Vermont Woods Studios - Eco Furniture Blog

Maple and Walnut Furniture: Custom 2 Tone Designs by Copeland

The SoHo bedroom furniture set by Copeland Furniture is handcrafted with a two-tone wood combination of maple and walnut.

 

Custom furniture is a luxury that many customers have given up on prior to discovering our made to order furniture at Vermont Woods Studios.  And it's true that if you're going to commission an artisan to design and create unique pieces just for you, there is a lot of work, time and expense that goes into that.

But if you can find a furniture design you love, that you're just looking to modify or customize, then expense may not be an issue at all.  Such is the case for our two-tone wood bedroom sets from Copeland Furniture.  This SoHo bedroom furniture, for example can be customized online in your choice of 7 different maple and walnut wood combinations at no extra charge. 

How about that?  Custom furniture at catalog prices.  What could be better?  Check out our website for other customizable furniture available in two-tone wood combinations, including the the Copeland Berkeley Bedroom Set (with 2 tone cherry and walnut wood) and the Modern American Furniture Collection (customized in your choice of solid cherry, maple, walnut or any two tone combination of these woods).  Give us a call with your questions and customizations.

Copeland Sarah Shaker Bedroom Furniture: This Week's Best Seller

 

Copeland Furniture's Sarah Shaker Style Bedroom Furniture was this week's best seller

We've been carrying the entire line of Vermont made Copeland furniture for several months now.  Although the new, modern mid-century styles are very popular, especially with families in metropolitan areas, it was the traditional, Shaker Style Sarah Bedroom Collection that weighed in as this week's best selling furniture.

This 100% American made furniture is handcrafted right here in Vermont and features clean Shaker style lines and balanced proportions. The beds are handmade of solid natural cherry hardwood. 

The bed shown here is a romantic raised panel sleigh bed but the Sarah collection also includes a Shaker-style spindle bed and a number of variations of the two, with choice of low and high footboards.  You can customize everything online, including the wood which comes in 11 finish options.  There's even a custom two-tone variation of solid maple and cherry wood bedroom furniture that's getting popular.

The Sarah set offers matching cases too: dressers, chests, lingerie chest, armoire and night stands.  Check them out today along with the Top Ten Reasons To Buy Copeland Furniture From Vermont Woods Studios.  Why wait?

Copeland Omni Laptop Desk: Going, Going....

Copeland's Omni computer workstation - laptop desk will be discontinued as of June 1, 2012. Last chance to buy it now!

Copeland Furniture is doing their annual housekeeping.  The other day I broke the news that their Sarah and Berkeley armoires are being discontinued as of June 1, 2012.  Today I have another victim to add to the list, the Omni Laptop Desk and Mini Workstation.

I thought it was a cool idea, especially for urban apartment dwellers looking to maximize the use of small spaces.  A desk, printer table, file cabinet and storage piece all in one.  Perfect for the guest bedroom or kitchen corner.

But I think desktop computers are becoming obsolete in micro offices and (thankfully) people aren't printing much anymore.  So maybe the need for micro-office furniture is just a small bookcase or shelf now.

What kind of furniture do you have or need in your home office or micro office?  If the Omni fits your needs, better give us a call today!  A few more weeks and it'll be gone.

If you miss the deadline, take heart... Copeland will continue to offer it's Catalina and Astrid style laptop desks.

Copeland Berkeley and Sarah Armoires - Last Call

 

Copeland's Berkeley and Sarah Armoires are being discontinued as of June 1, 2012

We are sad to say goodbye to a couple old friends, Copeland's Sarah and Berkeley armoires.  The are being discontinued by Copeland Furniture as of June 1.

I guess most people now prefer to store their clothes and linens in California Closets or other built-in organizers.  The other former life for armoires was as TV and media cabinets.  But, alas that use has also become obsolete.

So, if you have a Berkeley or Sarah bedroom furniture collection and you've been thinking about completing it with an armoire, the time to act is now.  They will be discontinued and unavailable after June 1.

See the entire Sarah and Berkeley bedroom furniture collections by Copeland Furniture.

Cherry and Walnut Wood: Custom 2 Tone Furniture Designs

 

The Copeland Berkeley Furniture Collection features Cherry and Walnut Wood in Custom 2 Tone Designs

Two Tone Wood Furniture

Americans are rediscovering Vermont made furniture.  Maybe the trend is due to recent awareness campaigns by the news media about how buying USA made goods stimulates the American economy. 

