The green movement has taken over the furniture industry. It has come with a few misconceptions about what green furniture actually is. Most people are surprised to learn that green furniture can be made of wood. Sure, there is the recycled material made from bottles and cans. For those who love the look of real wood, there are two options: reclaimed or sustainable wood.

What is Reclaimed Wood?

Reclaimed wood is lumber from an existing structure that is made into a piece of furniture. This makes reclaimed wood a recycled product.  Any wood that is sturdy, but no longer needed in its original structure can be reclaimed. Many people love the character that the wood has, with its nail holes, nicks, and scuffs collected over time. Theses features are often the most charming and appealing to customers.  The eco-friendly quality is just a plus.

The Sustainable Wood Option

Another green, real wood furniture choice is sustainable wood. When loggers chop down trees for sustainable wood they plant more trees in its place.  This ensures that the forest will continue to thrive long after the loggers leave. Sustainable wood is also harvested using methods that are both eco-friendly and that will promote future tree growth.

You’ll know your furniture was made from sustainable wood with a certification of verification.  A certificate verifying that the wood was harvested in a sustainable manner accompanies the furniture.

Eco-Friendly Materials

In addition to real wood, eco-friendly furniture must be manufactured with green materials. This means:

• No petroleum based upholstery
• Use of non-toxic glue
• Finishing with water based paint or stain.

Come Back to Wood

Now you know that going green doesn’t mean giving up the durable handcrafted furniture that you love. Buying reclaimed or sustainable woods made of eco-friendly materials is a way to reduce your carbon footprint on the earth, while also remaining comfortable and fashionable.

The revolution has begun.  Organizations across the United States are encouraging their communities to “Think Local”.  As we heard numerous times in the past year, the economic recovery will come on Main Street, not Wall Street.  As such, local business leaders have taken up the banner in support of their locally-owned, independent businesses.  Many small, urban centers, such as those in Washtenaw County are dedicated to strengthening their local economy.

Think Local First – Washtenaw County

Our local advocate group is called, “Think Local First” and operates out of Ann Arbor, MI.  As the group tells us on their website, “Our mission is to support and cultivate locally-owned, independent businesses in Washtenaw County, Michigan that are committed to making our community a healthier and more vibrant place to live”.  Grand Rapids is also fortunate enough to be involved with a locally-sustainable organization called Local First Grand Rapids.  Given the state of Michigan’s marketplace, buying local has never been more important to a self-sustaining economy.

Local Purchases Are an Investment

The Stats

For those looking for reasons to shrug online purchases, we highly recommend Michael H.Shuman’s book Going Local. According to his calculations, when you spend $100 at local businesses, $73 stays within the local economy. Compare that to the $43 that remains if the original $100 is spent with a national chain and you see how quickly a vibrant community like Ann Arbor can become unstable.

Does It Help?

The Andersonville Study of Retail Economics produced by the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce concluded 4 critical points in 2004:

1. Local merchants generate substantially greater economic impact than chain firms.
2. Replacement of local businesses with chains will reduce the overall vigor of the local economy.
3. Changes in consumer spending habits can generate substantial local economic impact.
4. Great care must be taken to ensure that public policy decisions do not inadvertently disadvantage locally owned businesses.  Indeed, it may be in the best interests of communities to institute policies that directly protect them.

Without getting too technical, residents can easily understand how the “Think Local” movement can help their community.  By raising community awareness and encouraging shoppers to buy from their neighborhood shops, capital stays within the banks and businesses in their neighborhood.  Business owners then reinvest this capital in their operations and spend revenue at other local establishments.  Rather than a typical expenditure, thinking/buying local is an investment.

We’re in This Together

Think Local First of Washtenaw County began initial discussions in 2003 concerning the shared belief that strong communities begin with businesses that are a part of the fabric of our community.  Since 2006, this organization has been under its current label.

