Author: Peggy Farabaugh

She is a CEO who brakes for salamanders, has bottle-fed rescued squirrels and spent her vacation building furniture for a rural school in Costa Rica. She believes in the future and in the people who will build it. A former distance-learning professor at Tulane University with a master’s in environmental health & safety, she turned an interest in forest conservation and endangered species into a growing, local business. She delivers rainforest statistics at breakneck speed, but knows how to slow down and appreciate the beauty of a newly finished piece of heirloom furniture.

I’m Dreaming of a Homemade Christmas Cookie

December 21, 2013August 15, 2018 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on August 15th, 2018 at 04:50 pm

Carol's Christmas Cookies — *Carol’s Christmas Cookies*

We are so lucky at Vermont Woods Studios! Neville’s wife Carol surprises us with delicious treats every now and then. This week: Christmas cookies and a loaf of stollen. Which is your favorite? Sugar cookies, nut cups, chocolate chips, brownies, gingerbread?

If this is making you hungry and you’re not on Carol’s “Nice List,” not to worry. Check out Vermont Cookie Love. They offer “fresh-baked cookies that we ship the same day they come out of the oven. Or if you want the optimum hot-out-of-the-oven experience, you can buy our frozen cookie dough and bake the cookies yourself. Our cookie dough is all natural, with no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. We source ingredients that are non-GMO, we use no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, and cookies baked from our dough contain 0 grams trans fat.”

Christmas Cookie Love from Vermont — *Vermont Cookie Love ships fresh cookies straight from the oven to your kitchen table.*

Could be the next best thing to Carol’s cookies. What do you think? Let us know on Facebook or stop by Stonehurst, our new fine furniture showroom and art gallery in Vernon, Vermont. Better be quick though– I’m not sure how long these irresistible Christmas cookies are going to be around.

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This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

American Made Furniture: Top 3 Styles in 2019

December 11, 2013May 28, 2019 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on May 28th, 2019 at 07:59 pm

2013, our first year at Stonehurst gave us another reason to study and analyze what our customers’ favorite American made furniture styles are. With limited space in our showroom, we wanted to display the very best selection of Vermont furniture, as defined by customer purchases. After looking through the sales statistics, we found these Top 3 American Furniture styles, which we’ll be featuring often at Stonehurst:

Shaker Style Furniture

This Vermont Shaker bed, nightstand and chest are pretty accurate reproductions of the original Shaker style furniture crafted by communities of the United Society of Believers starting in the late 1700’s. Born here in the Northeast, this American furniture style is a simple, utilitarian design characterized by straight tapered legs and mushroom-shaped wooden knobs. Vermont furniture makers have become today’s authority on Shaker furniture and customers seeking a simple elegant, solid wood design have grown to love their work. It’s our top seller and customers are customizing it in their choice of cherry, walnut, maple and oak woods (preference is in that order). Sometimes customers will choose two contrasting wood colors like cherry and walnut or maple and walnut to trick it out– if there is such a thing for “Shaker furniture”.

Craftsman Style Furniture

This Contemporary Craftsman Bedroom Furniture collection is a modern rendition of the American craftsman and “arts and crafts” furniture that became popular in the late 19th century and remained prevalent through the 1930s. It’s handmade of real solid cherry wood with contrasting drawer pulls in solid walnut wood and reflects the true craftsmanship of this period. The finish on this collection is a traditional hand-rubbed oil and wax. If you like this contemporary craftsman style furniture, learn more about the details and craftsmanship here.

Mission Style Furniture

This mission sofa table and mission dining chair have the rectilinear design and heavy proportion characteristic of Mission style furniture which became popular in the late 19 century. At Vermont Woods Studios we have a traditional American Mission Furniture collection and a Modern Mission Furniture collection, both constructed of real solid woods in your choice of traditional oak or cherry, walnut or maple woods.

Stop by our new fine furniture showroom at Stonehurst anytime to see what we’ve got on hand in our customers’ favorite furniture styles: Shaker, Craftsman and Mission furniture.

