Vermont Made Furniture | A History

Final up to date on October seventeenth, 2022 at 05:11 pm

250 Years of Woodworking and Furnishings Making in Vermont

Final 12 months we had a lot curiosity from clients in regards to the historical past of Vermont made furnishings, we began an encyclopedia of types.  Do you know that Vermont furnishings making historical past may be traced again to the seventeenth century?  And by the 18th century virtually each city in Vermont had woodworkers making furnishings, instruments and utensils.

Wooden merchandise grew to become the one most necessary manufacturing business in Vermont in the course of the nineteenth century.  It was then that Vermont made furnishings and wooden merchandise started their lengthy historical past of export to clients everywhere in the U.S. and overseas.  Wooden furnishings, picket reducing boards and bowls, bowling pins, baskets, drumsticks, toys, musical devices, golf tees, cheese containers, picket dolls, gun racks, Scrabble tiles, snowshoes, garments pins, and picket transport containers have been (and proceed to be) all merchandise of a thriving Vermont woodworking business.

Forest To Furnishings

Maybe the most important contributor to a rising tremendous furnishings business 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tree species that have been 6 ft in diameter and as excessive as thirteen-story buildings; some greater than 300 years outdated.  Wooden created an id for a lot of Vermont cities that grew to become identified 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 supplied 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 fashionable traits and tastes. House owners of the mills and factories grew to become group leaders who took duty for the industrial and civic progress of their cities.

Notable Vermont Woodworkers and Furnishings Makers

Craftsmen hailing from Wilmington, Norwich, Middlebury, Shaftsbury, Rutland, Charlotte, Putney and Bennington have been among the many grasp craftsmen of 18th and nineteenth century Vermont.  Some distinguished luxurious, customized furnishings makers of the time embrace:   George Stedman of Norwich, Vermont, c. 1800-20,  Asahel (b. 1759) and Martin (1778-c. 1830) Cheney of Putney, Vermont, 1798-1803, Hastings Warren (1779-1845), of Middlebury, Vermont and Levi Pitkin (1774-1854) of Montpelier, Vermont, c. 1800.  Their work adorned the properties and places of work of the world’s wealthy and well-known.

H.T. Cushman Furnishings in North Bennington, VT was some of the distinguished furnishings corporations in America, opening their colonial furnishings enterprise in 1892 and exporting from Vermont to the remainder of the US and abroad. Vermont Tubbs and Manchester Wooden have been two different corporations that led the furnishings making business in Vermont in direction of the ecosystem of gifted craftsmen that it’s now.

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, however it was struggling to show a revenue.

Vermont Tubbs furnishings operated largely 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 identified for top of the range craftsmanship, strong wooden building, and conventional designs.

Be taught extra about Vermont Tubbs.

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 Normal Industries in 1964 by Corridor W. Cushman, the third technology 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.

Be taught extra about HT Cushman.

Manchester Wooden (1976-2018)

Manchester Wooden was based in 1976 and spent 42 years manufacturing strong 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 identified for constructing high-quality, strong wooden furnishings. The preferred merchandise have been mission type bookcases and couch tables, adirondack chairs, and folding desks and tray tables. It was a multi-generation household enterprise.

Be taught extra about Manchester Wooden.

Copeland Furnishings

Copeland Furnishings is one in every of Vermont’s most recognizable high-end furnishings manufacturers. Since 1976, Tim Copeland and his household have been constructing a fame for world-class furnishings in a wide range of crisp, clear designs.

Primarily based in Bradford, Vermont, Copeland makes a speciality of mid-century fashionable wooden furnishings. In their very own phrases, Copeland calls their furnishings “transitional. Neither strictly up to date nor conventional however fairly a mix of components that incorporate basic proportion with fashionable simplicity.”

Be taught extra about Copeland Furnishings.

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 mother and father 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 reduce down on the household farm and milled domestically.

Lyndon now employs over 100 craftsmen in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Their furnishings is made with actual strong wooden and constructed to final a lifetime after which some.

Be taught extra about Lyndon Furnishings.

Maple Nook Woodworks

Robin Chase, the founder and grasp craftsman at Maple Nook Woodworks, is a real visionary in terms of furnishings design. It’s simple to see how this quaint workshop nestled in small-town Vermont persistently produces a few of the most interesting furnishings made anyplace on the earth.

Striving in direction of and adhering to the best requirements in high quality, consistency, and design, Robin’s creations are uniquely his personal. Many contemplate Robin a generational woodworking expertise, and it isn’t unusual for us to fill a whole home filled with his work.

Be taught extra about Maple Nook Woodworks.

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.

Be taught extra about Vermont Furnishings Designs.

The place To View or Buy Vermont Vintage Furnishings

Vintage sellers all through the Inexperienced Mountain State show relics of the early Vermont furnishings business.  The Shelburne Museum, Bennington Museum and Skinner Auctioneers have not too long ago showcased Vermont made furnishings collections and items from the 18th and nineteenth centuries.   Take a look at the Vermont Wooden Producer’s Affiliation web site for additional details about the historical past of woodworking in Vermont.

Have info or tales so as to add to our Vermont Furnishings Encyclopedia?  Ship feedback within the part under or put up on our Fb web page.  We’ll replace the encyclopedia together with your enter.