Beautiful Solid Wood Walnut Furniture

I have blogged about walnut furniture before and how the wood is so rare and beautiful.  But, until recently I had never really seen a lot of the finished product.  Last week I traveled to two of our craftamen's workshops and saw some of their walnut items and I fell in love with walnut wood furniture.  Solid wood walnut furniture is just so gorgeous! I saw the item pictured here and just gasped. It was so beautiful and the picture here does not do it justice.  This is our Classic Shaker Large Buffet and Hutch done in walnut and it is breathtaking.  The walnut wood that made this piece was harvested from a sustainable forest so as to not destroy what walnut trees we have left.  Most walnut trees were destroyed in the early American years almost depleting the supply hence the premium price for the wood.  The craftsmen who make this hutch and buffet live and work here in Vermont and practice eco-friendly practices in their workshop.  So, now that I am such a fan of walnut furniture you will be seeing more pieces here in this blog.

Sorry, but if you dont like walnut....why not tell me what is your favorite wood?

Enjoy!

Rebecca
Vermont Woods Studios Furniture

It's All About Great Customer Service From Our Online Furniture Store!

Check out Vermont Woods Studios Eco Blog.  Having a furniture store online is not always easy.  But, our motto here at Vermont Woods Studios is to make sure we give the best customer service possible and make sure your customers are happy with their beautiful eco-friendly furniture.  Read Peggy's blog and see a Jessica's story about her furniture delivery gone slightly awry.

Enjoy!

Rebecca
Vermont Woods Studios

Solid Wood American Made Bed On Sale! Full Size Natural Cherry 20% OFF

You can take advantage of our misfortune.  This bed was ordered by a customer and she ordered the wrong size.  So we have placed it on sale for 20% off! Brand new bed that doesn't have a home. Want to give it a home? This full size Cherry Moon Platform bed is ready for shipment and can be in your home ready for you to enjoy!

Call if you have questions, but this bed will not last long at this price.

Enjoy!

Rebecca

Great Father's Day Gift or Christmas Stocking Stuffer For Him

Yes, I know, not quite as exciting as a tie or socks or whatever it is that you give to the guy who has everything.  How about wooden drink coasters?  They make a great stocking stuffer and are that unique eco-friendly gift that will catch his attention and he will appreciate, even at Father's Day.  And, how about protecting all your table tops during those game day get togethers?  So make it that great Father's Day gift, or a unique men's gift for that masculine birthday or that Christmas or holiday stocking stuffer. 

Enjoy!

Rebecca
Vermont Woods Studios

The Perfect Beach House or Summer Home Furniture

You might even call it Country Cottage chic.....we do!!!

Now is the time that we are all thinking of warm sunny days, tropical breezes and days spent near or on the water. Some of you might even be thinking that the summer home needs a little brightening up and redecorating. If you are, then Vermont Woods Studios Furniture has a line that was made to fit into your summer home decorating dreams.

Even if your home looks like this....

Like this.....

Or even this.....

You might like this.....our Country Cottage 6 Drawer Dresser...

Or this.....our Country Cottage Armoire....

Or maybe this beautiful Country Cottage Night Stand or Side Table....




All of our Country Cottage furniture collection comes in an array of colors that will be sure to fit your elegant warm weather taste and style. If you are looking for that great piece of bedroom or living room furniture that fits in with that beachy, summery, country chic, shabby chic, look and feel then check us out at Vermont Woods Studios Furniture. All our furniture is handcrafted in Vermont by Vermont furniture maker artisans. And all our wood is harvested from forests that are sustainable, meaning that we harvest from "managed" forests, and our finishes are non-toxic. New England quality goes into every piece of furniture, so that your family will be enjoying them for endless summers to come.

Enjoy!

Rebecca

Spring/Summer at Vermont Woods Studios

It is FINALLY warm and beautiful here in Vernon, Vermont and here at Vermont Woods Studios Furniture.  This girl has been wishing and hoping for the warm weather...oh since about last August! So, it's finally here and it's green and gorgeous.  Here are some pics that I took around the house where we work and a few from the horse farm where we have our showroom.  What was I doing outside when I was supposed to be inside working? Hey! I was at lunch! It is hard to stay inside when outside is so sunny and warm after a cold winter. We have been so busy selling our furniture on the internet that we hadn't realized it was spring! It kind of snuck up on us but we are very happy it is here.