 

Or perhaps it's because the organic food movement is migrating into other aspects of our lives.  In addition to thinking about where our food comes from we're now beginning to think about where our furniture comes from.  And where our clothing, computers, appliances (you name it) come from.

Both the American-made and organic movements are reflected in the Vermont furniture brand.

But I think one of the main reasons Vermont made furniture is experiencing a renaissance is that it's customizable.  This Copeland Berkeley Bedroom Set is a good example.  The Berkeley Collection features a 2 tone cherry and walnut wood design that you can customize online with your favorite shade of cherry wood.

Many of our other Vermont made furniture collections offer 2 tone wood combinations, for example the Modern American Collection.  These bedroom, dining and home office furniture sets are shown in cherry and walnut but they can also be customized in any other 2 tone combinations of maple, walnut and cherry wood.

Most Vermont furniture makers embrace the idea of customizing your furniture, be it with two tone wood combinations, specialty sizing or complete custom design from the start.  Learn more about custom furniture options on our website.

Solid Wood Desks - Furniture Care Tips and Advice

If you have a solid wood desk, check to see that your laptop isn't overheating the wood. Although unlikely, laptops with no ventillation have been known to expose desks to heat so intense that over time it cracks the wooden desk top.

I recently learned of a case where the top of a solid wood desk cracked under prolonged, intense exposure to heat from a laptop computer.  I've never heard of this before, but I guess it can happen.

Do you use a laptop as your desktop computer?  I do.  I like the flexibility it offers me and at work.  I connect it to a big 40" flat screen TV so I can still have a large workspace.

If you do the same, and your desk is made of wood, be careful to move your laptop around and check the bottom of it for heat now and then.  Many people use a laptop cooling pad as well, especially for Macs which reportedly run hotter than PCs.

We have lots of other tips and advice for caring for your solid wood desks and other wooden office furniture our website at VermontWoodsStudios.com.

If you're looking to buy a new solid wood desk, browse our handcrafted American made selection below:

• • All Solid Wood Desks
  • Writing Desks
  • Laptop Desks
  • Shaker Desks
  • Copeland Desks

Zen Furniture: Simple, Serene, Organic, Sustainable

 

A customer who purchased this Copeland Astrid bed last week told me she found Vermont Woods Studios Furniture after searching online for "Zen furniture". 

 

Well, I'm no expert on Zen but I can see where the simple, organic forms of Copeland's Astrid Furniture Collection would appeal to someone looking to introduce an element of serenity into their home.

 

 

Astrid features pure, simple, minimalist style.  It's designed to "create an oasis of quiet harmony for the modern urban bedroom".   I guess that is rather zen-like.  The fact that Astrid furniture is handmade right here in Vermont from local, sustainably harvested wood was an important part of Corey's decision too.

 

Copeland's minimalist mid-century modern Astrid furniture has a certain "Zen" quality to it.

 

And speaking of Zen, I love Copeland's new dining room furniture too.  These minimalist, mid century walnut seats are Copeland's Catalina Estelle chairs.   I think they might have some Zen qualities.

Mattress and Box Springs Beds - Dinosaurs in the Bedroom

 

If you already have a box springs and are looking for a bed, we've got lots of beautiful solid wood box-springs style beds to choose from. But if you're shopping for a new mattress, be aware that there's no longer any need to purchase a box springs with todays mattresses.

OK, we still have box springs in our beds at home, but I'm here to tell you they are a dying breed.  If you're out shopping for a new bed or mattress don't be conned into buying a box springs.

Todays new mattresses are deisgned to be used without a box springs.  Think about it... what were the old box springs for anyway?  To keep your mattress from falling on the floor if your bed frame had no slats.  And to give you some height so you didn't have to squat to get in and out of bed. 

But nowadays, mattresses are thicker (many with pillow tops) so you don't need the extra height.  New beds are built as platform beds at the proper height for new mattresses, using slats to support the mattress.  New mattresses often have restrictions that specifically negate their warranty if the mattress is placed on a box springs-- particularly memory foam and latex mattresses which need to "breath". 

Now if you're like me and you have perfectly good mattress-box springs sets in your home already, you may have a hard time finding a good selection of beds to support them.  So we've put together this page of all our solid wood beds that will accommodate a box springs.  Most are available in twin, full, queen, king, Cal king and XL sizes and you can order online or give us a call with your questions.

No dinosaurs in your bedroom?  OK, here's our full selection of 100% American made, solid wood beds from Vermont.  Welcome to the new world of platform beds!

