For most of the last century American furniture was made in Chicago and the South using American raw goods. As the EPA tightened pollution laws, many furniture manufacturers have found it much cheaper to move their factories overseas than to upgrade their American ones. Now, most furniture sold in the United States comes from China, Vietnam, Indonesia and many other similar countries.

While many people see this as just another aspect of the ever expanding process of globalization; the effects on our country, the environment, and work force are devastating. When you buy furniture you should consider more than just the sticker price!

The True Price of Cheap Furniture

Jobs

With many furniture factories closing down around the country and more furniture companies relying on imports, the domestic furniture job market has been decimated. Dozens of towns and communities that were centered around these furniture factories have been completely devastated. To make things worse, raw materials from around the world are sent to these overseas furniture factories completely bypassing the American logging industry and others.

The Environment

Furniture companies moved overseas to avoid compliance with the EPA’s tough emission and pollution restrictions. It’s simply cheaper for them to find a country with lax environmental laws and set up shop there. Many of these countries don’t care about the use of harmful chemicals or unsafe work conditions so large manufacturers can take the cheapest route possible to deliver that end table to Wal-Mart’s loading dock.

Furthermore, raw materials are being taken from delicate ecosystems like the Amazon’s rain forest and then shipped all around the world to the factories. After being constructed the final product is shipped around the world, only to be put on trucks and shipped even more. The effect of all of these greenhouse gas emissions expelled during the shipping process has a huge impact on our environment.

Made in America?

The Federal Trade Commission only mandates that U.S. content be disclosed for automobiles, textiles, wool and fur. If someone uses the “Made in America” tag it only has to be assembled here and have a certain percentage of the manufacturing costs spent in the U.S. This means a furniture company could have most of its product’s parts made in China, shipped here and slapped together before sale and still be considered “Made in America”.

The Solution? Buy Local

Once you factor in the environmental, economic, and human costs of that piece of cheap furniture it’s not really that great of a deal. The good news is that our country still has a thriving local furniture manufacturing industry. Some of the most notable furniture, in both quality and environmental friendliness, is made by the Amish.

These skilled craftsmen have been producing quality furniture from American wood and products for centuries and are the best examples of “Made in America” furniture you can find. Reasonably priced, these pieces will last you a lifetime instead of being landfill matter within a year or two like most big box store furniture.

We know that not everyone has easy access to Amish furniture, so that is why we work hard to bring you only the best pieces from the best craftsmen around the country. If you’re interested in buying furniture that is made from real wood, by true artisans and in an environmentally sound way then please take a look at our wide selection, here at Amish-Furniture-Home.com.

Safety
Safety is the foremost concern in looking for childrens’ furniture. Parents look for things that will be sturdy, and not harmful to the child’s health.

• Consider pieces made of real wood, with no ply-board pieces added.
• Also look at U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website to find any product recalls on wood furniture. This way, you will know what pieces to avoid during your search.
• When shopping, ask about the type of paints and finishes used on the furniture. Look at the furniture company websites to see what types of finishes and paints that they use. Stay away from chemicals that are toxic or that contain formaldehyde.

The right size furniture
Size is a great issue, because most wood furniture is constructed for infants or adults. Choose beds and bookcases that are easy for your little one to access. For example, the BonBelle Chest is a five drawer chest that a toddler can use, as well as a teen. Even baby furniture like the French Country Changer/Chest is one that the child can use at any age.

Heirloom Quality
That brings us to the next point, timeless furniture. Look for functional pieces that the child can use as he grows. Try not to outfit the room with pieces that will be irrelevant before the child is even old enough to use them. The real wood construction makes the pieces sturdy. Find a piece that isn’t too short or tall for the child and his room.

Color considerations
Parents are tempted to paint everything, even the furniture, a pastel color when planning the nursery. While this is fine for the walls (which can be repainted inexpensively), furniture is too expensive to replace in the two years it takes a child to leave the infant stage for toddlerhood. Furthermore, children like bold colors while teens tend toward darker contrasts. These preferences will result in several furniture changes.

Instead, look for real wood pieces in natural colors that will integrate well with pastels, bolds or neutrals. The Bow Mission Bed in hickory is an example. It is a color that will complement the pastels and not overshadow the bold toddler colors. It will stand against the dark teen years as well.

