In an ever-changing world with ever-changing styles, how do you create a space in your home that reflects your personality, your likes and interests, and captures the essence of who you are? It’s not an easy thing for most of us to do, but furniture trends and buying trends are leaning toward one thing: buyers prefer products that have a story behind them.
Many people today are gravitating toward the unique, one-of-a-kind specialty items that no one else has. Custom design and design your own are often searched in the world of online shopping. It seems we no longer crave the off-the-shelf, in-the-box options. We are looking for handcrafted authenticity.
Handcrafted authenticity is a growing trend in furniture in 2019. Designer Andria Mitsakos states in this Elle Decor article that, “A return to handcrafted authenticity, especially when it comes to furniture and decorative arts versus buying mass produced pieces will be much more popular in 2019.” In the same article, Joy Cho, founder and creative director of Oh Joy! states, “A trend I see in furniture is a move towards handmade, custom pieces. People want to know the stories of where their pieces came from. They want to know who made it and what process was involved.”
In addition, Architectural Digest reports that, “In what might come as little surprise to those designers who have watched their clients (and, likely, themselves) grow weary of the array of easily accessible offerings presented by e-commerce over the past few years and instead yearn for more unique finds, a desire for custom and one-of-a-kind items topped the survey results. Nearly half of designers polled (49 percent) plan to source artisan-made, one-of-a-kind pieces in 2019, up from 42 percent last year. Meanwhile, 58 percent say they customize the pieces they source for clients, up from 44 percent last year.” (You can read the full report here.)
Not surprisingly, in an interview with Carla Aston of Carla Aston design, HGTV found that “Darker woods are getting more attention and being used in ways that are clean and simple, yet refined.”
For almost 50 years, George’s Furniture has been bringing to life our client’s furniture dreams using solid wood with time-tested assembly methods. This ensures our clients get their perfect piece. Each piece of George’s custom-made furniture is handcrafted right in our workshop then signed by its maker. There is no factory assembly line – just skilled craftsmen who lovingly follow each piece from the selection of the lumber to the final detail.
See for yourself the handcrafted authenticity of George’s Furniture. We offers tours of our woodshop and showrooms Monday through Friday. Come visit, hear our story, meet our craftsmen, and design a custom piece of solid wood furniture just for you.
In a day of instant access to anything we want, we forget the timeless characteristics such as craftsmanship, detail, quality, and durability. Sometimes, the best gifts, cherished heirlooms, are not bought from a franchise, or added to an online shopping cart.
Cherish – Hold Dear
To hold as dear, to treat with tenderness and affection is the meaning of the word cherish. When we cherish something, it is important to us, special and irreplaceable. Often, the things we cherish cannot be bought from a store. We cherish family, friends, and the memories we make together. Similarly, heirlooms are cherished because they remind us of the good times.
Common Thread – Well made
An heirloom is a piece of furniture, an article of jewelry, a special dish, or other movable item. Heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation typically share a common thread — they are well-made, designed by craftsmen to withstand the test of time. Heirlooms, that are passed on were used regularly by their original owners. As a result of the quality and skill craftsmanship, Heirlooms survived hard use and are still able to be passed from generation to generation.
Adjusts to moisture changes
At George’s, we design custom made pieces to become cherished heirlooms. That’s why we give so much individual attention to each project. It’s the small important details that make a piece last for generations. For example, each piece is constructed to adjust to moisture changes — between seasons and different climates. Because each piece is constructed with solid hardwood and uses time-tested joinery methods, the wood furniture adjusts as the seasons change, even if you decide to move to a different climate! George’s furniture is assembled to allow adjustment to moisture changes without affecting the construction of the piece.
Lasts to long
For more than 47 years, our owners and craftsmen have watched as our furniture pass from one generation to the next. A common question is how it is possible for the furniture to last so long! The answer is by working with the natural characteristics of solid wood. Solid hardwood moves naturally. Construct furniture with the ability to move and you have a piece of furniture that will endure for many years. A great example is our dining tables. A young families purchased their dining room table from us. When the children grew up, the table passed to the next generation. This new generation carries on the legacy of gathering around the table, just as they did when they were young!
It’s our hope that the same excellence, beauty, and craftsmanship that inspired the initial generation to purchase from George’s Furniture will result in a gift given to the next generation as a cherished heirloom—a keepsake for generations to come.
To continue our series on conservation, George’s Furniture takes a look at Draft Horse Logging, which has made a resurgence in the logging industry.