Vermont Modern Classics - Solid Wood Furniture with Natural Oil Finish

Three of our most popular Vermont furniture classics are on sale starting today:  

*     Modern American Furniture Collection

*     Contemporary Craftsman Collection 

*     Modern Shaker Furniture Collection

 

The pieces are made in a small workshop in Burlington, VT by a team of about 10 craftsmen.

Each piece is made to order with sustainably harvested solid wood and finished with a hand-rubbed natural oil finish.  The TV-Media center shown is made of American Black Walnut wood, which is the only North American wood with a dark chocolate brown color.  Two other American woods are also available:  Black Cherry and Sugar Maple.  The furniture can be customized online in your choice of wood or in 2-tone combinations of available woods. We can also customize the size so the furniture fits exactly into your space.

Many times customers come to us because they are looking for a natural organic, oil and wax finish like the one that's hand-rubbed into these pieces.  It's a traditional finish that requires a lot of sanding, but the process really brings out the natural beauty of the wood.  Craftsmen take special care in selecting and matching wood color and grain for these pieces, so what you get is truly an heirloom that will remain beautiful and useful for generations. 

If you are thinking about this kind of organic, solid wood furniture, be sure to check out our furniture care instructions for natural oil finishes.  An oil finish doesn't take a lot of time to maintain, but if you do oil it several times during the first year or so, you'll get a great return on your investment of time as it ages.  There is nothing quite like natural wood furniture with an oil finish.

Modern Minimalist Furniture

 

Lyndon Furniture's modern, minimalist Dover Glass Top Dining Table

 

Congratulations to our friends at Lyndon Furniture who were featured in a Wall Street Journal article today, The New American Minimalism. 

 

 

The article is about how classic American furniture companies like Lyndon Furniture and Copeland Furniture are bringing back the simple elegant characteristics of the 1950's mid-century modern design.

 

 

There is a tremendous variation in what people call modern, minimalist furniture but we've tried to capture it in a broad sense on our Modern Wood Furniture Collections page.  These collections are all 100% Made in America (right here in Vermont actually) and in my opinion their designs are best described as timeless... but "modern" works too. 

 

Copeland Furniture's Modern Mid Century Astrid Bed

 

 

One of the aspects I love about minimalist furniture -- and it's cited by San Francisco designer Kimberly Ayres in the WSJ article-- is that "the basic yet refined lines (of minimalist furniture) allow more whimsical furniture pieces (and accessories) to stand out."   We've had several of our interior designer clients say the same thing -- that our handmade, solid wood pieces provide "grounding" for creative and colorful decor they can change and update to keep a fresh look. 

 

What do you think?  Send us photos of your decor showing how you've used modern minimalist furniture in your home or workplace.  We'll post them on our Facebook for more discussion.

 

Copeland's New Chairs - Green Luxury For Your Dining Room

Earth Week seems like a good time to roll out Copeland Furniture's new collection of high end, eco-friendly solid wood dining chairs. 

 

This one is Copeland's ultra minimalist (that's an oxymoron, isn't it?) Catalina Estelle chair in solid walnut wood.  It brings you back to that mid century modern style of the 1950's with it's clean, simple lines and retro design.

If the Estelle is too spartan for you, check out Copeland's other walnut chairs: the Catalina Morgan chair and the Catalina Ingrid chair.

These chairs styles are also available in cherry as the Sarah Morgan chair, and the Sarah Ingrid chair.  One more cherry chair is also on sale now and that's Copelands traditional Sarah Shaker Chair.

 

All of Copeland's furniture is made right here in Vermont from sustainably harvested wood.  Many Copeland items are available in FSC green-certified wood.  You can read more about Copeland's green furniture and the many prestigious awards they have won for sustainability on our website. 

Stay tuned for the roll out of additional brand new Copeland dining furniture pieces in the coming weeks.  If you're looking for authentic green luxury you can't overlook Copeland.  And their furniture is 100% American made.  As we see all the big furniture companies talking about bringing their operations back to the USA from Asia due to global economics, it's good to know about Copeland Furniture-- one of the few American furniture makers that stayed in the USA remaining true to their values of quality, sustainability and community throughout the mass exodus to China.

 

Copeland's New Catalina Walnut Dining Furniture: Coming Soon!

Walnut lovers: this one is for you! The Copeland Catalina Collection: solid walnut wood furniture for your Mid-century Modern Dining Room.

Copeland Furniture, just down the road from us in Bradford, Vermont is famous for it's modern, contemporary solid wood bedroom furniture.  A couple years ago, Copeland introduced the new Frank Lloyd Wright® Collection of authentic reproduction prairie-style furniture designed by America's foremost architect.

