5 Extension Tables with Self-Storing Leaves

October 23, 2014September 26, 2022 Kelsey Eaton Leave a comment

Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 12:45 pm

Also known as extension tables, butterfly leaf tables are helpful solutions for small kitchens and dining rooms.

Traditional dining room tables can take up a lot of space, and if you don’t have the dining space adequate for that size table, tables with self storing leaves are the perfect choice.

Rather than settling for a tiny table, where you couldn’t accommodate guests on holidays or special occasions, you can use a butterfly leaf table to allow for more seating whenever you need it!

Now there’s really no reason to hesitate before extending an open invitation for your friends and relatives to gather around the table at your house. Just pull out the extra leaf!

Back in the day, we had to store extra leaves for our old oak dining table down in the basement. But today’s tables with self storing leaves let you neatly and conveniently tuck them away under the table top. It’s so easy to insert them, and then tuck them away after company has gone home.

So how do tables with self storing leaves work?

For a visual demonstration, take a look at the video above and see how easy it is to use a butterfly leaf table. They have a section in the center that can be self stored when not in use at large gatherings. The tables open easily with a single self equalizing, ball bearing extension leaf. The self storing butterfly leaf mechanism allows for single handed operation to easily expand or close the table in a matter of seconds!

Where can I find butterfly leaf extension tables?

We have several beautiful, solid wood tables with self storing leaves. Browse a selection of our favorites below:

Catalina Cherry Trestle Extension Table

Our modern Copeland Catalina Cherry Trestle Extension Table is custom handmade to order with solid American Cherry wood. Features elegant lines in its solid wood table top and rounded, angled taper legs. Authentic Mid-Century styling in the table top with sides curved slightly outward along the table width to create a boat shape. The table opens easily with a single 24″ wide self equalizing, ball bearing extension leaf. The self storing butterfly leaf mechanism allows for single handed operation to easily expand or close the table in a matter of seconds.

Catalina Walnut Trestle Extension Table

Our modern Catalina Large Walnut Dining Extension Table is custom handmade to order with solid American Black Walnut wood. Features elegant lines in its solid wood table top and rounded, angled taper legs. Authentic Mid-Century styling in the table top with sides curved slightly outward along the table width to create a boat shape. The table opens easily with a single 24″ wide self equalizing, ball bearing extension leaf. The self storing butterfly leaf mechanism allows for single handed operation to easily expand or close the table in a matter of seconds.

Catalina Cherry Round Extension Table

Our modern Catalina Cherry Round Extension Table is custom handmade to order with solid American Cherry wood. Features elegant lines in its round table top and rounded, angled taper legs. The table opens easily with a single 24″ wide self equalizing, ball bearing extension leaf. The self storing butterfly leaf mechanism allows for single handed operation to easily expand or close the table in a matter of seconds.

Audrey Cherry Extension Dining Table

Our modern Audrey Cherry Dining Extension Table is handmade to order with solid Cherry wood. Features elegant lines in its rectangular table top and trestle base with dynamic double ‘X’ legs. The table opens easily with a single 24″ wide self equalizing, ball bearing extension leaf. The self storing butterfly leaf mechanism allows for single handed operation to easily expand or close the table in a matter of seconds.

Sarah Shaker Tapered Leg Extension Table

The centerpiece of Copeland’s new Sarah Shaker dining room collection, this real cherry tapered leg extension table features a 24″W self-storing leaf. The extension mechanism incorporates self equalizing, ball bearing extension glides and a single 24″ self storing butterfly leaf for single handed operation to easily expand or close the table in a matter of seconds.

Shop all extension tables.

Do you think extension tables might be the solution to your space conundrum? If not, let us know what you do to save space in the dining room by leaving us a comment!

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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.

Real Cherry Wood Furniture 101

October 20, 2014October 16, 2017 Peggy Farabaugh Leave a comment

Last updated on October 16th, 2017 at 05:05 pm

If you’ve made your way to this post, chance are you’ve spent a considerable amount of time trying to find real cherry wood furniture. Why do you suppose real cherry is so hard to find? Well, it’s kind of like trying to find real American made furniture right? Both are relatively rare in this age of cheap imports and they can easily get obscured by the mass marketing of knock-offs.