Enjoy!

Rebecca

Vermont Woods Studio Corporate Office Spring 2010

Beautiful tree in the front yard of VWS Corporate Office 

Spring flowers in front of the VWS Corporate Office

Dennis, Peggy, Manjula and Brian at the farm where they help

with chores to barter for rent....notice I didn't say we! 

Brian, Peggy and Manjula at the farm.

The newest addition to the farm and his Mama.

These were just so pretty, just had to take a picture. 

Beautiful patch of little violet flowers in front of the office. 

And in that patch of the flowers in the above picture...

this lone little dandelion! I thought he was so cute there

all by his lonesome. 

Watch Us On FOX News

Friday will be a big day for Vermont Woods Studios. Our owner, Peggy, will be featured on the popular show Strategy Room on FOX News. The program is filmed live in New York City, and so it will air this Friday, 5/14/2010. Tune in to see our fearless leader on live television promoting our green mission and showing our lovely, high-end furniture. I know that I, personally, can't wait to see it. If you are unable to catch it live, you can view the episode on their website for a week after the show airs.

HAPPY EARTH DAY

Welcome back to the Milk Crate, and Happy Earth Day. I'm not going to make this a long entry, but just wanted to remind everyone what Earth Day is all about. Earth Day is a day to remind everyone what their responsibility is to the planet. The Earth has given us everything that we have, and will give us everything that we will have. The only problem is, it's been a one way street as far as most are concerned. We have done nothing to give back to the Earth all that we have taken from it, and Earth Day is a day to remember that. If you see a piece of trash on the ground today, pick it up. If you see someone about to throw a glass or plastic bottle away, remind them to recycle it. Don't squander the gifts that Mother Nature has provided for us all. Instead of picking a flower today, plant one. Instead of take out food sold in non-biodegradable containers, buy yourself some fresh fruits and vegetables. Instead of driving around wasting gas today, take a stroll and enjoy the Spring air.
Earth Day only comes once a year, folks, but Vermont Woods Studios is committed to making every day one where we fulfill our commitment to the planet's continued health. All of our furniture is made from wood harvested here in the United States, using sustainable forestry practices. Going "green" is something that all companies seem to be working towards nowadays. We started as a "green" company, and are proud to continue to offer only "green" products, made by local craftspeople.
Enjoy Earth Day, everyone, from all of us here at VWS. Until next time, this is Brian M. signing off. Time for our corporate wellness walk around lovely Vernon, Vermont. I wonder what great discounts we'll dream up on this walk. Check back to find out !

Vermont-Made Furniture Sets .... Matches Made In Heaven

Greetings from Vermont, and welcome back to the Milk Crate. One look at the beautiful picture above, and you can see where our artisans get their inspiration from. Our woodworkers all have their small shops, tucked away in the depths of the mountains here in Vermont. These breathtaking views are something that they get to enjoy on a daily basis and it provides them with the inspiration to create these magnificent, heirloom quality furniture pieces that we offer at Vermont Woods Studios.

Our craftsman do such great work, that we are diligently working each day to think up new and inventive ways to present them to our customers and also ways to make purchasing easier. A recent hiking trip that our owner took provided her with some "divine" inspiration. While looking at this heavenly landscape where thousands of trees seem to be one grassy knoll, where hundreds of hills and valleys become part of one giant mountain, the idea dawned on her. Why not offer entire sets of furniture, rather than one piece at a time, and offer the entire set at a discounted price.

You are probably saying to yourself, this is not a new concept. That much is true, but we are not your typical furniture retailer. We don't sell mass-produced, or assembly line products. Our goods don't come out of a container that was shipped in from overseas. Each piece of our furniture is made to order, meticulously crafted by hand, right here in Vermont. To offer an entire set of this quality of furniture at the discounts that we are now offering is completely unheard of, until now.

Our pieces typically take approximately eight weeks to craft. Our customers are more than willing to wait for their furniture, because they know that their piece is being worked on by skilled professionals and is being given the utmost amount of tender loving care. With these new furniture sets, one might ask, would I now have to wait even longer to receive this order due to the number of pieces involved? The answer is no, and as a matter of fact, you'll actually be able to get the furniture faster than ever.