Amish Tables Growing in AA

Companies and businesses all over Ann Arbor are jumping aboard the Think Local Movement…and so are we!  We are dedicated to providing local customers the best shopping experience and results.  This mission has led to a brand new showroom opening at the end of the month.   Amish-Furniture-Home.com is just one of our family of sites that we at Amish Tables, LLC have put together to serve our customers more accurately. Please look for the Amish Tables showroom opening at 4844 Jackson Rd #100 in Ann Arbor, MI.

Like many businesses these days, we spurred initial success through a dedicated online presence.  As our family of sites continues to grow, we are bringing the success to the community. Rather than keep the business as electronic only, our new showroom is a commitment to the Washtenaw Community.

Small Steps, Big Solutions

The economic climate in our state is depressing; no doubt about that.  But in times of despair and gloom, groups like Think Local First are providing hope.  Like numerous clichés point out, big problems often take many small solutions.  Think Local First and the businesses of Washtenaw County must recognize the significance of a joint effort.  When money is tight, it’s easy to hunt for the lowest prices online or at the “big box” retailers.  But in the long term, a concerted effort to support our neighbors and independent businesses will benefit everyone.

The American parlor was once a staple in large homes. The room was used for visiting with guests, and for hosting funeral wakes (or viewings), weddings and receptions. Despite its various uses, the parlor became associated with death and mourning. The room’s formal décor only helped to perpetuate this pairing of parlors and death.

The Furniture

This formal room usually held the family piano, upright chairs to accommodate guests and sofas that matched the chairs. A table, small figurines or statues and a few works of art completed the room. The typical American parlor was the most elegant room in the house and usually held the most expensive furniture pieces.

The Rise of the Living Room

As the 19th century rolled into the 20th, many people could not afford the matching furniture, large piano or even a room that was used only for special occasions. There was an issue of waste in an era when luxuries were scarce (two world wars and The Great Depression). In addition, families began to turn away from the parlor’s associations with death.

The Parlor Transition

Sitting room furnishings were much less formal than those found in the parlor. They included sewing machine, fireplace and less elegant or expensive furnishings like the wooden rocking chair and upholstered chair or two, area rug for the children and a small table or two. The room also contained the family library in the form of a series of bookshelves or an actual bookcase. This facilitated the family’s gravitation toward the room.

The User-Friendly Living Room

The introduction of the television into the American household made the sitting room a place for the family to congregate more often. It became more convenient to let the children bring in their toys. Meals were even eaten in this room, like the TV dinner, smaller meals or snacks that were consumed in front of the television.

Furniture took on a more comfortable character. Fabrics became more durable to accommodate the increased use. Reclining chairs began to appear on the furniture scene. By the 1980’s, formality had been replaced by function. The sitting room had become the living room. Comfort had won out over formality.

A Resurrection?

The television shouldn’t bear the brunt of the blame for the death of the American parlor. The culprit isn’t even the funeral image of the early parlors. Instead, the desire for a parlor declined as convenience overcame formality in American society.

The idea of “wasted space” is an interior design concept that grew out of this move toward convenience or user-friendliness. It is used to describe rooms, and furnishings, that aren’t used by the home’s occupants and thus serve no purpose in the modern home. However, the parlor may stage a revival in the future as homeowners buy, and look to restore, old 19th century homes. The American parlor may rise from the dead in the long run.

Everything in your home has some sort of pattern or texture and is a color. The chances are high that you selected your custom Amish built furniture’s specifications based on what you liked about the color of the stain and the grain or pattern of the wood. These elements play together to give each piece, and then eventually each room, its overall appearance.

If you didn’t consider these elements when decorating your home, perhaps now is the time to take a moment to learn how important textures and colors are in building the environment you wish to live in. The impact of pattern, texture and color is enormous and can be used to play up a room’s best features, but when incorrectly used,they can accent a room’s flaws. Used skillfully, you can use these elements to fool the eye of the beholder.

