American Furniture Made in America: Why Should You Buy It?
Best furniture: There has been a great deal of Made in America or Made in the USA advertising lately, and American best furniture is no exception. There are three questions to ask here, and we shall deal with each of these in turn without trying to be overly nationalistic. The questions are:
- Is American furniture better than any other you can buy?
2. How do you know it is genuinely made in America?
3. Why buy it – what do you get by purchasing any product labeled ‘Made in the USA?’
1. Is American Furniture the Best?
The answer is yes and no! There is no reason why furniture made in America should be generally better in quality or design than best furniture made in the UK, Sweden, France or any other country noted for its furniture. To be honest, the majority of carpentry techniques and jointing methods were first used in Europe, and British furniture is equal to any in the world. Dubai office furniture
Thomas Chippendale, Thomas Sheraton, and George Heppelwhite are just three English cabinet makers whose names are synonymous with classic antique furniture. They all belong to the Georgian period, and while Southwood best Furniture manufactures beautiful reproductions of these, they would never claim that theirs is better than the originals. The same is true of their Louis-French reproductions.
The same countries manufacture excellent hand-crafted furniture today that is the technical equal of anything Stickley or Southwood furniture can produce. But is it better? Or is American Furniture better?
We would all like to say that all American goods are the best in the world, but we know that’s not true. However, where best furniture is concerned, it is at least the equal of anything European master-craftsmen can produce, and in some cases even better – and yes, in some cases it is the best in the world! Here is why:
Best from their grains
American craftsmen and women (there are many women involved in cabinet-making today) have become masters at using wood indigenous to this country. American cherry, American walnut (different from African walnut), maple, hickory, beech, and oak are common to the USA, and American woodworkers and cabinet-makers can bring out the best from their grains and medullary rays, either in the form of solid wood or thinly cut veneers.
It was Gustav Stickley that made quarter-sawn oak famous in American cabinetry, and Leonard Stickley was the first to use four quarter-sawn boards glued around a center post to display the beauty of the medullary rays on all four sides. So American craftsmen were pioneers in certain uses of wood in best furniture manufacture – not just American furniture manufacture!
Hand-made American furniture is of very high quality, and equal to any other hand-crafted furniture in the world – in fact, it is the best in many cases.
2. How Do You Know it is Made in America?
The answer – you don’t! Not unless you know the supplier. Stickley, Southwood’s best furniture and hand-made by American Craftsman, various Amish communities, and others are certainly 100% made in the USA, but there are even more that are not.
You have to ask the question – “is this made wholly in the USA from American-manufactured components?”
How about the Made in America or Made in the USA label? It sure helps, but there is no prequalification and very little supervision of the use of these labels.
Nevertheless, if you purchase your furniture from well-respected American retailers, you should be OK. Those that cheat tend to be smaller firms that import foreign and might stick on homemade labels. Most established firms in the USA will be honest with their labeling.
3. Why Buy It?
Apart from the fact that you know you are purchasing items made in your own country, products with the Made in America label tend to be of good quality. Few reputable firms would offer poor-quality best furniture and put the label on it. The main reason for that is that such firms tend to market high-quality products, often hand-made by local craftspersons.
It would not be worth taking the chance of having the labeling of junk furniture investigated. Apart from the authenticity angle, by purchasing genuine American you are helping to contribute to the wealth of your own country. That is very important, particularly with recent history in mind. In fact, the USA has not yet recovered from recent recessions, and every cent that leaves these shores hurts your country.
Thomas
Thomas Chippendale, Thomas Sheraton, and George Heppelwhite are just three English cabinet makers whose names are synonymous with classic antique furniture. They all belong to the Georgian period, and while Southwood Furniture manufactures beautiful reproductions of these, they would never claim that theirs is better than the originals. The same is true of their Louis-French reproductions.
The same countries manufacture excellent hand-crafted today that are the technical equal of anything Stickley or Southwood furniture can produce. But is it better? Or is American better?
Final words
American craftsmen and women (there are many women involved in cabinet-making today) have become masters at using wood indigenous to this country. American cherry, American walnut (different from African walnut), maple, hickory, beech, and oak are common to the USA, and American woodworkers and cabinet-makers can bring out the best from their grains and medullary rays, either in the form of solid wood or thinly cut veneers.
It was Gustav Stickley that made quarter-sawn oak famous in American cabinetry, and Leonard Stickley was the first to use four quarter-sawn boards glued around a center post to display the beauty of the medullary rays on all four sides. So American craftsmen were pioneers in certain uses of wood in manufacture – not just American manufacture!
How about the Made in America or Made in the USA label? It sure helps, but there is no prequalification and very little supervision of the use of these labels.
Hand-made American furniture is of very high quality, and equal to any other hand-crafted in the world – in fact, it is the best in many cases.