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The Ultimate Cherry Storage Bed

December 1, 2013December 3, 2013 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on December 3rd, 2013 at 03:46 pm

The biggest, best cherry storage bed you'll ever find — This beautiful cherry storage bed* is a customized version of our Modern Incline Bed and our Cherry Moon Dressers. It’s handcrafted in a small workshop in Montpelier, VT using solid cherry wood with black walnut accents, all coated with a hand-rubbed, natural linseed oil finish. Stop by our new fine furniture showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst to see it!

Customized Furniture

The large Cherry Moon Storage Bed you’re looking at is a one-of-a-kind custom creation*. As with much of our furniture, this bed is a customized version of other pieces. In this case our Modern Incline Bed has been combined with our 8 Drawer Cherry Moon Dresser. The resulting storage bed was handcrafted in a small workshop just north of here in Montpelier, VT. Robin and his craftspeople used all solid cherry wood with black walnut accents, and coated it with a hand-rubbed, natural linseed oil finish. The bed headboard has a nice, gentle incline which makes reading or watching TV in bed super comfy.

Storage Solutions for Small Spaces

Large storage beds have become popular with our Manhattan, Boston and Washington DC based clientele. They are a real space saver in urban apartments and townhomes. Worried about getting it up the elevator? No problem! Free shipping and white glove delivery is included in the price. And of course, Robin built this storage bed so it’s easily disassembled and reassembled when moving is necessary.

Merry Christmas, Here’s Your New Bed!

I think this is the Ultimate Cherry Storage Bed– it has 8 large drawers for storage! And unlike most of our furniture that is made to order, this bed is currently in our showroom and ready to be shipped to your home immediately. I daresay if you’re in New England, you could be sleeping on it for Christmas. You’d better hurry though because there’s only one of these babies and it’s on sale for 30% off. Here’s an idea: if you want it and think you might get in trouble for indulging, you could do what Ken always does to me… give it to your partner as a gift, right? Something to think about…

* Post Script – Sorry This Custom Storage Bed Did Indeed Sell Today

But we could make another one just like it, if you’re willing to wait for the customization. Give us a call to get things started!

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Susan Osgood: Brattleboro Artist’s Egyptian Show

November 21, 2013November 21, 2013 Peggy Farabaugh

EGYPT IN THE ART OF SUSAN OSGOOD — Brattleboro based artist Susan Osgood prepares for gallery opening at the University of Porto’s exhibition gallery in Porto, Portugal along with fellow artist Eberhard Dziobek. You can also see a nice selection of Susan’s original artwork at Stonehurst, Vermont’s newest Fine Furniture and Art Gallery.

Tomb KV 63, is the first Egyptian tomb to be discovered in Luxor, since King Tut’s tomb in 1922. A major event in history and it was recorded by Brattlboro’s own, artist Susan Osgood. We’ve highlighted Susan’s work before but now we wanted to let you know that she’s currently being celebrated at the University of Porto’s exhibition galleries, in Porto, Portugal through December 20, 2013. Here’s your excuse for a holiday trip to Europe!

Susan Osgood | Brattleboro Vermont Artist | Egyptian Art | KV 63 — *It’s exciting to see Susan’s name on the marquis at the University of Porto’s exhibition gallery in Porto, Portugal. Her exhibition runs from now until Dec 20.*

First jump on over to Susan’s new Facebook page to see behind the scenes details of the exhibition. Susan has been working in Luxor at the KV 63 tomb site on and off for several years, drawing the coffins “under remains of workmen’s huts, down a 20-foot shaft, in a rock cut chamber along with two gilded coffinettes and 28 large sealed ceramic storage jars”. Her drawing process begins at the temple wall, penciling over hieroglyphs and figures on a large black and white photograph of the scene. Often the work is completed in Vermont at Susan’s Brattleboro studio which, fortunately for us, is quite close to our fine furniture and art gallery in Vernon, VT. So if you can’t make the trip to Portugal, come see Susan Osgood’s original artwork at Stonehurst! It’s a great opportunity to see (and purchase) world class art in your own backyard.

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Stonehurst: So How Did the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Go?

