5 of the Most Well Known American Furniture Designers

July 23, 2020March 11, 2022 Riley Farabaugh

Last updated on March 11th, 2022 at 10:07 am

Vermont Woods Studios was founded on two core principles- a desire to protect the world’s forests and a reverence for high quality craftsmanship.

Over the years, we’ve added a handful of Vermont craftsmen to our offerings, all of whom design furniture and decor that is beautiful, high quality, and uniquely their own. However, it’s hard to ignore the influence that some of America’s most prolific designers have had on the furniture designs produced today.

“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants” -Isaac Newton

Here are some of the most renowned American furniture designers of all time, which continue to inspire craftsman all over the world today:

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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.

5 Exotic Hardwoods to Avoid & Why

July 13, 2020June 30, 2022 Marina McCoy

Last updated on June 30th, 2022 at 03:27 pm

The environmental and societal cost of exotic woods is high. We choose to only source our woods from sustainably managed forests in the US. Here, some examples of the different types of wood and stains we can offer. Order wood samples.

Wood is generally an earth friendly material because it is a renewable resource, meaning it grows back naturally and isn’t finite like oil, metals, or even rocks like marble and granite. But not all species of wood are inherently sustainable.

Woods that grow locally like maple, oak, cherry, walnut, ash, pine, and others travel short distances between harvesting and processing and are taken from sustainably managed forests in the US.

But that’s not the case for many types of woods that come from different parts of the world. The term “exotic hardwoods” refers to woods that originate in other parts of the world (often tropical forests), and the impact of using these woods is high.

Did you know that the harvesting of certain species of wood is linked to organized crime, sex trafficking, corruption, human rights violations, illegal logging, species extinction and climate change?

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Adrian Pearsall: Everything You Need to Know

June 20, 2020January 11, 2022 Riley Farabaugh

Last updated on January 11th, 2022 at 05:51 am

Adrian Pearsall's Compass Dining Table — Shown here, an authentic Compass Table, designed by Pearsall and built by Craft Associates in the mid 1900’s.

Adrian Pearsall may not be as widely recognized as other furniture designers like Frank Lloyd Wright or Gustav Stickley, but his contributions to the world of design have not been forgotten. After founding Craft Associates in 1952, Pearsall went on to become one of America’s most prominent furniture designers during the “Atomic Age” of mid-century modern stylings, known especially well for his use of American black walnut.

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6 of Our Most Affordable Wood Dining Tables

May 9, 2020May 9, 2020 Riley Farabaugh

Customer Photo: Sarah Shaker Dining Table — A customer in Ohio sent us this picture of his new Sarah Shaker dining table in natural cherry alongside our Contemporary Windsor Dining Chairs.

Lots of customers are spending more time at home nowadays, and they’re looking for ways to upgrade their home furnishings. What better piece of furniture to upgrade than your dining table?

Gustav Stickley, one of the most prominent American furniture designers of the last 200 years, was the first to note that the dining table is the “heart of the home.” But investing in a solid wood table can be expensive. All of our tables are built to last forever and guaranteed for life, and the prices reflect that. So we wanted to put together a guide to help people find high quality, solid wood dining tables at affordable prices.

Here are some of our most affordable wood dining tables:

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GreenGuard Certified Furniture: Everything You Need to Know

January 3, 2020August 16, 2021 Riley Farabaugh

Last updated on August 16th, 2021 at 12:47 pm

The furniture finishing industry is somewhat renowned for its use of questionable chemicals and behind-the-curtain practices. At one point in time, craftsmen used natural finishes like oil and wax or shellac.

But somewhere along the line there was a movement towards more durable, highly engineered wood finishes.

While these advancements in technology created finishes that are more durable, easier to apply, and cheaper than the traditional alternatives, they have also added some concerns about environmental sustainability and toxicity.

Just check out the standard warning that the State of California requires on many of the most common finishes sold in the US today:

WARNING: This product is known to the State of California to cause birth defects and other reproductive issues.

This movement towards chemically engineered wood finishes has created enough concern among consumers that third party testing organizations have sprung up to evaluate the safety of these finishes. One of the most common standards for verifying the safety of wood finishes is GreenGuard Certification.

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5 Solid Wood Oval Coffee Tables You’ll Love

December 21, 2019January 4, 2020 Riley Farabaugh

Last updated on January 4th, 2020 at 10:04 am

Our French Country Oval Coffee Table made in solid cherry wood with a Mahogany stain.

Our solid wood oval coffee tables are handcrafted in Vermont using real, North-American hardwoods: natural cherry, walnut, maple and oak. Designed and built to last forever, our coffee tables are made to order just for you and can be customized to perfectly fit your space and style.

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Wood Stains from Copeland Furniture

December 16, 2019December 13, 2019 Riley Farabaugh

Copeland Audrey Table

If you’re not familiar with Copeland Furniture, they’re one of the leading manufacturers of modern and mid century furniture in the country. Located in Bradford, Vermont, Copeland was founded in 1976 by Tim Copeland.

Copeland offers furniture in cherry, walnut, maple, oak, and ash woods, and they use a clear, non-toxic lacquer as a wood finish.

In addition to offering furniture in several popular domestic hardwoods, Copeland also offers stained finishes on most of their collections. Here are their stain options for cherry, maple, ash, and oak (walnut is not typically stained due to its natural color).

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Wood Stains from Lyndon Furniture

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019 Riley Farabaugh

If you’re not familiar with Lyndon Furniture, they’re one of the leading furniture makers in the state of Vermont. Founded by Dave Allard in 1976, Lyndon has spent the last several decades producing some of the highest quality furniture in New England.

Most of the furniture made at Lyndon is available in cherry, maple, oak, and walnut, and they use a clear, non-toxic lacquer as a wood finish. We also offer several stain options on cherry, maple, and oak (we don’t recommend staining walnut).

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Shabby Chic 101: What it is and How to Apply it in Your Home

October 28, 2019September 26, 2022 Riley Farabaugh 1 Comment

Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 12:36 pm

Shabby Chic kitchen decor — Notice the unsanded, unfinished, and reused wood palettes being used as shelves in this kitchen design, along with vintage rusting ornaments. These design aspects add a feeling of nostalgia and contribute to the shabby chic style. (Source)

Shabby chic is a style of interior design that utilizes distressed, worn, and antiquated decor to deliver an artistic and earthy aesthetic. It originates from Great Britain and in its early form, it was a rather grand style utilized by large country houses. Today this style usually isn’t quite as grandiose since it can be found in a variety of homes, both big and small, but one thing that hasn’t changed is that it still makes for instantaneously captivating accent pieces and furniture.

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5 of the Most Common Types of Cedar Trees

October 18, 2019August 16, 2021 Riley Farabaugh

Last updated on August 16th, 2021 at 12:54 pm

Search results for "cedar tables" — You can see that an internet search for “cedar tables” shows what appears to be multiple types of cedar wood. Here’s a breakdown of 5 of the most common types of cedar.

“Cedar” can be a confusing wood because most trees we’d consider to be cedar aren’t from the species cedrela. For example, Eastern red cedar, by its scientific name Juniperus virginiana L., is actually from the species juniper, as the moniker indicates. However, Eastern red cedar is the tree responsible for most of the cedar lumber encountered in furniture in the U.S.

Five of the most common types of cedar trees are covered below.

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