Real Cherry Furniture 101

Real honest cherry furniture is still being handcrafted in Vermont and in fact, it is the wood of choice for over half of our customers. As such we get asked a lot of questions about it. The curiosity of our customers has made us experts in cherry wood and cherry furniture & we’re happy to share everything we’ve learned. Here are a few articles you might be interested in:

Faux Cherry Furniture 101

Don’t be fooled by the plethora of stores that sell faux cherry knock offs and label them as “real cherry wood”. What you’re buying at those stores is actually rubber wood, poplar, alder or any number of fast-growing wood alternatives. They are often illegally clear-cut from the world’s rapidly disappearing rainforests, then bleached, texturized and stained to look like cherry. Why would companies like Wayfair, Crate and Barrel, Amazon, Walmart, Overstock, Macy’s, JC Penny’s risk their reputations by engaging in such false advertising? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Facebook.

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What Is Eco Friendly Wood Furniture?

October 16, 2014June 11, 2019 Peggy Farabaugh Leave a comment

Last updated on June 11th, 2019 at 12:00 pm

Eco Friendly Wood Furniture | Handmade in VT, USA — *This Woodland Table and Modern Mission Dining Chairs are made from solid cherry wood, that was sustainably harvested in North America*.

We started Vermont Woods Studios out of a passion for forest conservation. It was this one astounding statistic that really lit a fire under me:

Every second an acre of rainforest is lost forever

Along with trees, some of my favorite iconic wildlife species that live in the rainforest are being lost. For example, all the great cats (lions, tigers, leopards, cheetas, etc) are critically endangered as are all the great apes (gorillas, chimps, orangutans, etc). Our planet is actually losing over 100 species/day. The cause is habitat destruction. Rainforest trees are being clearcut for timber to make cheap furniture and flooring.

Eco Friendly Wood Furniture: What It Is

So to me, eco friendly wood furniture is first and foremost, furniture that’s made from sustainably harvested wood. More specifically, North American wood (recycled or newly milled) that’s been obtained through legitimate local partners, thus minimizing transport distances and helping regional economies (and greatly reducing fuel usage and carbon emissions).

Other aspects of eco friendly furniture relate to how a tree is transformed into, say… a table or a bed. Vermont furniture makers use both traditional and modern methods to maximize the yield from each tree and minimize (or eliminate) wood waste. All wood processing by-products are put to some type of use here in Vermont. For example: sawdust is used by local farmers for animal bedding and wood chips are used for heating.

Non-toxic furniture finishes are also characteristic of eco friendly furniture.

Eco Friendly Wood Furniture: What It Is NOT

Unlike many large American furniture companies, we do not consider imported wood furniture eco friendly. The global timber trade has been infiltrated by organized crime to the point where illegal wood (often clear cut from the rainforest) is pervasive throughout the imported wood furniture and flooring industry. Much of it is accompanied by counterfeit documents labeling it as green certified by the Forest Stewardship Council FSC (here are a couple articles reporting on this: Liquidating the Forests and Corruption Stains the Global Timber Trade).

National Geographic recently reported on a UN study showing that the global environmental crime industry (with illegal logging being the primary component) has now surpassed the global drug trade in terms of estimated annual revenue. “We have regulations, but we need to inform consumers,” said Indonesian official Budi Susanti, “if buyers won’t buy the products that aren’t sustainable, there won’t be demand.”

How to Know the Difference

A google search for “eco friendly wood furniture” turns up all sorts of questionable results from big, multinational companies that pledge to use green certified wood. Of course your best bet would be to find something made locally from local wood. But if that’s not possible or practical for you, any furniture that’s truly 100% Made in America is likely to be an environmentally friendly choice.

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Mid Century Modern Furniture: Vintage Style for your Home

October 11, 2014January 17, 2019 Kelsey Eaton

Last updated on January 17th, 2019 at 09:58 am

Mid Century Modern Style Furniture — These furniture designs in Walnut wood are classically Mid Century Modern . The geometric shapes and simplistic styling make them a favorite for the everyday modernist. Featured in this photo is the Estelle Chair with selections from the Catalina Collection.

Mid Century Modern, A Furniture Revolution.

Mid Century Modern Furniture is a furniture style characterized by clean simplicity and the integration of nature into the home. Gaining its popularity in the 1950s, Mid Century style was frequently used in residential/suburban areas with the goal of introducing modernism into the post-war American home.

The mid 20th century (1934-65 approximately) saw an extreme out-pour of creativity in graphic design, architecture, and furniture design– with styles unlike any before it. In the book “Mid Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s,” author Carla Greenberg officially cemented the term “mid century modern” into the interior design world, referring to the dramatic style of furniture, art, decor, and architecture borne in this period of American history.