Textures & Patterns

Color use is an easier skill to acquire than the knowledge of patterns and texture usage. A simple tip is the size of the pattern should match the size of the room. If you’re looking to be bold, mix patterns to add interest to your design. Textures can also create the perceived desire to touch and create a whole new dimension in your room.

The textures we choose also affect our perceptions of the color in the theme. Different textures reflect light differently and cause us to perceive color to be varying in shades because of light and shadows. It can actually add a new depth to your color scheme.

Color

Room Size

You can make a room appear bigger or smaller than it is by using proper color techniques. In the case of a small apartment, educating oneself on the tricks of color can help you to feel as if you have more space. Color is the most cost effective decorating tool in your bag of tricks. Color is associated with moods and can literally affect you psychologically. Remember that darker colors create warmth and coziness while light colors promote a breezier and open space.

Get Cozy

In a large room color can actually draw the room in, creating a cozier setting. A ceiling painted only a shade lighter than its walls and floor coverings creates the illusion of a much higher ceiling. To draw in a disproportionately high ceiling simply bring the ceiling’s color down to the picture level. This trick lengthens the walls and appears to bring the ceiling closer.

Decorate Boldly

Everything you do can be corrected or changed, so it is alright to be brave. However, keep in mind that your room is the backdrop for the things you love, such as your Amish solid wood heirloom designs. The colors and patterns should never overshadow the furniture or important collections in the home.

 Coffee tables are a common place piece of home furnishings in almost every established home today. Consumers never stop to think about why we buy them or when did home owners decide it was necessary to use a table for serving and enjoying coffee in the family common room. Obviously coffee furnishings did not come in to vogue until coffee did.

Long before the drink was popular in England and then in the New World it was highly regarded by the Ethiopians and the Muslims. Brought to Europe via Italy and then the East India Company, coffee initially was frowned upon by the church. Although the church prohibited it and in some countries women were banned from coffeehouses eventually coffee became a worldwide recognized beverage of choice for socializing. Along with the need for furniture other items came in to the marketplace for the making and serving of coffee, such as coffee sets, coffee makers and coffee tins.

Coffee tins are one of the prized possessions of collectors of coffee memorabilia, kitchen collectibles and advertising collectibles. There are over 1300 known designs; most chromolithographed. With the phenomenon of coffee houses and coffee shops the collectibility of coffee tins has also risen for businesses as well as home owners.

 Packaged tins of already roasted coffees became more popular as the the process became better in the late 1800’s. Still, coffee in tins could not be guaranteed to be fresh because they were not airtight. With the invention of vacuum packaging in 1903 by Hills Brothers. Coffee tins could now be trusted to be air tight and fresh for weeks. By 1920 even Folgers was using vacuum packing and the world was brewing a more convenient cup of coffee.

If you would like to stock your Amish built bookcases, shelves or hutches with your favorite coffee collectible here are a few tips:

Like any collectible, condition is key. Avoid rust, dents, scratches that are more than wear and tear.

• Paper labels that are not written on and intact are desired.
• Unopened cans are more desirable than opened ones but if it is opened be sure you have a matching lid.
• If you can choose then choose the cans with the best graphics. Chromolithographed, graphics with many colors, are more desired than tins with only one or two colors.
• With so many tins to choose from many collectors prefer to focus on one region to fill their custom shelves and cabinets with.

Can furniture be a wise investment? Even in a slow economy? According to the Kovels website data gatherers number three of the Top Twenty most sought after searches in July 2009 was indeed furniture. The Kovels are considered the leading expert in collectibles and antiques and not only publish the most sought after price guides but now, thanks to the internet, are able to accumulate data in real time based on the results of hundreds of thousands of searches that take place on its website daily.

Furniture has actually held in the top twenty all year while many other collectibles have fallen off drastically. While the small decorative items labeled Occupied Japan remain on top, people are still seeking to identify, find, purchase and sell large items like furniture. Summer time can cause decorators and collectors alike to seek out garden or rustic outdoor themed pieces. Pairing antiques and your Amish designs can give your home a whimsical garden theme.  Rustic furniture made of natural materials, native hardwoods and designed in organic shapes became popular in camps and gardens in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Amish builders craft hickory in to highly sought after furniture that brings the feeling of nature indoors.

