Vermont’s legacy in nice furnishings making spans over 250 years. At Vermont Woods Studios, we’re proud to be a part of that custom—supporting native craftsmanship and sustainable forestry by each piece we promote. The story of Vermont made furnishings is a testomony to resilience, innovation, and timeless design.
From the Forest to Fantastic Furnishings
Vermont’s furniture-making roots hint again to the seventeenth century. By the 18th century, almost each city had native craftsmen constructing furnishings, instruments, and utensils. By the nineteenth century, wooden merchandise had change into Vermont’s most essential manufacturing trade, with exports spreading throughout the U.S. and overseas.
Merchandise like picket bowls, furnishings, toys, golf tees, and musical devices flourished—showcasing Vermont’s woodworking talent and ample sources.
The Function of the Inexperienced Mountain Forest
Maybe the largest contributor to a rising nice furnishings trade was the Inexperienced Mountain Forest which lined 90% of Vermont within the 1760s. Within the 1700s Vermont contained in depth forests of varied tree species that had been 6 ft in diameter and as excessive as thirteen-story buildings; some greater than 300 years previous. Wooden created an id for a lot of Vermont cities that grew to become recognized for logging, lumber mills, and a steady succession of wooden merchandise producers.
Woodworking Constructed Many Vermont Communities
In some cities, the Vermont made furnishings and wooden industries offered earnings for almost all of the inhabitants. Know-how and merchandise modified with the instances to extend manufacturing and effectivity, meet market demand, and capitalize on in style traits and tastes. Homeowners of the mills and factories grew to become neighborhood leaders who took accountability for the business and civic development of their cities.
Notable Vermont Woodworkers and Furnishings Makers
- George Stedman (Norwich, c. 1800–1820)
- Asahel & Martin Cheney (Putney, late 1700s–early 1800s)
- Hastings Warren (Middlebury, 1779–1845)
- Levi Pitkin (Montpelier, 1774–1854)
Vermont Tubbs (1840-2013)
Vermont Tubbs was based in 1840 and spent near 170 years manufacturing wooden furnishings in Brandon, VT. Within the early 2000’s, the corporate was producing an estimated $16 million per 12 months and employed 250+ individuals, but it surely was struggling to show a revenue. Vermont Tubbs furnishings operated principally as a wholesale enterprise, promoting swaths of furnishings to retail shops everywhere in the nation, together with LL Bean, Jordan’s Furnishings, Bloomingdales, Restoration {Hardware}, and Crate & Barrel. The model was recognized for top of the range craftsmanship, stable wooden building, and conventional designs.
HT Cushman Manufacturing Firm (1886-1980)
The H.T. Cushman Manufacturing Firm was based in 1886 and spent near 100 years constructing furnishings in Bennington, Vermont. The corporate started by constructing coat racks, pencil containers, hat hangers, and extra, however quickly grew to become well-known for his or her furnishings. The enterprise was offered to Basic Industries in 1964 by Corridor W. Cushman, the third era of the Cushman household to handle the enterprise. In 1971 the ability was offered to Inexperienced Mountain Furnishings Co, which subsequently went out of enterprise in 1980.
Manchester Wooden (1976-2018)
Manchester Wooden was based in 1976 and spent 42 years manufacturing stable wooden furnishings within the state of Vermont. At its peak, the corporate was producing $8-12 million per 12 months in income and employed near 200 individuals. The founder, Clifford “Cliff” Pierce, constructed Manchester Wooden right into a multi-million greenback enterprise by promoting in bulk to retailers throughout the nation. He had over 300 wholesale shoppers together with LL Bean, Crate & Barrel, JC Penney, Sears, Pottery Barn, Macy’s, and extra. The enterprise was recognized for constructing high-quality, stable wooden furnishings. The most well-liked merchandise had been mission type bookcases and couch tables, adirondack chairs, and folding desks and tray tables. It was a multi-generation household enterprise.
Copeland Furnishings
Copeland Furnishings is considered one of Vermont’s most recognizable high-end furnishings manufacturers. Since 1976, Tim Copeland and his household have been constructing a popularity for world-class furnishings in a wide range of crisp, clear designs. Primarily based in Bradford, Vermont, Copeland makes a speciality of mid-century trendy wooden furnishings. In their very own phrases, Copeland calls their furnishings “transitional. Neither strictly modern nor conventional however somewhat a mix of parts that incorporate traditional proportion with trendy simplicity.”
Lyndon Furnishings
The story of Lyndon Furnishings is pretty much as good a mirrored image of the historical past and values of Vermont as you’ll discover anyplace. After Dave Allard graduated highschool in 1976, he started engaged on his household farm. He constructed his first few items of furnishings in a home that he constructed himself for his dad and mom to maneuver into. After furnishing that home, he set his sights on constructing a brand new workshop. He constructed his first woodworking store in Lyndon, VT from timber he minimize down on the household farm and milled regionally. Lyndon now employs over 100 craftsmen in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Their furnishings is made with actual stable wooden and constructed to final a lifetime after which some.
Maple Nook Woodworks
Robin Chase, the founder and grasp craftsman at Maple Nook Woodworks, is a real visionary in relation to furnishings design. It’s straightforward to see how this quaint workshop nestled in small-town Vermont constantly produces a few of the best furnishings made anyplace on the planet. Striving in direction of and adhering to the very best requirements in high quality, consistency, and design, Robin’s creations are uniquely his personal. Many think about Robin a generational woodworking expertise, and it isn’t unusual for us to fill a complete home stuffed with his work.
Vermont Furnishings Designs
Based by grasp craftsman Arthur Weitzenfeld in 1970 and now co-owned by his research Adam Blaisdell and Rob Bachand, Vermont Furnishings Designs produces a few of the highest high quality furnishings within the state.
The place to Discover Vintage Vermont Furnishings
Vintage outlets and museums throughout Vermont, together with the Shelburne Museum and Bennington Museum, frequently characteristic historic furnishings from the area. Skinner Auctioneers and different sellers often checklist Vermont-made antiques. Go to the Vermont Wooden Producer’s Affiliation to be taught extra.
Carry On the Custom with Vermont Woods Studios
At Vermont Woods Studios, we honor the historical past of Vermont furnishings by partnering with right this moment’s finest native craftsmen. Our collections are sustainably made, constructed to final, and fantastically designed. Discover our stable wooden furnishings collections and change into a part of this centuries-old custom.