In our constant monitoring of trends in our business, we see what pieces are the most popular, and compare those figures to the statistics of the craftspeople we represent. We've taken this information and worked out a system that allows the most popular and frequently ordered pieces to be available on a faster turnaround. This means that you get the same hand-crafted, custom-made furniture in half the time, and at the same time you are able to take advantage of deeper discounts then ever before offered by Vermont Woods Studios.

These discounts are truly a godsend, and will certainly have you hoping that our owner goes hiking more frequently. Check out the Dining Room Furniture Sets page on our site today, and check back regularly, as we plan to expand this page in the immediate future. We will also look to put together a Bedroom Furniture Sets page as soon as we have adequate time to review the applicable data. There are also plenty of other pieces on sale at our Furniture On Sale page. Until next time, this is Brian M. signing off from the Milk Crate, wishing you all a heavenly day.

We Don't Make Mistakes....We Make Bargains

As I sit down to write my first entry here on the Milk Crate I feel compelled to tell you that contrary to popular belief, we here at Vermont Woods Studios are not perfect. Like most people, we are susceptible to making a mistake here and there. The difference between our staff and the rest of the mistake making world is simple. Typically, when somebody makes a mistake, it means that rectifying said mistake is going to take a great deal of effort to do. We take a completely different approach here at VWS. Instead of trying to fix mistakes, we let our customer's fix them for us. This may sound like us simply passing the buck, but in actuality, it's hundreds of bucks that we're passing. Let me give you an example.

A natural cherry bed gets ordered in the wrong size from one of our local craftspeople. Rather then going through any issues with returns or credits or anything along those lines, we simply order a new bed in the correct size. This "mistake" is now ready to ship, but to who? This is where our customers come in to play, and how our passing the buck makes problem solving a simple task.

John Q. Customer is browsing our site, and decides to check out the Furniture On Sale page of our website. He is looking for a new bed made from sustainably harvested wood, and was wondering if he could get a great bed, handmade in Vermont, at a discounted price. Call it luck, call it a mistake, call it destiny, call it what you will, but the bed we ordered in the incorrect size is just the right size for him. This new customer now not only gets a beautiful bed, made right here in the Green Mountain State, at a discounted price AND gets to circumvent the 7-10 week crafting time on an heirloom quality piece of this nature. He doesn't get to customize the piece, but he doesn't need to. He doesn't want to wait 9-14 weeks for delivery, and guess what, he doesn't have to. In addition to all these benefits, he also gets to save a few hundred dollars off the retail price. Boy, don't you wish we made more mistakes !?!?!?

The fact is, these types of errors do not happen very often. We take our ordering process very seriously here at Vermont Woods Studios because our customers are entrusting us with their dreams. You visualize your home and the way you'd like it to look, and then you call us to make those dreams into a reality with custom built, hardwood furniture, that is built to last a lifetime. We pride ourselves on being able to perform this service for our customers, but the fact remains, we're only human. We urge you to take advantage of our mistakes and capitalize on the discounts that our mistakes bring about. Bookmark the Furniture On Sale page of our site and check it regularly. Not only do these "mistakes" wind up there, but we're constantly offering selections from our catalog of hand-crafted hardwood furniture at discounted prices. All of our prices include white-glove shipping and setup in your home, something you will not find from other furniture retailers.

Look for more posts here on the Milk Crate in the future from me, Brian M, regarding any and all new developments on the Vermont Woods Studios horizon. We're constantly evolving and changing the way we service our customers and I will be sharing these changes with you through this blog, so stay tuned.

Handmade Furniture: Top Ten Reasons To Buy It

Why should you purchase handmade/handcrafted furniture? I asked myself that same question after having just moved from Florida and moved into my new place in Vermont, and having NO furniture since I had sold it all before the move. After all, I hadn't purchased nice furniture in the last few years because I knew I was moving. So nothing I had would be what I would call....worth keeping. So, now I have a whole new outlook on buying nice furniture instead of running around to yardsales, not that there are any here this time of year, but now I want pieces that are going to last me for a long time. That may mean spending more but in the long run I will be saving money since the nicer pieces will last longer. I cannot tell you how many bookshelves I have bought from Walmart and they fall apart in the next year! Ugh! No more cheap stuff.