November 19, 2013August 14, 2018 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on August 14th, 2018 at 12:18 pm

Stonehurst | Fine Furniture and Art Gallery | Vernon VT | Ribbon Cutting — These are the hard-working people who made Stonehurst possible. From left: Loryn Dion, Michelle Rooks, Neville Kerr, me with the scissors, *Dennis Shanoff,* Ken Farabaugh, Sean Henry and Douglas Fletcher (Liz Francese, Martin Corbin and Kelsey Eaton were also instrumental but were unable to make the ceremony). Our thanks also go out to the Vermont Working Lands Initiative for a grant that helped make Stonehurst renovations possible.

Sorry, I know I’m remiss. It’s been over a week since we officially opened our Stonehurst Fine Furniture Showroom and Art Gallery and you all have been very forgiving about my lapse in coming forward with a record of the event. Well, finally I’ve recruited Kelsey to help me round up some photos to happily share with you here. The ribbon cutting ceremony was by all accounts a success. Granted we never did persuade the governor to attend (I guess he does have other pressing matters) but we did have several VIPs (in our opinion) stop by including family, friends, neighbors, customers, furniture makers, artisans and other well wishers. Nina Markiw was kind enough to capture much of the activity in the images below so I’ll let them speak for themselves.

We want to thank everyone who participated, especially the good people at the Vermont Working Lands Initiative and our staff who worked so hard to pull the event off. It was not an easy feat but everything seemed to run like clockwork– even the early November weather. Let’s hope it’s a sign for the future of Stonehurst. Thanks Everyone!

Brattleboro artist Janet Picard with her painting

Carol, Neville and someone waiting patiently for a treat #2

Noelle Sevoian, representing the Vermont Working Lands Initiative

Tim Burke and Brian Ball of Lyndon Furniture, Mike Rainville of Maple Landmark Toys and Dennis Shanoff of VWS

Dan Mosheim of Dorset Custom Furniture with his reclaimed barnwood and steel occasional tables

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Custom Drawer Pulls by Donlin Foreman

November 6, 2013August 25, 2022 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on August 25th, 2022 at 11:25 am

Custom drawer and door pulls by Donlin Foreman — After an illustrious career in dance, Donlin Foreman is developing a business making handcrafted custom drawer pulls of unique combinations of leather, brass, bronze and iron suitable for doors, cabinets, and furniture. You can find a selection of his work at Hanna Grimes Market Place in Keene.

Last week I wrote about customizing your furniture by using unique drawer pulls. We have many different style (Shaker, Modern, Mission, Traditional, Wood and Metal) custom drawer pulls to choose from at Stonehurst (our new fine furniture and art gallery). But often customers want something very special and unique so we work with a variety of local artisans to serve as connectors when the need arises.

Coincidentally we had a visit yesterday from Donlin Foreman, owner of Horse Hill Handles a small business that makes custom leather, brass, bronze and iron drawer and door pulls. You may know Donlin as a professional dancer and co-founder of On Common Ground Dance Performance and Educational Products. He’s a “20-year veteran of the Martha Graham Dance Company and has performed with Eliot Feld Company, Jacques d’Amboise National Dance Institute, and La Scala Ballet. He has staged works for NJ Ballet, Ice Theatre of NY, La Scala Ballet, and North Carolina Dance Theatre. As co-founder/director/choreographer of Buglisi/Foreman Dance, Donlin choreographed 25 ballets and presented six seasons in NYC at the Joyce Theater, two seasons at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the America Dancing series/Kennedy Center, the Melbourne International Festival and other international venues.

Donlin performed at the White House for President Reagan and holds numerous honors, with critical and professional acclaim. He served as Professor of Professional Practice in the Dance Department of Barnard College, Columbia University, has published a book of poetic writing, contributed to the Martha Graham issue of Choreography and Dance, Dance Teacher and Dance Spirit magazines; and for two years chaired the Dance Panel of the New York State Council on the Arts. Donlin now lives in Harrisville with his wife Jenny and their two young sons. He is on the staff at the New England Center for Circus Arts.”

After an illustrious career in dance, Donlin is developing a business making handcrafted custom drawer pulls of unique combinations of leather, brass, bronze and iron suitable for doors, cabinets, and furniture. You can find a selection of his work at Hanna Grimes Market Place in Keene.

We wish you all the best of luck with your new venture, Donlin!