World renowned for its innovative design and contribution to the American interior design and architectural world, Mid Century Style is still adored to this day. In the article “Midcentury Furniture + Grandkid Nostalgia = Modern Trend,” author Andrea Hsu of NPR notes “Open a design magazine or turn on a home decorating show these days, and it’s clear: Midcentury modern is hot.”

So, if Mid Century Modern style is so hot– what exactly is it that people love?

Characteristics of Mid Century Modern Furniture

Lines: Ever watched an episode of Mad Men? Mid Century furniture is a lot like that. Clean, simple lines and smooth edges giving it a dramatically simplistic and sleek look. Before the 1950s, most furniture was intricately decorated with elaborate, complicated lines and adornments. But mid century furniture designers were modernists, they valued simplicity and created their furniture in accordance.

Color: Besides the variety of wood furniture used, other mid Century modern furniture makes use of beautifully vivid colors such as orange, red, yellow, and green paired with neutrals like tan, black or white.

Wood: Popular wood choices were walnut for its extraordinarily modern look, and cherry for its versatility.

Quality: Mid Century modern furniture is known for being expertly crafted by the best furniture designers. While this style of furniture is not as grand or bulky as popular furniture styles before it, it’s lightness in no way takes away from it’s quality or worth.

Many Vermont Woods Studios customers love Mid Century Style– just this week we received a lovely customer photo from a client in New York who’s furniture exemplified the Mid Century simplicity. If you’re unfamiliar with our designs, feel free to browse dozens of mid-century modern furniture designs on our online showroom.

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Happy Vermont. The Legacy of Pine Top Ski Area Lives on at Stonehurst

October 10, 2014August 14, 2018 Peggy Farabaugh Leave a comment

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

What makes the 109-acre setting so special is Vermont Woods Studios’ commitment to raise environmental awareness and to make the old ski area — named after a pine tree — an example of true sustainable forestry.

The Legacy of Pine Top Ski Area Lives on in Vernon

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Escape the Vortex with 5 Unique Cherry Wood Furniture Designs

October 7, 2014June 21, 2020 Kelsey Eaton Leave a comment

Last updated on June 21st, 2020 at 02:42 pm

Often, Cherry wood furniture lovers shop online or browse online furniture stores for home inspiration… and it can get kind of stale.

After looking for the same thing in so many different places you get trapped in this vortex of similar looking Cherry furniture that can be hard to sift through and find pieces that are truly top quality and extraordinarily designed. It’s hard to stay inspired, too!

But there are a few cherry furniture collections that will knock you right out of this Vortex! Featuring pieces from some of our most talented craftsmen from across Vermont, these collections make up a handful of our most eclectic and inspiring Cherry Wood furniture designs for every room in the home.

So to help you break out of the typical Cherry furniture mold and give you a feel for just how magnificent your home can be, we’ve gathered 5 of our best selling not-so-ordinary Cherry wood furniture designs:

1. New York Contemporary Bookcase

Our high end, Arts and Crafts style New York Contemporary Bookcase is handcrafted in Vermont of natural solid hardwoods. This Cherry Wood Furniture piece features bold and straightforward lines, and complements a collection that emphasizes sturdy, unadorned, comfortable furnishings that are built to last and are as much about function as form. It’s unique in its strong simplicity & creative use of shape. See the rest of the collection here.

2. Copeland’s Estelle Dining Chair

Unique? Check. Retro? Check. Stylish? Check. This high end Estelle dining side chair from Copeland highlights the essence of mid-century modern, minimalist design. Sculpted in solid American Cherry wood, this unique side chair has a slender, vertically split back and finely sculpted seat for the ultimate in comfort. Rounded, angular tapered legs complete the stunning contemporary design. It’s sleek and geometrical and the perfect addition to any home looking to add some ultra luxurious cherry wood furniture to their decor. See the rest of the collection here.

3. Contemporary Cable 10-Drawer Dresser

This contemporary cable 10-drawer dresser is a subtly striking piece of cherry wood furniture. It’s sturdy, industrial inspired, and seriously sleek. The contrast between the large & small drawers create a visually compelling look, highlighted by the unique cable pulls and metal accents. See the rest of the collection here.

4. Monterey Platform Bed with Upholstered Headboard

The Monterey Bed fuses American Art’s & Crafts style with modern Japanese and Asian design. Japanese style legs support the sturdy Arts & Crafts build, with a luxurious leather headboard framed by Cherry wood in a subtle Asian design. See the rest of the collection here.

