Home offices aren't necessarily in a separate room anymore.  This one saves space with a large desk that could double as a kitchen table.  Less space means lower carbon footprint.

I am ashamed to say that my home office decor is deplorable.  You can see it in this video taken last year when I had 6 other people working in it with me.

So with our Green-up Your Workplace Challenge coming up for Earth Day, I decided to look for green design ideas to spif it up with eco-friendly home office furniture, lighting and accessories.

I started looking for ideas at HGTV and was delighted to find they are showcasing over 125 home office design ideas submitted by homeowners and interior designers. 

They've got modern home offices, eclectic home offices, traditional home offices, contemporary home offices, arts and crafts home offices, cottage home offices, tropical home offices, English country home offices, transitional home offices, mid-century modern and even Mediterranean home offices.

I hope they add a green home office project with all natural, all American made wooden office furniture: desks, file cabinets, credenza, occasional tables and chairs (maybe even using reclaimed, recycled barnwood).  Then add in organic cotton rugs, draperies and upholstery, energy efficient electronics, light bulbs, light fixtures and maybe even FSC certified wood flooring.  That would be a good project to post on Earth Day, HGTV.  Just a suggestion.

The post HGTV: Got Any Green Home Office Ideas for Earth Day? appeared first on Vermont Woods Studios.

Vermont Farmhouse Tables are exploding in popularity, not only in New England but all across America.   Many artisans working throughout Vermont specialize in reclaiming and rejuvenating antique barnwood and transforming it into artistic dining tables, coffee tables, extension tables, cupboards, buffets… even beds.  The result is unique, custom made furniture filled with warmth, charm and American history. 

And farmhouse tables aren't just for country decor.  Interior designers and home owners are discovering the authenticy that real American barnwood brings to modern metropolitan homes in Manhattan, Boston, Washington, DC and even as far away as Los Angeles.  Apartment Therapy, for example is a good one for showcasing some of the best interior designs that combine traditional farmhouse tables with modern, contemporary chairs.

We've created a Reclaimed and Rejuvenated Pinterest Board to display some of the interior design ideas we're seeing for Vermont Farmhouse Tables handcrafted from antique barnwood.  Check it out and let us know what you're doing with these unique, custom made pieces of Americana.

The post Vermont Made Farmhouse Tables appeared first on Vermont Woods Studios.

Our Reclaimed Barnwood Bench is featured in the March/April 2012 issue of Yankee Magazine<br>

Thanks to Photo Editor Heather Marcus, Vermont Woods Studios is featured in the March/April issue of of Yankee Magazine.

We're included in an article by Christie Matheson titled, Home Decor From Reclaimed Items.  Please check it out!  Christie showcased a number of beautiful and creative recycled, re-purposed crafts from around New England including one-of-a-kind birdhouses by Scott Bradford and cozy quilts handcrafted from vintage wool sweaters by Snug As A Bug.

We are honored to be alongside these talented craftspeople in one of New England's oldest and most respected publications.

The post Reclaimed Barnwood Bench Featured in Yankee Magazine appeared first on Vermont Woods Studios.

Here's a familiar site in Vermont and throughout New England… a beautiful old barn that's finally beginning to cripple under the stress of Mother Nature's 100+ years of wind, rain, snow, hail and other weather events (like hurricane Irene in this case).

But lucky for us, Vermont craftsmen are giving these beloved ancient structures a new lease on life– as rustic, reclaimed barnwood furniture.

We're amazed at the amount of work involved in rescuing old lumber from the floors, walls, beams and siding of these fallen soldiers.  Craftsman pick through a great deal of unusable lumber in order to find pieces suitable for furniture. 

Once sorted, the wood must then be tested with a metal detector and de-nailed, before milling.  But once that is done, an incredibly beautiful patina often emerges that can go on to become a unique piece of heirloom furniture, rich with our American history.

Here's an example of a reclaimed barnwood table we crafted and sold lately.  This one even made it into Yankee Magazine as part of an article called, Reclaimed Style.

If you're looking for reclaimed barnwood furniture, give Rebecca or Shannon a call.  They work closely with our craftsmen to customize these pieces with your choice of antique wood.

Just as an aside, did you know that only 50 years ago about half of Americans were living in rural areas or on a farm? Today less than 2% of the American population is involved in farming.  In Vermont that number is 50% higher… still only 3%.  Perhaps that's why there are so many old barns that have fallen into disrepair.  Sad, but nice to have a way to recycle them and re-capture their story.

Many thanks to Picture Ninja for the use of their photograph of this forlorn old Vermont barn.

The post Old Barns Get A Second Chance As Vermont Fine Furniture appeared first on Vermont Woods Studios.

I hope you'll check it out on the front page of the Living section on January 26, 2012.  Our friend, reclaimed barnwood furniture expert and fellow woodworker, Raphael Groten will be featured as well.

I know a lot of people like to keep Vermont made fine furniture the best kept secret in the world, but we've been getting a lot of press lately.  I think people are starting to see that Vermont truly is the Fine Furniture Capital of America with some 2000+ small furniture makers located throughout the state.  We send our thanks to Stephen Mills for helping to spread the word.

The post Burlington Free Press To Feature Vermont Wood Furniture appeared first on Vermont Woods Studios.

Keep an eye out for the March/April issue of Yankee Magazine.  One of our reclaimed barnwood benches will be featured as part of an editorial on rustic barnwood furniture.

We extend our thanks to Heather Marcus, Photo Editor of Yankee Magazine for including us in this article and will look forward to reading it. 

Check back in March and we'll post a link to it here.

The post Vermont Reclaimed Barnwood Table To Be Featured in Yankee Magazine appeared first on Vermont Woods Studios.