When picking out the furniture for your child’s room, whether it’s a new nursery or a teen’s room remodel, seek out real wood pieces like those from Amish Furniture Home. They are safe, sturdy products that can grow with your child and can be used at any age.

Heywood-Wakefield had over 100 illustrious years of creating top quality furniture before it introduced its “Heywood-Wakefield Modern” furniture line in the 1930’s. In about 1826, when John Quincy Adams was the nation’s president, a group of five brothers in Gardner, Massachusetts, Walter, Levi, Seth, William, and Benjamin Heywood began crafting simple, handmade, wood chairs in a small barn. Originally the majority of the brothers were store proprietors but helped Walter part-time in the wood shop. The boys did well and by the late 1800’s the Heywood Brothers Company was producing a much larger variety of furniture than seating.

Along the way the brothers absorbed its biggest acquisition, Cyrus Wakefield’s Wakefield Rattan Company. Initially they ran it as a joint operation, and the two firms became known as The Heywood Brothers and Wakefield. Fortunately they shortened that to Heywood-Wakefield Co.

Within five years, Levi Heywood moved to Boston. Here he established an outlet store for the family to sell the Heywood brother’s chairs. Benjamin and younger brother William stayed behind in Gardner to manufacture. Tragically, in 1834 a fire destroyed the Heywood’s chair shop, causing Levi’s return to Gardner a year later. The shop was never to be rebuilt. Initially comprised of Benjamin, Walter and William Heywood, Moses Wood and James W. Gates, a definitive partnership-B. F. Heywood & Company was formed in 1835. It was then that Levi Heywood persuaded the company to move to the shores of Crystal Lake in Gardner. The company factory would remain here until the business closed its doors more than 140 years later.

As the Industrial Revolution moved forward in the Victorian age, Levi’s insisted on the installation of new machinery, much to the dismay his wary partners. By 1844 a second partnership-Heywood & Wood had been formed, with Levi and Moses Wood only. By 1849 Wood’s name had disappeared from the company’s title. Then in 1851 Heywood Chair Manufacturing Company was born.

In contemporary times the furniture company became famous for its Modern Line. The company was able to partner with a stellar group of designers such as Russell Wright, Gilbert Rhode, W. Joseph Carr and Alexis J. Saknoffsky.  This progressive group of designers created modern furniture from what many misidentify as maple. Instead the company used solid birch that was steam bent and left blonde. The “The Heywood-Wakefield Modern Line,” with its 50’s blonde or modern blonde birch, was unprecedented. Various lines were introduced with names like “Sculptura”, “Crescendo” or “Kohinoor”.  These were aesthetically appealing, high quality and creativity.

At one time the company created and delivered items ranging from chairs, to baby furnishings, railroad car seating, rattan designs, and even toy vehicles. While the company did use many types of wood, the birch was its signature. Sadly it seems all good things must come to an end and the Heywood-Wakefield Company retired itself into the legend only a blonde could live up to in 1966.

Some of the most expensive pieces of furniture ever made or sold have had veneer. The master craftsmen of the 18^th century all used veneer in some fashion or form. So, if it was good enough for high end antiquities and even modern furniture makers, why have artisan and craftsman-centric communities like the Shakers and the Amish forsaken using veneer in their heirloom quality pieces? One simple word explains it – that word is integrity.

Not only is there an appearance and a temptation of possible deception when applying veneers but, after a period of time even the best furniture veneers and glues begin to degrade. Expansion and contraction in varying environments can cause peeling and shrinkage. When a veneer layer pulls away from it’s under frame, it causes peeling, chipping and breakage; that may not be easily repaired.

Some of the issue with this has been avoiding by using new technology in the manufacturer of synthetic glues, a great improvement over animal glues. This has led to today’s mass furniture producers to use veneers in greater and greater quantity. Admittedly some designs, such as Modern Contemporary, require the flexibility of veneers to bring more imaginative designs. Of course the beautiful designs done with marquetry and parquetry would be impossible without veneers.

The fact remains solid wood is an unbeatable investment. Many engineered woods simply disintegrate if they are exposed to moisture, unlike solid woods. While its durability and reliability are without question, the honest fact remains that perhaps the greatest appeal of solid wood is its naturally exquisite appearance. Most people consider solid wood furniture more attractive and desirable, especially when designed and crafted by today‘s Amish craftsmen.