5. Macintosh Platform Bed

This elegant Cherry wood bed is a mission inspired piece with some very unique styling. The square designs on the wood paneling gives you are visually inspiring piece with lots to look at. This bed takes a traditional design and gives it a subtly eclectic twist perfect for the modern or contemporary home!

So, if you’ve been stuck in the dreaded Cherry furniture vortex for too long– we hope that these pieces will get you feeling inspired again! Cherry wood furniture can be interesting, inspiring, AND Vermont made. These five pieces represent a small sampling of all of the beautiful & visually compelling hardwood cherry furniture pieces we offer, browse our webstore to see the rest.

What did you think of our top 5 unique Cherry Wood Furniture designs?

Let us know on Twitter or leave us a comment on this blog post!

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Lyndon’s Junction Table a Win for Geometric Furniture Lovers

October 6, 2014May 28, 2019 Kelsey Eaton Leave a comment

Last updated on May 28th, 2019 at 10:35 pm

A beautiful, solid wood geometric Junction Table will add beauty and flair to your space.

For homeowners looking to infuse some artistically crafted furniture pieces into their home, geometric furniture is a great option to consider. Our Lyndon Junction table is an ideal starting place, being both visually abstract and heirloom quality.

While many people prefer to choose their furniture on style alone, giving up comfort and practicality–others opt for the best of both. The Lyndon Junction Table is visually compelling and entirely practical. Making a wonderful conversation piece for guests when it isn’t being enjoyed by your family.

Order your junction table in sustainably harvested natural cherry, maple, oak or walnut wood. Easily customize with your choice of natural finish or select from our large selection of high-quality wood stains!

This unique junction table is finely crafted in Vermont with real solid wood. It’s interesting AND eco-friendly, so you can’t really go wrong! It features an artistic base with unique, bi-secting legs, and it’s table-tops are available in two different sizes made individually to order.

So if you’ve been aching for an eclectic piece to add a little flair to your space, this junction table is for you. Help conserve precious rainforests & conserve the style of your home while you’re at it. Shop easily online or call one of our friendly customer service reps if you have any questions!

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How Social Media Can Save the Monarchs

October 4, 2014March 12, 2018 Kelsey Eaton Leave a comment

Last updated on March 12th, 2018 at 04:46 pm

Whenever we post about our work with Monarchs, we’ll be using the hashtag #MonarchsVT! (For twitter, FB, etc) Please post your photos, stories, and butterfly inspiration using the same hashtag to raise awareness for this cause!

Monarch Butterflies are incredible. These delicate creatures weigh less than a gram, but travel thousands of miles every year in an extraordinary, multi-generational migration journey. They’re beautiful, well known for their bright orange and black wings, and they are a staple of American childhood. Many school children learn about metamorphosis through watching Monarchs grow from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly. They are one of the most popular butterflies in the world…so why are they dying?

Despite how loved they are, Monarchs are in trouble, and the evidence is everywhere. A few years ago, we’d have these wonderful butterflies all around our gardens and backyards, but this year we’ve only spotted one. Monarch populations have plummeted more than 90% in the last 20 years, and that’s sad news. (Read more about Monarchs and the reason for their disappearance here.)

Milkweed: The Elixr of Life for Monarch Butterflies

But we still have hope.

This is where social media comes in. If you’ve been keeping up with us, you’ve probably noticed an influx of posts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and even Pinterest about our passion for Monarchs. While it’s all good fun to share photos and stories, it’s even more important to raise awareness about this pressing issue.

You can help save the monarchs by getting active and sharing your work on social media! Picking milkweed & planting the seeds or sending them to organizations like Monarch Watch is a great first step. Contacting your local legislators, getting involved with local environmental groups that work to save Monarchs, and writing to your local papers is even better!

We’re on a mission to bring Monarchs back to Vermont, and we hope that you will join us! Use the hashtag #MonarchsVT to share your activity with us, and the world! We’ll always follow you back & re-share. If you need help finding milkweed or seeds, send me an email at kelsey.eaton@vermontwoodsstudios.com and I’ll gladly help you out.

Just get out there and make your voice heard! Together, we can bring back Monarchs. Sign petitions, write to the companies who are responsible for their disappearance, write to your local government, get active! The Monarchs need us now more than ever.