With the cost of new, modern forestry equipment landing in the triple digits, it’s no wonder that forestry workers have taken a second look at the draft horse as a means to operate a low-overhead, lucrative logging operation. While most horse-pulled logging still requires at least one piece of heavy equipment, scaling back on machines and logging with horses has been successful for many loggers worldwide.
Draft work horse
The draft workhorse, be it a Belgian, Percheron, or other draft breed, can cost around $3,000-$5,000. This is compared to the staggering $25,000- $500,000 cost needed for logging machinery. This workhorse will typically have a 6-year career, and has a perk that a machine never will—it can be bred. In fact, according to the Small Horse Journal, draft horse power costs just $3-$17 per horse hour. While the horse comes with its own expenses (food, veterinary care, stable/pasture, harness, etc.), the lower cost of the draft horse means that the logger does not have to produce near the output that heavy logging equipment must just to cover overhead expenses. And, obviously, horses don’t break down.
Benefits
A Percheron demonstrates his logging skills at the 2019 Pennsylvania Farm Show.
But it’s not just the cost that loggers benefit from, it’s the technical benefits of horse logging that many have fallen in love with. Logging with heavy machinery requires clearance, level ground, and hundreds of acres to be profitable. Many times, historic or preserved forests, research areas, and the topography around steams are closed to heavy machinery, but they are not closed to horses. Horses can easily climb steep hills and log on uneven ground. Unlike heavy machines, they don’t damage fragile waterways. Horses also do not disturb the forest’s topsoil. In short, the draft horse can reach areas that machines cannot.
Environmentally friendly
The other obvious benefit of draft horse logging is that it is environmentally friendly. The draft horse does not burn fossil fuels, emitting fumes and toxins into the air. With rising gas prices, draft horse owners are spared the expense of fuel and the inconvenience of running out of fuel on the job. Rather, the manure of the horse benefits the forest by replenishing nutrients in the soil which feeds the forest’s flora. The weight of the draft horse does not damage the fragile root systems of the forest as a heavy machine would.
Logging with horses also has another benefit that stands apart—the strongest trees of the forest are left standing, which results in a healthier forest for both the landowner and logger. While draft horse logging still leaves a skid trail, instead of the trail being the width of a machine (often 10 feet wide or more), the skid trail is the width of the horse and the log it is pulling, as little as 3 feet wide. In short, the draft horse logger leaves very little trace that he was even there.
Economic Benefits
The economic benefits for both landowner and logger are indisputable. Often, the landowner saves thousands of dollars by using draft horse logging simply because of the difference in overhead expenses. However, draft horse logging is typically relegated to logging forests that are less than 200 acres.
Another unique benefit of using draft horses for logging is that recreational trails can be created by using them. For landowners allowing visitors to use their land for hiking or cross-country skiing, using the draft horse to create paths allows for variety that machinery can’t provide—crossing streams, going up and down steep terrain, navigating through thick vegetation and around rocks.
Downsides
There are downsides to equine power versus machine power. For one, efficiency drops. A single horse must pull the logs out of the forest one at a time, while a machine can pull as many as 20. Horses also require a truck to transport it’s logs to the mill which means the forest must have road access somewhere. The horse logger must be selective about the trees he logs to be sure that he remains profitable, where machinery does not have to be as selective.
However, all of these potential downsides have a counterbalance—horse logging is sustainable, allowing high quality trees to grow which results in a healthy forest and a healthier long-term profit. The trees that would be cut down by machinery just so the machinery can “get through” is able to remain standing and to grow with draft horse logging. These extra years of growing produce extra profit since the trees are stronger, larger, and thus more valuable when sold. This extra value and extra profit can be seen especially when a landowner has a special tree, such as a birds-eye maple or hardy walnut (which are often used for furniture). The cost of logging and moving the unusual tree to sale is significantly cheaper with the draft then it would be with the machine. These high-quality trees go from a tree to a finished product sustainability and profitability, benefiting all parties involved in the transaction.
Conserving natural resources
Just as the draft horse logger helps to conserve our natural resources, George’s Furniture is committed to doing our part in caring for our environment. Using hardwoods native to our region such as Cherry, Red Oak, Maple, and Black Walnut goes a long way in ensuring both quality for our customers and low environmental impact. We take extra measures to ensure that our wood is harvested at the right time and to rigid specifications. When you design your furniture with George’s, you can be assured that our craftsmen are conscious of minimizing waste. The wood for your furniture is carefully selected, processed with care, hand-turned where possible, and meticulously assembled for proper fit and finish.
