I just did a Google search for “cherry furniture” and these are the products that came up on Google’s sponsored ads.  Guess how many of these pieces are actually made of real cherry wood?

What Does Real Cherry Furniture Look Like?

I just did a Google search for “cherry furniture” and above are the products that came up on Google’s sponsored ads.  Guess how many of these pieces are actually made of real cherry wood?  None.  Hard to believe isn’t it?  Not a single one of these pieces looks even remotely like cherry.  I can’t figure out why furniture makers get it so wrong but the error is absolutely pervasive in the world of imported furniture.  In fact, many times when customers come to us for real cherry furniture, they ask us to apply a dark stain to our natural cherry products to make them match their imported “cherry furniture” (Vermont furniture makers actually break down and cry when we ask them to stain cherry wood, by the way).

So I thought I’d post a couple photos so you can see what real, natural cherry wood furniture looks like.  Below is our American Shaker Bedroom Furniture Collection.  You can see that the wood color is much lighter than any of the imported fake cherry furniture shown above.  Why is that?

Well, cherry wood actually changes color!  It darkens with age.  Below is of a brand new natural cherry wood bedroom set.

This is a brand new cherry wood bedroom furniture set.  The wood has a light color with pink tones but it won’t stay this way for long.

The same natural cherry wood bed and bedroom set after 6 months of exposure to light looks like this:

This is the same cherry wood bed you see above, but it has been exposed to natural sunlight for about 6 months.  Light exposure “ripens” cherry wood creating a rich, reddish brown color and patina.

Quite a difference isn’t it?  Both beds have the same coating– it’s a hand rubbed natural linseed oil finish.  It’s the exposure to sunlight that darkens (or ripens) cherry and transforms it from a light color to a rich, dark reddish brown.

Another way to tell if your furniture is made of real organic cherry is to look for mineral deposits.  These are small black flecks in the grain where tiny amounts of sap were stored by the tree.  Mineral deposits (or pitch pockets) are natural and randomly occurring.  They are part of what makes each cherry piece unique.  Many times, imported furniture that’s called “cherry” is made with inferior woods that undergo a multi-step chemical process of bleaching, texturizing and staining in an attempt to achieve the classic ripened cherry color.  Even if the color does come out close to real cherry, the wood will be absent of cherry’s characteristic mineral deposits– the telltale sign of a fake.

So which do you prefer?  New cherry, ripened cherry or fake cherry?  Let us know in the comments section below or weigh in on our Facebook.

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Often customers come to us looking specifically for fine wood furniture that's handmade in America from sustainably harvested wood.

At last!  Vermont is becoming know as the Fine Furniture Capital of America.  The Green Mountain State has been the home to fine woodworkers for over 200 years.  Plus our state provides
the world's finest furniture making material – solid hardwood.

Furniture makers in Vermont create bedroom, home office and dining room furniture using American Black Cherry,
Sugar Maple, American Black Walnut, Oak and other hardwoods from the Northern Forest.

Vermont designs and crafting techniques highlight the natural beauty of wood such that our furniture is a reflection of the forest it came from.   Forests
cover nearly 80% of Vermont's landscape and we harvest wood at a rate that's less than the rate at which our forest is growing– a good measure of sustainability! 

At Vermont Woods Studios we're proud to live in a place where people cherish and protect their
natural resources – our forests, meadows, pastures, rivers, lakes and streams.  And we're happy to be able to bring you the fruits of that green lifestyle:  Vermont's handmade hardwood furniture.  Like us on Facebook if you agree!

The post Fine Wood Furniture: Bringing Vermont’s Forest Into Your Home appeared first on Vermont Woods Studios.

Lyndon's craftspeople are committed to preserving the heritage of American furniture making by combining the best of old world construction techniques and new world precision.

Lyndon Furniture has been crafting beautiful fine furniture from real, solid hardwoods for over 30 years and it's become one of our "best value" lines at Vermont Woods Studios.  Customers looking for honest, hand crafted furniture that's made of all real, solid wood (without veneers) are drawn to Lyndon. 

Their craftspeople are committed to preserving the heritage of American furniture making by combining the best of old world construction techniques and new world precision.  What they achieve is an authentic product that's stylish, affordable and designed to last a lifetime.

Lyndon works with local and regional hardwoods, primarily cherrywood, maple, walnut and oak.  In addition to making their tables, chairs and beds with all solid wood, Lyndon also constructs their case goods (china cabinets, bookcases, dressers, chests, nightstands and armoires) with solid wood, whereas most manufacturers use veneers on case sides.  The only place you'll find veneer on Lyndon pieces is on the backs of case goods and bottoms of drawers– that's to provide for wood movement during changing humidity.

If all solid wood construction is important to you when shopping for handmade furniture, check out Lyndon Furniture on our website.  We carry the full line of their products, including customizations and complete custom design.  We welcome your questions and specialty orders.

The post Lyndon Furniture: Real Solid Hardwood Furniture From Vermont appeared first on Vermont Woods Studios.