Bedroom Furniture set, handmade in a small workshop just north of Montpelier, VT.  It’s on sale this week until Thursday at midnight.  You can find hundreds of other handmade Shaker furniture pieces also on sale– all 100% American made, right here in Vermont.

Just a quick note today to let customers know that our Shaker Furniture Sale ends Thursday of this week. It’s a “buy more–save more” event where you can save up to 20% on Shaker bedroom, dining room, living room, or home office furniture. Plus, receive free shipping and a lifetime guarantee.

Have a look at our Online Shaker Furniture Gallery and shop securely, easily, and conveniently from your dining table, office or back yard.  Or give Liz or Sean a call at 888-390-5571 to order by phone or discuss your questions.

Our furniture is 100% American Made, solid wood furniture guaranteed for a lifetime of service to your family.  Why settle for anything less?

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Vermont’s cherry trees are just starting to leaf out and will soon be blossoming this Spring.  It’s hard to believe that these gangly trees covered with flakey gray, scales can be transformed into some of the world’s finest cherry furniture like the Cherry Moon Bed shown above.

Spring is the time of year when the (normally homely) black cherry tree gets to dress up and strut it’s stuff.  Hard to believe isn’t it– that these gangly trees with rough, scaley bark will be transformed into beautiful flowering flora (and perhaps one day into natural cherry furniture like the Cherry Moon Bed above).

But it’s true.  In a few short weeks they will be bursting with  fragrant white and yellow blossoms which will give way to delicious black cherry fruit.  These are the trees that provide a sustainable source of wood for over half of the furniture customers purchase from our store, Vermont Woods Studios.

Interested in learning more about cherry trees and natural cherry wood furniture for your home?  We are the experts!  Check out some of the many “cherry wood” articles we’ve written over the years and give us a call to let us know if you’ve got a question we’ve yet to answer.  We’ll jump right on it!

• Cherry Wood Characteristics
• Natural Cherry Wood Furniture: What Color Is It… Really?
• Solid Cherry Wood Furniture: Is it Real?
• Cherry Wood Furniture:  Where Does It come From?
• Solid Cherry Wood Furniture: 3 Ways To Tell If It’s Real
• Natural Cherry Wood Furniture Characteristics: Grain Variations
• Natural Cherry Wood Furniture Characteristics: Color
• Natural Cherry Wood Furniture Characteristics: Mineral Deposits
• Solid Cherry Furniture: 18 American Made Collections From Vermont

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Modern Shaker Furniture

Vermont Woods Studios is a progressive company, and we know that when it comes to furniture, there needs to be a balance between tradition and innovation. Some people thought it was a crazy idea to start an online furniture gallery, but we were simply adapting to the buying habits of the 21st century. People like to make purchases from the convenience of their home.

Our Shaker style furniture is a great representation of fusing tradition with modernization. Shaker furniture is the most sought after design in our online gallery, because of the variety of Shaker styles we offer.

Shaker furniture has been around since the late 1700′s. One thing that all of our Shaker furniture collections have in common is that they are simple, functional, and sturdy. Our traditional Shaker style furniture is virtually unchanged from the way it was designed over 300 years ago. The pieces feature straight, clean lines and wooden mushroom-shaped knobs. Our most traditional collection of Shaker style furniture is the Vermont Shaker Furniture Collection. In contrast, the American Shaker Furniture Collection is extremely similar, with the major difference being the contemporary curved aprons. The Modern Shaker Furniture Collection is the most changed from traditional Shaker styles. It is still distinctly a Shaker style, but has a modern twist. The pieces in this collection feature more curved lines and has the option for a round profile.

We have over 200 pieces of Shaker style furniture in our online gallery, and they’re all on sale! Whether you’re just starting your Shaker style decor, or putting the finishing touches on your home, now is the best time to buy. Save up to 20% off our American made Shaker furniture. All of our furniture is sturdily built to last a lifetime, and is backed by a lifetime guarantee.