Pieces featuring the organic look of log designs like the Lumberjack Hickory bed will remain a family heirloom. Benches, chairs and tables with accents reminding you of bent twigs and roots mimic the Adirondack themes of the Great Camps at the turn of the last century. Original bent twigs chairs sold at a recent Kamelot auction in Philadelphia for $1,230 but the Hickory King chair can be yours and usable for half that. This design theme has held its own for many decades and still remains a top searched furniture item on a top collector’s website, just as the Amish solid wood furniture at Amish-Furniture-Home.com is the number one custom furniture website on any search of fine heirlooms to invest in during any economy.

 The pairing up of a Slow Food event and your Amish custom dining room is a perfect marriage. Slow Food vs. Fast Food is more than a passing idea; for some it is truly a way of life and a way of eating. The Slow Food movement began by Carlo Petrini in Italy has went global at the grassroots level now including 100,000 members in 132 countries. An idea conceived by Petrini’s disdain for the fast food industry consuming our meal time there is now thousands of members around the world. The entire movement, a rebellion against highly processed and quickly devoured meals is not unlike the movement of the 1800’s fathered by William Morris against the mass produced furniture that was overtaking the ostentatious Victorians. Like Morris and his compatriots, Petrini wanted to enjoy the process and the pleasure of the product while ensuring a commitment to community as well as the environment.

The Slow Food movement goes to the root of the love food, quite literally. They feel that in order to preserve the cultural cuisine we must preserve the food plants as well as seeds. They also believe that the domesticated food animals are included in that preservation. Slow Food lovers have formed and are sustaining seed banks that are storing heirloom seeds that may otherwise be lost. The idea of farming within an ecoregion is a big part of the belief system. Like the great orator William Morris speaking out for artisan and craftsmanship in furniture during the Arts and Crafts Movement, the Slow Food movement has local leaders who are responsible for promoting local artisans, local farmers, and local flavors through regional events like wine tastings, and farmers’ markets.

Besides preserving the seeds and the animals used in preparing a Slow Food meal the philosophy of the members is that we should be preserving and promoting local and traditional food products, along with their stories or lore and their preparation. They even host celebrations of local cuisine within each region. They also promote the art of eating quality food and educate consumers on the high risk involved in consuming fast foods. They also help educate consumers on the facts about commercial agriculture and “factory farming” with the high rate of hormones and the environmental impacts.

An heirloom quality solid Native hardwood table created by Amish craftsmen is the perfect place to host a Convivium a Casa. These events bring small groups of the movement’s local membership together to enjoy the pleasure of each others company in the intimacy of a host home. Here they share in the preparation and joys of a fine meal at a fine table. Each host a Convivium a Casa decides on how many people they would like to invite. Small groups of perhaps 6 to 10 people do allow for a more comfortable evening of conversation and fellowship. As a host, you get the honor of setting the menu and plans for the evening, although you can enlist the help of those who will be attending. Attendees and the host do provide the food for potlucks or do absorb or split all costs if not. By determining the format and the costs in advance it will allow members to know how much the event will cost.

 The Amish arrived in America around 1730. A group of the descendants of the Anabaptists, which include Amish and Mennonites, settled near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  William Penn had began a ‘holy experiment’ in religious tolerance and welcomed these European immigrants. Although the most popularized, the Pennsylvania Amish are not the largest group of U.S. In fact there are Amish living in as many as twenty-four states, Canada, and Central America. Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio do have more than two-thirds of the Amish population.

Today’s Amish communities are as entrepreneurial as the Shakers, helping to support and build their communities using their gifts as honest artisans. The world appreciates the unique custom designs that contrast so obviously from the mass produced disposable furniture offered in most showrooms today. These solid wood designs are premium heirlooms that showcase the integrity of a community very much like their brothers and sisters in the Shaker villages.

