1. How to transform a lost ski area into a beautiful showcase for Vermont made furniture, artwork and home decor. It was our first full year at Stonehurst, the marvelous property we call home. We couldn't be happier with how well it was received by our guests, and we eagerly await even more visitors in 2015!
2. How to build a set to take professional photos of our furniture. Nina & Dennis spent a great amount of time and energy getting crafty and making sets for photoshoots. With Nina's photoshop wizardry, dusty old storage areas and garages transform into quaint living spaces perfect for furniture photos!
3. How to keep woodchucks out of our flower garden using aluminum pie plates. As you can see in the photo above, our showroom sees frequent visitors from the forest! Unfortunately, they are big fans of our gardens so we've learned creative ways of humanely keeping them at a safe distance!
Vermont Woods Studios Furniture Interns: busy stacking 40 cords of firewood4. How to harvest wood to sustainably heat our showroom. Our student interns (Douglas & Peggy's kids) had a busy summer stacking 40 cords of firewood sourced from fallen trees around Stonehurst!
5. Never lose hope. We were a little disheartened about not seeing any Monarchs in our butterfly garden this year, but just as we started planning our 2015 Monarch conservation efforts, a symbol of hope arrived! We worked together to plant and share milkweed throughout our community and are excited to continue with this project through the new year.
6. Handcrafted wood furniture deserves beautiful decor accessories to go with it. Our natural wood furniture is simple and beautiful on it's own, but handcrafted Vermont made decor adds another layer of richness that we can't help but love.
7. Our furniture looks great in big houses and "tiny houses" alike! Earlier in the year we provided a POLYWOOD La Casa Dining Set to Tiny House Nation, a show that celebrates the innovation and creativity of Tiny Houses and the people who inhabit them!
8. Nothing feels better than giving back to the community. We made it a priority to give back to our community this year-- from donating food for a community Thanksgiving dinner, to participating in Vermont's 'Green up Day' and more! Our whole team took part in our charitable activities and look forward to another great year of giving.
9. Nature makes a great backdrop for photos. Our previous 'our team' page featured each of us on white backgrounds, making us look like our heads were floating in space! We learned that we look much better in a natural setting, surrounded by things we cherish (trees!)
10. Appreciate the seasons while they last. We are lucky to live in New England, a place where each season is bold, beautiful, and transformative! The freshness of Spring, the relaxed nature of Summer, the crisp air of the Fall, and the reflective state of Winter are things we've grown to love. At Stonehurst, we get to see the uniqueness of each season as the year passes and we have learned to love and appreciate all of them while they are here.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about some of the things we learned in 2014, and we look forward to another great year ahead! Best wishes for a Happy New Year!