Start shopping our online gallery today! We have 6 Shaker collections ranging from traditional to contemporary styles. Visit the Shaker section of our website to see all of our available pieces.

Feel free to contact our fine furniture specialists with any questions about our American made wood furniture.

 
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Shown: Modern Shaker Custom Open Bookcases

I have a confession to make: I own a particle board bookshelf. You are probably thinking I’m a hypocrite right now, because I work for the finest furniture retailer in Vermont, and I often write about why people shouldn’t buy cheap furniture. Ah, the embarrassment! But let me explain myself. When I was furnishing my first apartment, I found a “deal” online for a “wood” bookcase that was less than $100. Turns out what the box store calls wood is really a piece of particle board laminated with a maple wood print (that started to peel off within a month). It took my roommate and I an entire afternoon trying to put this together – and I think we’re pretty handy women. The bookcase came in a thin, tall box that contained a daunting amount of pieces. As we were putting it together, we realized that there were pieces missing and some of the attachment holes were un-drilled. I still have the bookcase, but there have been a number of repairs to it over the years. I also know that if I want to rearrange the room, everything must revolve around this particular bookshelf, because there’s no way of moving this piece of furniture without it completely collapsing.

Now, I know I can’t be the only person in the world with an embarrassing piece of furniture like this. Is this story sounding familiar to you? Let’s stop wasting our time and money on these frustrating, poorly designed bookshelves. I say we stand together and vow to never buy particle board bookshelves ever again.

Solid wood bookshelves may seem expensive at first glance, but they are 100% worth it. The quality of the sustainably harvested wood, the exquisite craftsmanship, and the luxury white glove delivery make buying real wood furniture worth every cent.

Vermont Woods Studios wants you to get the best deal on your (perhaps first) solid wood bookshelves, so we’re having a sale! We’re offering up to 20% off our hardwood Living Room and Home Office furniture, plus free shipping and a lifetime guarantee! This sale is one week only! Don’t miss out. Start browsing our online gallery today. Feel free to contact our fine furniture specialists with any questions about our Vermont made fine wood furniture.

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Organized crime is currently responsible for an unprecedented rate of rainforest destruction.  Unchecked illegal logging is rampant in tropical countries too poor to effectively monitor and enforce conservation regulations.  You can help save the rainforest by avoiding the purchase of imported forest products like wood furniture and flooring.

Forest conservation is at the heart of our mission at Vermont Woods Studios and we’re always trying to raise awareness about where your wood furniture comes from.  If you’re committed to buying American made furniture– no worries.  Chances are it’s made from legal wood, sustainably harvested from well-managed forests right here in North America.

But if you’re buying imported wood furniture (and according to a Washington Post article 70% of furniture sold in America is imported) then: Houston, we have a problem.

A recent Washington Post article by Brad Plumer entitled Organized Crime is Getting Rich Cutting Down the Rainforest describes how the illegal logging trade has become just as lucrative (and far more destructive) than the drug-trafficking industry.  50 to 90 percent of forestry in tropical areas is now controlled by criminal groups!  “A great deal of logging simply takes place illegally — much of it in tropical areas such as the Amazon Basin, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia.” (ref: United Nations and Interpol)

The U.N. estimates that illicit logging is now worth between $30 billion to $100 billion, or up to 30 percent of the global wood trade.  That illegal wood is often shipped from pristine rainforests to China, Vietnam and other third world countries where it’s fabricated into low quality furniture which is sold to US consumers. We’ve written quite a bit about the links between rainforest destruction, global warming and the furniture and flooring you choose for your home:

• Blog posts on rainforest conservation and protection of endangered species of the forest
• Tiger Conservation, Rainforest Preservation and Your Furniture
• Forest Conservation is About More than Trees
• Saving The Rainforest:  Why Green Consumerism Is Key
• And lots more

If you’re considering buying furniture at IKEA, Home Depot or any big box store… ask where the lumber originates and let us know what you find on our Facebook or in the comments section below.  Then re-discover sustainable, American made wood furniture and join us in feeling good about your furniture and your green home.

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