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Cherry Furniture: The Ultimate Buyers Guide

November 4, 2013August 14, 2018 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on August 14th, 2018 at 03:36 pm

Cherry Furniture | Handmade in Vermont | Real Solid Hardwood — *Dennis and Nina took this picture at Stonehurst, our new fine furniture showroom. It’s our Vermont Shaker Moon bed, dresser and nightstands*, handmade in Montpelier of natural cherry wood.

Cherry furniture is enjoying the top spot on our customer’s list of favorite wood species again this year. It’s been the trend for several years and no doubt 2014 will be another banner year for cherry wood. Most Vermont woodworkers are set up to offer customers a choice of at least the Top 4 American Hardwoods used in fine furniture making, that is: cherry, maple, walnut and oak. But cherry has always been the favorite as far back as I can remember.

In responding to customer preferences as well as the availability of high quality, sustainably harvested cherry wood, Vermont furniture makers have become America’s authority on fine cherry furniture. We work right alongside them at Vermont Woods Studios and have been sharing their knowledge on our website, in our blog and in a variety of articles. As we head into the furniture buying season, I thought I’d compile some of these resources and publish them as The Ultimate Buyers Guide for Cherry Furniture.

Check it out and let us know on Facebook, if you have additional questions we can add to the Guide.

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Micah Ranquist’s Hand-Turned Wooden Pens

October 26, 2013May 4, 2018 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on May 4th, 2018 at 03:16 pm

Last week we welcomed Vermont woodworker, Micah Ranquist into our clan of local artisans at Stonehurst. Micah is a wood turner who crafts unique wooden pens, bowls and wine stoppers using a lathe. He works out of a small shop in Brattleboro, Vermont using local and exotic woods to create one-of-a-kind works of art.

Micah has been visually impaired since early in his life. He began slowly losing his vision at age 3 and has little vision left, but he hasn’t let that stop him from doing things he loves. He has taught himself to play several instruments including guitar, keyboard and bag pipes. When not turning wood, Micah can often be found making music or taking care of his 2 young children.

Micah Ranquist | Handmade Wooden Pens | Vermont Woods Studios — Micah works with cherry burl, cypress and many other species to create these unique handmade wooden pens. “I grew up in Florida and in Maine, thereby I like using materials that reflect both places”.

Often called a Renaissance man, Micah explains his gift for woodworking as: “I simply enjoy doing things with my hands, and things that have a great amount of history in our world”. Stop by and see Micah’s pens at Stonehurt, Vermont’s newest artisan gallery located in Vernon, VT.

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Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: Come Celebrate Stonehurst!

October 24, 2013August 14, 2018 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on August 14th, 2018 at 12:18 pm

Consider this your official invitation to the Stonehurst Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

On Saturday November 9, 2013 we’ll be celebrating the opening of Vermont’s newest fine furniture showroom and art gallery. We’d love to see you there! At Vermont Woods Studios, we’ve been working for the last 2 years on acquiring Stonehurst (a 220 year old farmhouse perched on “Pine Top”, a former ski area) and renovating it into a destination shopping experience worthy of showcasing Vermont made furniture. Now our work is done and we want to share it with you.

Linking Vermont’s Wood Furniture to Sustainable Forestry

Our mission at Stonehurst is to use the beauty of Vermont’s handmade wood furniture to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable forestry. The Green Mountain State is a leader in educating the public on how sustainable furniture makes the journey from healthy forests to your living room. Vermont’s furniture makers partner with local land owners, loggers, sawyers, professional foresters, lumber mills and distributors to create eco friendly, wood furniture that homeowners can feel good about.

Like our state’s annual Vermont Fine Furniture and Woodworking Festival in Woodstock, the Stonehurst fine furniture gallery is designed to help customers experience each link in the “Forest to Furniture” chain. It’s a place to combine your shopping with a hike through our 110 acres of sustainably managed forest. Or enjoy a relaxing glass of wine while taking in panoramic views of the Green Mountains. Your experience here just might make you a lifelong advocate for sustainable forestry. We hope so.