1. Handcrafted does not always mean expensive. I have seen some furniture pieces that are mass produced and they are not that much less then the handcrafted!
2. A lot of handcrafted/handmade furniture can be adjusted/custom made to fit YOUR specifications. Try asking Ikea to make your dining table the size you want.
3. Most classic furniture makers use "REAL" wood for their furniture. Tons of mass produced furniture is made from different types of particle boards.
4. When you are talking about handcrafting furniture, there are quality standards that tend to be upheld with the furniture artisan. Meaning they take tons of pride in their craft.
5. So, when talking quality furniture - one of those things is the mortise and tennon joinery used in making the furniture.
6. Also, when talking quality furniture - the furniture makers use true dovetails when making their drawers - this is a sign of quality.
7. Using high end hardware, for drawers and pulls.
8. Using real wood, preferably sustainable wood, instead of particle boards.
9. I think using natural, non-toxic furniture finishes are also a mark of quality.
10. And, I think the most important thing, these pieces last FOREVER if taken care of. These are furniture desks, beds, chests, hutches that you pass down to your children....or if you dont have children your family members fight over once you are gone. :)

So, when you are in need of a new piece of furniture, think of what I've said above and buy a true piece of handcrafted furniture. You won't regret it.

Enjoy!

Rebecca

Heart Shaped Valentine Chairs | Rebecca's Pick

Check out Vermont Woods Studio's red Heart Shaped Valentine Chairs just in time for Valentine's Day!  Give your honey his/her hearts desire with something unique and eclectic for your home.  Great conversation pieces to be placed in a foyer, hallway or as an accent to any room.  Handcrafted of figured maple hardwood with vervety red upholstery with painted red accents.  You can pick your choice of wood and the color of your upholstery.  Created by Vermont furniture maker Steve Holman.

For the luxury home with fabulous, funky style!

Enjoy!

Rebecca

Modern Shaker Style Furniture | Beautiful In It's Simplicity

If you like curves and ornate decoration on your furniture then the Shaker style is not for you.  Known for it's clean, straight lines and simplistic functionality, modest yet beautiful, Shaker furniture is unlike other furniture styles. 

Shaker Furniture: History

The Shakers were a Christian denomination that came to America from Europe in the 1700's to practice religious freedom.  They are called shakers because of the way they would "shake" during religious services.  Practicing modesty simplicity and efficiency.  The Shaker community has actually almost died out.  There are only four Shakers left in the country since the Shakers practiced celibacy.   Their numbers only increased due to taking in and adopting children, which was declaired unlawful in the 60's, making their numbers dwindle. But, because of their celibate lifestyle, the Shakers kept their hands and minds free from sin by practicing manual skills like carpentry.  This led to a high degree of craft and dexterity, and it shows in their furniture. They are especially known for their simplistic furniture style.

Shaker Furniture:  Modern Styling

Shaker furniture has had a huge impact on the modern furniture movement, and it's influences can be seen through many contemporary designers today.  Keeping in the Shaker tradition and the modern furniture look, the furniture is simple, straight lines, minimalistic style.  Modern furniture makers are keeping up the tradition of the Shakers with handmade, fine furniture made with hardwoods. 

Like other fine wood furniture, shaker furniture uses the traditional tenon and mortise joinery, dovetailing, and fitting pieces of wood together. There will not find screws, nails, or braces anywhere on a well built piece of Shaker furniture. Actually,  shaker chairs are not known for their wood frames, but for their carefully woven seats. It's a unique trait that sets Shaker style chairs and Shaker dining sets apart from many other custom furniture building styles.


Vermont Woods Studios keeps up the Shaker tradition with wonderful handmade Shaker Style Furniture.  With four Shaker furniture collections to choose from you are sure to find the perfect furniture addition to your home.  

Choose from:

American Shaker Furniture
Vermont Shaker Furniture
Classic Shaker Furniture
New England Shaker Furniture

Shaker Style furniture is considered by many a the only American Style furniture.  Our furniture is made from sustainable hardwoods in and from Vermont by Vermont fine furniture makers, keeping with the Shaker furniture making tradition, everything made by hand and made to exacting detail and standards.  Which just happens to be a New England standard as well.