 

Well, now Copeland is introducing another new series of high end furniture, The Catalina Walnut Dining Room Collection. 

If you're already a fan of Catalina's mid-century modern bedroom furniture, home office furniture, and TV-media furniture, I think you're going to love the dining furniture collection.

The tables, chairs and buffets are all in sync with Catalina's retro-modern shapes and sensibilities, relying on  simple, elegant lines that have just enough curve-- but not too much.  Walnut is the only wood used for the Catalina collection and it is available in both natural wood (as shown) or in a darker slate-on-walnut stain.  Dennis and Manjula are working feverishly to get all of the Catalina dining collection pieces up on our website and ready for purchase by week's end.  In the meantime, if you have any questions, give us a call.

All Copeland's furniture is 100% American made, right here in Vermont.

 

Custom Bookcases With Glass Doors - Best Sellers This Week

 

Maybe everyone is wishing they were more organized as they're struggling to finish up their taxes this week.  I don't know, but we've had a lot of calls from customers wanting to buy bookcases. Specifically, real solid wood bookcases with glass doors. 

This one is our Cherry Moon bookcase which can be customized online.  It's available with glass doors, wooden doors or no doors.  There are 5 heights you can order online with our standard width of 39"W and depth of 15"D.  Further customization can be done by phone or in the showroom.

I'd guess we probably have about the most customizable selection of real wood bookcases anywhere online.  Check out these links if you're looking to be more organized at tax time next year:

*   Bookcases with full length glass doors

*  Bookcases with half length glass doors

*  Bookcases with full length wooden doors

*  Bookcases with half length wooden doors and

*  Bookcases with no doors at all. 

 

All bookcases can be customized online, in the showroom or by phone to best fit your space.  Give Shannon a call and she'll show you how.

American Made Bedroom Furniture On Sale Today

Here's your big chance to save on our 100% American made, real solid wood bedroom furniture. 

Manjula and Dennis have been able to offer our best prices and greatest savings, using a "buy more, save more" strategy.  This saves us on shipping costs and we pass that savings on to you.  Here's how it works:

• Save 10% off any single piece
• Save 15% off two pieces or
• Save 20% off 3 or more pieces

Plus Free Shipping and Delivery!

That's as good as it gets when you're shopping for the real thing: fine, handcrafted  American made, solid wood furniture.

Check out our selection of over 40 styles of Vermont made beds, nightstands, chests, dressers, and mirrors in your choice of natural Cherry, Maple, Walnut, or Oak solid woods. You'll find classic and timeless Vermont styling, handmade with uncompromised craftsmanship, and solidly built for generations of use. Bedroom furniture you will appreciate and enjoy forever. And you can sleep tight knowing your new bedroom furniture investment is backed by a lifetime warranty.

The sale starts today and ends at midnight on April 17th. 

 

Copeland furniture is excluded from the sale as it is always priced with a low-price guarantee.

Lyndon Furniture's New Pedestal Tables

Our friends at Lyndon Furniture in Lyndonville, Vermont have come out with a number of exciting new solid hardwood furniture designs this year.

 

One of my favorites is this Vermont Modern Pedestal Table.  Pretty charming, don't you think? I love the quiet curves and contemporary cottage styling.

 

It's definitely a high-end piece, handmade of eco-friendly, solid organic wood: natural cherry, walnut, oak or maple. And it works well in either a formal dining room or casual kitchen.

 

 

 

 

Here's another version of it:  the rectangular table.  The shape of the table top can be customized in round, square, rectangular or oval. 

 

 

So many possibilities!  You can customize online or give Shannon a call.  And Lyndon Furniture is furniture you can feel good about.  It's eco-friendly, 100% made in America and backed by a lifetime guarantee.

Modern Shaker Furniture: This Week's Best Seller

This week's Best Seller was our high end, Modern Shaker Furniture Collection.  Like all of our wooden furniture, this collection is handmade in Vermont of natural solid hardwoods. 

One of the nice features of Modern Shaker Furniture is that each piece can be customized online with your choice of either soft, rounded corners and edges or straight streamlined edges and eased corners. 

Whenever we're working with parents of small children, we always mention this collection as it's a kid-friendly choice with the rounded design and absence of sharp edges.  It's also just a classic Shaker design that's earned a great reputation over the years.  The Modern Shaker Furniture Collection is an eco-friendly, healthy choice for families too, with natural wood (real solid cherry, maple or walnut) and a hand-rubbed linseed oil finish that has no formaldehyde, VOCs or toxic off-gases... everything you need to get a good night's rest!