Thanksgiving dinner is over and Black Friday shopping has brought home gifts, wrapping supplies and the realization that the biggest holiday of the year is only a few short weeks away. One quick glance at your home lets you know that not only are you not ready to face the decorating and gift planning but there is no way you are prepared to host any celebrations in your home. With a few simple steps you can organize your home in time to not only host a spectacular seasonal gathering but you yourself will feel better and more relaxed.

1. Start a donation container. As you begin preparing your home make some elimination decisions. Place these items in the box. When it is full immediately put it in the car and drop it off at a charitable thrift store before you change your mind.

2. Mentally the challenge of readying your entire home can be overwhelming and thus, seemingly impossible. Breaking it down into digestible pieces makes the tasks manageable. Divide your home in to the number of days you can actually devote to organizing. 10 rooms in 20 days is 2 days per room. Remember – you can do this.

3. Begin at the doorway. Start with the porch and the entryway so that the first thing you see when you come in is a conquered area. Then chip away from the doorway in. This also allows you to feel more comfortable with guests who stop in over the yuletide season. They will not see you bedroom, so leave it for last. Conquer what is necessary then what is needed.

4. After the doorway move to the common living area. Box up everything you don’t need over the holidays to give the room an open feel. After Christmas you can begin to sort out these boxes to determine what can be permanently eliminated. This is one room you should do a deep cleaning in since it will see heavy traffic. Polish your solid wood furniture with a lightly dampened cloth and then a soft buffing cloth. Vacuum your hardwood framed upholstered couches or sofas. Clean your leather recliners and ottomans with a fine leather cleaner. Vacuum and move on.

5. The third room to deep clean and throw out any products you have not used this year is the common bathroom. This room should be spotless and welcoming with soaps and clean towels.

6. The next room to clean is the kitchen. While it would be great to organize it all, this is not the time. Instead box everything from your counters you will not need before New Years and scrub the counters, the cabinet fronts, the stove top, the sink and the floor. The only deep cleaning should be the fridge and freezer. Put out fresh kitchen towels.

7. If you are hosting a meal or event the last essential room to focus on is the dining room. Just as you did your solid wood living room furniture, damp wipe your dining room set and the buff to a gleam. Protect your dining room table tops and buffets from damage due to traffic with elite custom table pads. Clean your chandelier and bulbs and be sure the floor is either vacuumed, swept or mopped clean. Don’t forget to check your chairs for any fabric stains or stray food stuck on.

Amish Hickory furniture in the Log cabin themed home is as much about a lifestyle as a design style. The creation of this interior design may be the simplest and most economical interior design for you to capture because of its use of found natural items as decoration and the use of quality investment pieces from the Amish. Using organic furniture and natural elements as accessory tools you will achieve the native and outdoor feeling of the Log Cabin lifestyle; a lifestyle that showcases the beauty and functionality of native hardwoods.

The Amish create furniture for your rustic Log Cabin style dwelling from red or white oak, walnut & cherry accentuated by the deciduous hickory tree. Like the Amish community, the Cabin home hosts an atmosphere of simplicity, hospitality and gracious living. The Log Cabin interior is a home that demands when you walk inside the door you slow down and relax. It is a home that friends and family love to gather in, spinning memories as they gather round an Amish crafted red oak and hickory pub table and bar stools.

Mixing antiques throughout your cabin home helps bring personality while the Amish rustic furniture brings character. Use heirlooms from the past alongside your new Amish heirloom furniture. Worn, painted pieces blended with the high quality Amish Log Cabin hickory bring a storyline to your room. Birch bark picture frames highlighting your family gatherings sitting atop a chest made of walnut with hickory twig accents say more than you can about the life you lead.

The bounty of nature is captured by Amish woodworkers in the hand made solid wood creations for the Log Cabin lifestyle. The use of comfortable accessories such as quilts, denim pillows, flannel throw blankets and leather upholstery make the room wrap around and hug you in its atmosphere. From fireplace to candle light, the Log Cabin longs for the warming glow of either. Adding elements like fishing poles, hiking boots and fishing creels take the guest on a journey far from the every day. River rocks, wildlife depictions, wrought iron chandeliers, and found items that depict the wilderness you love are essential for the creation of your own personal camp.