Out of sheer boredom, George Martin, while volunteering in Honduras, began to carve a perfectly-proportioned, small replica of a fishing boat used in the seaside town of Santa Fe. As he carved, a small crowd of excited onlookers gathered. These onlookers had never seen a miniature replica. George eagerly shared what he knew with them. Those who trained with George in Honduras gained woodworking skills that enabled them to sell their woodcrafts in local markets, more than doubling their family income. Unknowingly, George Martin had taken his first step in creating George’s Woodcrafts.
On January 6th and 11th, 2019, the second generation will represent George at the 103rd Pennsylvania Farm Show. The George’s Furniture team will greet visitors and story-tell at the Pennsylvania Hardwood display—an interactive display showcasing the forest products industry.
Come and find the George’s Furniture family in the Main Hall at the Pennsylvania Hardwood Booth. George’s Furniture will be on the Secondary Processors stage on Sunday (January 6th) from 2:30 to 8 PM. On Friday (January 11th), find George’s on the Unique Wood Products stage at the Pennsylvania Hardwood booth from 2:30 to 8 pm.
George’s Furniture will showcase its famous no-tip rocking chair, as well as provide photos and handouts of some of our other products. This is the second year that George’s Furniture will participate in the Pennsylvania Hardwood exhibit at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Last year, George’s Furniture featured a white oak cutting board, a red oak foot stool and end table, a black walnut table, and a hickory coffee table with matching end table in the display.
George’s Furniture believes in incorporating earth-friendly processes into furniture-making, and doing our part in preserving our natural resources. Telling our story and sharing our environmentally-friendly furniture making process with visitors at this year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show is sure to be a treat! We can’t wait to see you there!
Nothing compares to the excitement and joy of the holiday season! Perhaps the biggest part of the holidays is gathering around the table for a meal together. Sometimes it’s family, sometimes it’s friends, sometimes it’s large groups and sometimes small. No matter who is gathered around the table, the times of gathering are precious.
A recent study revealed that 40% of American families eat dinner together only three or fewer times a week. This means that the act of gathering around the table for the holidays is even more special. It provides a unique opportunity for families to connect with each other and to make memories for years to come.
A study by the American College of Pediatricians shows that the simple act of sharing a meal together has the following overall benefits in children and teens:
Academic:
Teenagers that dine around the table are more likely to get better grades. Aside from this, children expand their vocabulary based on how they hear words used in conversation. In addition, researchers have found a link between early childhood language experiences and literacy skills in high school.
Nutrition:
According to the American College of Pediatricians, children who eat their meals at the table have healthful dietary patterns and are more likely to eat healthier foods.
Less screen time:
Family dinners naturally reduce the time that children and teens spend looking at their screens and increase the time that they spend interacting with each other.
Reduced risk:
Teens who eat regular meals at the table have a decreased risk of drug, nicotine, and alcohol use and are less likely to choose friends who use these products. In addition, eating meals around the table reduced the teenagers likelihood to engage in sexual activity and/or struggle with depression.
Positive relationships:
Frequent family meals around the table results in a higher likelihood of having excellent relationships within the family unit. In fact teens were twice as likely to have good relationships with their fathers and siblings, and one and half times more likely to have an excellent relationship with their mother.
Reduced Stress:
Emotional stress is also reduced with the simple additional of family meals around the table. In fact, 71% of teenagers studied said they “consider talking/catching up, and spending time with family members as the best part of family dinners”.
Satisfaction:
Additionally, teens who ate frequent family meals were shown to be more helpful and trusting, have fewer behavioral and emotional problems, and ultimately, have a higher satisfaction with life, regardless of financial status.
Editor’s Note: To view the complete study, click here.
With these benefits in mind, the table becomes that much more important, not just for the holidays, but for the ins and outs of daily life.
At George’s Furniture, we treasure those times around the table. To us, a table means stability, strength, spontaneity, and assurance. Just as something as simple as eating meals around the table can literally change your life, the table itself can become a precious family heirloom for years to come.
Whatever your style, no matter how many seats you need, a George’s Furniture table can become that special place. Not just for the holidays, but for the every-days.
So, gather around the table and enjoy many happy holidays from all of us at George’s Furniture!
Please enjoy one of our favorite recipes as you gather around your table this holiday season. Simply right click to download the image for printing or visit Taste of Home. As always, you are welcome to visit George’s to discover the quality and craftsmanship behind each table and chair we create. Click here to schedule your tour today!