Vermont’s Working Lands Initiative

Today we send our heartfelt thanks out to Vermont taxpayers and everyone behind the Vermont Working Lands Initiative, as their contribution of a $100,000 competitively awarded grant made it possible for us to complete Stonehurst 2 years ahead of schedule. Learn more about the VT Working Lands Partnership here.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Details

Date and Time

Saturday, November 9 2013. Open house from 1pm-5pm. Ceremony at 2pm.

Location

Stonehurst, Vermont Woods Studios, 538 Huckle Hill Road, Vernon, Vermont 05354. Here’s a map.

Invited VIPs

Completion of Stonehurst is a significant milestone for both furniture and sustainable forestry industries in Vermont. This is a chance for us to thank the VIPs who put their trust in us through the VT Working Lands grant program. We have invited a number of them, including:

Governor Peter Shumlin
US Senator Patrick Leahy
US Senator Bernie Sanders
US Representative Peter Welch
VT Working Lands Enterprise Boards and Administration
VT Commissioner of Forests, Parks & Recreation Mike Snyder
VT Secretary of Agriculture, Food, and Markets Chuck Ross
Secretary of Commerce Lawrence Miller
VT Representative Michael Hebert
The Vernon Select Board

Please RSVP

It’s not absolutely necessary but it would help us out if you could RSVP on Facebook.

Parking is Limited

We have limited parking at Stonehurst but the Vernon Recreation Center is just a mile down the street at the intersection of Pond Road and Huckle Hill Road. If Stonehurst parking is full, we ask attendees to gather at the Rec Center and carpool to Stonehurst.

Also Happening in Southern Vermont…

Need something else to make us worth the trip? Immediately after our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, the Brattleboro Retreat will be presenting the 2013 Anna Marsh Award to Governor Peter Shumlin at 5:30 pm, a short distance away at The Hermitage in West Dover, Vermont (details online). Windham County Fans of Gov Shumlin, here’s the photo op you’ve been waiting for!

Top 10 Reasons to Attend our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

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Celebrate National Forest Products Week

October 23, 2013August 15, 2018 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on August 15th, 2018 at 02:52 pm

By Presidential proclamation, this week– October 20-26, 2013 is National Forest Products Week. It’s a time for us to recognize the beauty of our forests, the many products that come from our forests and the people who work in and manage our forests.

At Vermont Woods Studios, our company was founded on a mission of forest conservation. Through Vermont’s beautiful, eco-friendly wood furniture, we’re trying to help raise awareness about the importance of sustainable forestry. What’s so interesting or important about sustainable forestry? Check out some of these fun forest facts:

Each year the average American uses an amount of forest products equivalent to one HUGE tree (10 stories tall and 18 inches in diameter). That’s over 43 cubic feet of wood and 681 pounds of paper
More than 5,000 things are made from trees such as houses, furniture, utensils, fences, books, medicines, chewing gum, cosmetics, clothing, toothpaste, soap, varnish, Almond Joy candy bars and of course, maple syrup
The single oldest living thing on earth is a tree, its is 4,700 years old and is located in the US. It was growing when the Egyptians built the pyramids!
Forests occupy one third of the Earth’s land area– they are our greatest defense against global warming
As the Earth’s great air conditioners, trees rid the air of excess carbon dioxide and other pollutants to improve air quality
Trees filter water, trap particles to make soil and help regulate climate patterns around the world
Most forests are threatened by unsustainable forestry practices, development and climate change
Organized crime controls much of the world’s timber trade– illegal timber is the new heroin
An area of rainforest the size of a football field is being destroyed every second of every minute of every day
In less than 100 years over half of the forest has been cut and burned, leaving whole areas of the earth bare and unprotected
54 of the world’s 193 countries have already lost >90% of their forests

With our mission of sustainable forestry we hope to persuade people to buy eco-friendly, Vermont made wood furniture and avoid the purchase of imported furniture that’s made from wood that’s illegally clear cut from the world’s rapidly disappearing rainforests.

Learn more about responsible forestry on the Vermont Forest Products Association website and visit us at our Stonehurst fine furniture and art gallery to experience the sustainable difference!

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Peggy Farabaugh	Kelsey Eaton	Riley Farabaugh
Megan Fulton	Marina McCoy	Alexandra Thompson
Dennis Shanoff	Katrina Moore	Loryn Dion
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