Like the Shakers the Amish live every part of their life based on religious principles. This includes the quality of their work, whether at home or in the workshop. Today the Amish wood worker in Northern Indiana crafts the same designs with the same quality of materials and skill as their ancestors. The same principles and beliefs held by the earliest Shaker furniture designer and builder are still honored by the Amish woodworker. With traditional designs like the traditional Burlington table or the neatly lined Bungalow chifferobe, chest, bed, dresser and nightstand you can bring the same warm style to your home.

 Historians following the trends of the furniture industry can attest that furniture styles and their designers are virtual archives of an era. The economy of the time, the availability of supplies and tools and most surprising, the politics and religion of the time all influenced home décor. Religion and the organizations that formed around each group or denomination has left a deep a mark on design styles and history, particularly in America. Groups like the Shakers and the Amish have deep footprints in the sands of history and home furnishings.

The Shakers were always a small group whose self-imposed abstinence insured their demise. At their zenith the group held about 4000 members spread among nineteen self-sustaining communities. The Shakers lived the example set forth in the Holy Bible about living in the world without being a part of it. The community’s business sense was astonishing, especially for a small nineteenth century religious organization.

Although not part of the world it is obvious that Ann Lee, the group’s founder who had arrived the New World pre-American Revolution, was influenced by the Federal design style of that era. The Shakers had taken the Federal template and created a less formal and more rural design based on the needs and ideals of the farming communities they settled in. The influence of their religious beliefs and their country settings brought forth functional furniture with clean and simple lines. This was especially appealing to those who were suffocating under the opulence and gilding that was the Victorians.

The Shakers not only opened the door for the Arts and Crafts Movement in America but actually inspired some of its founders. The cousin of Arts and Crafts, American Mission and its father, Gustav Stickley, were quite possibly more warmly welcomed because of the influence of the Shaker ideals and products.

The furniture term Depression era has come to mean a piece dating from the ‘20s, ‘30s or early 1940s. The stock market crash that occurred on that black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, soon became better known as the Great Depression. The Depression was a rapidly spreading worldwide economic downturn that was not easily recovered from for over a decade. Not yet antique, it is usable, collectible and usually affordable. Often depression era furniture is the “antique” handed down to a young person’s first starter home. Depression era furniture is usually a great starter for people wanting an easy intro in to collecting vintage pieces.

Now that the world economy is once again in distress people are looking for deals. Once shunned by antique dealers and buyers, Depression furnishings have began to come in to its own and is seeing some demand because the prices are much better deals that other types of “antique” furniture. Another bonus is that there was so much massed produced and it is still so inexpensive that reproductions are virtually unheard of. As the population ages and more estates are liquidated, the stream of Depression furniture will increase in the marketplace and more home owners will be incorporating it in to their designs.

Unlike the solid wood used by our Amish craftsmen, depression era furniture makers engaged in lots of veneer work. While solid wood is always preferred not all veneer furnishings are low-end such as that produced pre-Great Depression. During the Depression era, however, manufacturers had to make furniture attractive to consumers and keep costs low. By layering a thin slice of ornate veneer over less desirable wood the goal was attained. Since there was such a heavy use of veneers Depression-era furniture it is wise to always check out pieces for glue failure. To make sure the veneer is solid; simply tap with your finger. If the thump is solid, the veneer is fine. If the thump is more of a paper-clicking sound it is not. Also watch for any signs of lifting or peeling away.

Furniture manufacturers not only coupled veneers with lower quality woods but also used bleaches, stains and fillers to alter and enhance the characteristics of the wood. Styles were copied from those in style in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Although costs were being cut some are exact replicas; only identified by closely examining the woods used.

Because most pieces from this era don’t compete with the decorative furnishings and accent pieces already in existing in your home, it is an acceptable supplement to your custom built Amish design pieces.