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Monarch Butterflies & Milkweed Restoration

October 2, 2014November 10, 2017 Peggy Farabaugh 4 Comments

Last updated on November 10th, 2017 at 02:08 pm

Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed — *A Monarch butterfly on milkweed. Photo by Elizabeth Howard, founder of Journey North.*

The Mind-Boggling, Magical Journey of a Monarch

Monarch butterflies migrate from Vermont (and other northern regions) 2500 miles south to Mexico every year at this time. In the spring and summer they return- that’s an annual journey of 5000 miles! The butterflies migrate to the exact same tree each and every year. In order to make the trip without literally falling apart, they reproduce 4 times en-route so it’s actually the 4th generation that returns to Mexico every winter.

The Monarch Population is in Free Fall

Last month I wrote about monarchs and the 90% drop in their population over the last few years. “In human-population terms it would be like losing every living person in the United States except those in Florida and Ohio” according to Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. The free fall is largely due to recent decimation of the butterfly’s habitat and food source, milkweed.

Milkweed and Monarch Butterflies | Vernon, Vermont — *I recruited (somewhat skeptical) staff members at Vermont Woods Studios to help collect milkweed seeds. We gathered over 1000 seedpods and separated the seeds from their fuzzy parachutes.*

A Milkweed SeedBank is Born in Vermont

After researching the Monarch’s plight, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try to do something to help. So last weekend I spent much of my time wandering through an empty lot on Rt 142 in Vernon, collecting milkweed seeds. I recruited Dennis, Kelsey and Nina to help me. Realtor, David Berrie of Berrie Real Estate in Newfane, VT owns the lot and he was kind enough to allow us to “take all the milkweed you want!” I think that ended up being about 1000 seedpods. The Nature Institute estimates there are an average of 226 seeds in each milkweed pod so we probably harvested around a quarter of a million seeds. We’ll keep them on hand for awhile in case anyone in the area would like to plant some. Otherwise we’ll donate the seeds to Monarch Watch, an organization that maintains a free milkweed seed bank.

Milkweed Seed Bank at Stonehurst — *Even Pepper pitched in as we worked well into the night hours separating seeds.*

Sowing the Seeds: A Trial Run

Sowing Milkweed Seeds at Malhana Farm — *Annette and Fia helped me with a trial run at Malhana Farm. It was a beautiful Fall day for planting milkweed!*

Annette volunteered to sow milkweed seeds in a couple of her pastures at Malhana farm and I did the same in the meadows at Stonehurst. Now we wait until the spring to see what comes up.

I hope you’ll think the monarch’s mind-boggling, magical phenomenon is worth conserving! Please spread the word and join scientists, conservationists, teachers, road crews and nature lovers in planting milkweed in backyards, gardens, fields and highway medians. Need seeds? Let me know on Facebook, or email me (Peggy@VermontWoodsStudios.com).

To learn more, visit the Journey North website, founded by Elizabeth Howard of Norwich, VT or any of these organizations that are working hard to keep the Monarch alive:

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Create a Cozy Breakfast Nook with Wood Dinette Sets!

September 30, 2014August 15, 2018 Kelsey Eaton Leave a comment

Last updated on August 15th, 2018 at 02:36 pm

Whether you’re sipping on your favorite hot coffee and filling out a crossword puzzle on a rainy weekday, or gathering with your family for eggs & toast on a Sunday morning, a breakfast nook is the perfect place to start your day. There are plenty of ways to create the cozy, comfortable look of a breakfast nook, but we’ve made it even easier. Our solid wood dinette sets are made to upgrade your dining experience from being simply food focused, to having a chic, intimate atmosphere while you relax and enjoy yourself.

Make meals a time that everyone in the family looks forward to all day long by adding one of our small kitchen dinette sets to the mix. Casual dining is a part of every-day life so why not enjoy it in style? Each set is finely crafted in Vermont using sustainably harvested, eco-friendly materials and built to last a lifetime.

Ordering your dinette furniture set together affords you our best discounts and very lowest discount prices. All sets are available in natural solid cherry hardwood and and in a selection of high quality wood stains. Some are also available in maple hardwood. Our new selection of small wood dinette sets, ranging from traditional to modern contemporary, offer something to suit everyone’s needs while providing a versatile seating area.

Browse our dinette sets and create a great place to enjoy your morning breakfast, read a book, or sit down and help your kids with their homework!

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Peggy Farabaugh	Kelsey Eaton	Riley Farabaugh
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