 

HGTV: Got Any Green Home Office Ideas for Earth Day?

 

Home offices aren't necessarily in a separate room anymore.  This one saves space with a large desk that could double as a kitchen table.  Less space means lower carbon footprint.

I am ashamed to say that my home office decor is deplorable.  You can see it in this video taken last year when I had 6 other people working in it with me.

 

So with our Green-up Your Workplace Challenge coming up for Earth Day, I decided to look for green design ideas to spif it up with eco-friendly home office furniture, lighting and accessories.

I started looking for ideas at HGTV and was delighted to find they are showcasing over 125 home office design ideas submitted by homeowners and interior designers. 

They've got modern home offices, eclectic home offices, traditional home offices, contemporary home offices, arts and crafts home offices, cottage home offices, tropical home offices, English country home offices, transitional home offices, mid-century modern and even Mediterranean home offices.

I hope they add a green home office project with all natural, all American made wooden office furniture: desks, file cabinets, credenza, occasional tables and chairs (maybe even using reclaimed, recycled barnwood).  Then add in organic cotton rugs, draperies and upholstery, energy efficient electronics, light bulbs, light fixtures and maybe even FSC certified wood flooring.  That would be a good project to post on Earth Day, HGTV.  Just a suggestion.

Vermont Made Farmhouse Tables

This Vermont made farmhouse table is made to order with your choice of woods. Choose 100 year old reclaimed barnwood or newly harvested local wood.

Vermont Farmhouse Tables are exploding in popularity, not only in New England but all across America.   Many artisans working throughout Vermont specialize in reclaiming and rejuvenating antique barnwood and transforming it into artistic dining tables, coffee tables, extension tables, cupboards, buffets... even beds.  The result is unique, custom made furniture filled with warmth, charm and American history. 

And farmhouse tables aren't just for country decor.  Interior designers and home owners are discovering the authenticy that real American barnwood brings to modern metropolitan homes in Manhattan, Boston, Washington, DC and even as far away as Los Angeles.  Apartment Therapy, for example is a good one for showcasing some of the best interior designs that combine traditional farmhouse tables with modern, contemporary chairs.

We've created a Reclaimed and Rejuvenated Pinterest Board to display some of the interior design ideas we're seeing for Vermont Farmhouse Tables handcrafted from antique barnwood.  Check it out and let us know what you're doing with these unique, custom made pieces of Americana.

 

Frank Lloyd Wright Homes Are Looking For YOU

 

Frank Lloyd Wright: The Houses by Alan Hess and photographer Alan Weintraub includes the famed Fallingwater, Robie House and Taliesen West.

 

 

I've always loved American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, especially for his mastery of green design. But until recently when we started offering the Copeland collection of Frank Lloyd Wright® Furniture I had little idea of the breadth of his work.  He designed hundreds of landmark buildings and homes during a career that spanned more than 70 years. 

He really is "the greatest American architect of all time."

So it's very sad to see so many of his residential creations on the market at Save Wright.  The homes are concentrated in Illinois and California but also scattered throughout the USA from Pennsylvania to Washington to Montana.  Many are in varying states of disrepair and desperately in need of someone to restore them to their former splendor.

Are you, by chance looking for a world-class landmark to call home?  Well, even if you're not spend some time browsing through Save Wright.  Who knows?  Maybe you'll fall in love with something you can't resist and then become a part of saving America's history.  How cool would that be?

 

 

 

 

Frank Lloyd Wright: Mid-Century Modern by architectural historian Alan Hess and photographer Alan Weintraub

 

 

Vermont Woodworking Design Competition - Open For Entries

 

This mahogany bench crafted by Doug Jones was awarded First Prize in an earlier Vermont Woodworking Design Competition

VWMA the Vermont Wood Manufacturing Association recently announced details of this year's 2012 Vermont Woodworking Design Competion.  As part of the annual Vermont Fine Furniture Festival, this competion showcases the very best of fine woodworking expertise Vermont has too offer.  All Vermont woodworkers are encouraged to enter the competition and/or exhibit their furniture and handmade wooden accessories at the festival.

So for woodworkers, now is the time to get involved.  And for people who love wood and enjoy traveling through Vermont -- be sure to mark your calendar for September 29 & Sunday, September 30, 2012.  The festival and competition will be held at the Union Arena, Route 4-Woodstock, VT. It's worth the trip.  Don't miss it!