Enjoy!

Rebecca




 

Reasons To Buy American Made Furniture From Vermont

In this day and age, as Americans we really all need to take a look at what we are doing when it comes to how and where we spend our money! A lot of us are struggling to make ends meet, and we are picky where we spend our money, and usually it's whatever is cheapest. But, we all need to take a look at that! Now look, I'm all for saving money, but we have millions of people out of work in this country and families are ending up on the streets. What kind of America is that? So, I know I am starting to sound like one of those wacko people who spouts "down" with everyone else and "up" with us, but it's not like that. I just want to make you think of a few things the next time you reach for your wallet to purchase something, for example furniture:

1. You are buying a quality piece of furniture that will last generations. Imagine purchasing your last dresser in your lifetime, and then being able to pass it along to a family member, and it lasting for their lifetime.
   
2. If you purchase from Vermont Woods Studios, you are purchasing a piece of furniture that is custom handmade in Vermont by artisan furniture makers in small studios, usually just one person with maybe an apprentice or family member helping them.
   
3. Our furniture makers only use non-toxic finishes.
4. If you have a problem with an imported piece of furniture, just try calling them to get help. There is sometimes a language barrier that makes these things more difficult.
5. All the furniture our artisans produce is from either reclaimed wood or wood from sustainable wood from managed forests.
6. We have a community of eco- friendly artisan furniture makers and environmentalists dedicated not only to beauty and quality in our craft, but also to the preservation of our natural environment, which is Vermont Woods Studios Mission.
7. Our furniture is amazingly affordable considering the high quality.
8. Once a job goes overseas it rarely comes back, so you are keeping more jobs local then sending them out of the country.
9. The more US manufacturing fades, future generations of Americans will not be able to find jobs at a livable wage.
10. So just remember...when you are purchasing from a family in America and not China, it means that this family in America might just be supporting where you work, or a product you produce....making it possible for you to keep your job.

Enjoy!

Rebecca

Top Ten History And Facts About Cherry Wood Furniture

When I started working here at Vermont Woods Studios, I really had not put much thought into fine wood furniture. I was into fashion and shoes more than the cherry wood bed I slept in. So, as time went on, and I started listening to Peggy and learned more about the Vermont Woods Studios' Mission, I got hooked! So, I will be talking about the sustainably harvested wood that our Vermont fine furniture makers use, and the things I find interesting about them, and what makes what we do here so special. Today is about cherry wood furniture. All I can hope for is that you find them interesting too. Feel free to add what you like for a comment!

1. Cherry wood has been used for furniture as early as 400 BC by the Greeks and Romans.
2. Early Colonial furniture makers called cherry "New England Mohogany" due to it's darkening color with age, similar to mahogany.
3. The heartwood of the cherry tree varies in color from pinkish, when first cut, to rich red to reddish brown and darkens with age.
4. The sapwood of the cherry tree, in contrast, is creamy white in color.
5. Black cherry is called a variety of names - rum cherry, choke cherry, whiskey cherry and wild cherry.
6. Small natural mineral deposits in cherry furniture can often be desirable, giving each piece it's uniqueness.
7. The grain of the cherry tree is desired by furniture makers because it has unique ripple figures, is straight and satiny, it takes a finish well and is easy to work with.
8. Cherry wood furniture has a beautiful, lustrous finish and is actually satiny to the touch.
9. Cherry has characteristics that make it perfect for fine furniture, it's strong, moderately hard and has excellent shock resistance. Early printmakers even used cherry wood for their printing blocks!
10. Black cherry trees grow throughout the Midwest to Eastern U.S. - average tree height is 60-80 feet and extreme ages of trees can reach 150 to 200 years.

All the cherry wood used by Vermont Woods Studios artisan furniture makers is harvested from forests that use sustainable practices, so we are not contributing to decimating forests for our furniture.

I had so much fun writing this post! I found so many fascinating facts about cherry wood that I will have to do another posting soon to include all the cool cherry wood facts I didn't include in this post.

Enjoy!

Rebecca