High Point Market & It’s Sneak Peek at 2014 Trends

As a business solely dedicated to American furniture manufacturing from the Adirondack foothills in which we mill and craft our solid wood furniture – as well as the place we call our home, the High Point Furniture Market this spring showed tremendous growth potential for Made in USA furniture, and the housing and furniture market at large. It appears the rebound of the economy is in full swing with housing sales continuously rising since the last market in fall of last year. With new homes comes new furniture, with new jobs comes new inspiration, and at High Point this year we learned a few things. We found our shaker furniture style is desirable across the many, many cultures that are represented at High Point. There is a connectedness, like-mindedness in honesty, and a quality of high craftsmanship that is found in Manchester Wood furniture; and how great it was to be acknowledged by so many who stopped and visited our booth.

Our Spring High Point Market Showroom.

We’re famous for our Adirondack folding chairs, but we received most acclaim this market for our solid cherry furniture; namely the cherry coffee tables and cherry end tables with a natural beauty, a timelessness that only solid cherry provides.

The most important thing that was made clear to us this market was that USA made furniture is competitive again, not only for its quality, but also for the socioeconomic changes that are coming to be in China. They too as a nation are requesting a life of higher quality, with a better pay, and rightfully so. We never took advantage of the downtrodden social crisis in China and other foreign lands where manufacturing could be done pennies on a dollar compared to working in the US. We stayed as the Market Press reported in their article of us while at High Point, “a family business since day one…staying with the made in USA tradition.” The options of course of outsourcing were tempting due to the profit margins, but we knew we’d lose our integrity of producing quality furniture with ethical standard. So we stuck it out, continued to design and grow in ways we knew to survive. This market proved the surviving days for American furniture manufacturers are ending with more and more business returning to the U.S. We’re the strongest we’ve been in years and we’ll continue to develop new furniture and collections constantly for your enjoyment as well as continuing to provide pieces that have proven themselves as requested by you, our loyal customers.

Snapshot of Market Press article.

For your interest in upcoming trends, as well as for ours as we’ll be watching closely and taking into strong consideration all that is happening in the market. We will be designing fresh new looks for your enjoyment for the rest of 2013, 2014 and beyond. High Point Market partnered with WGSN-HomeBuildLife to bring top trends for 2014. The trends were broken down into three categories – Neo-Geo, Next Nature, and N.D.A. as described below. Perhaps it’ll help you in designing your new home, your dream home, or reinventing the space you’re presently living in! All in all, expect great things to come from Manchester Wood, your American made furniture supplier these coming seasons, and the quality living product we provide.

Neo-Geo
The layering of geological formations is key in textiles and surface materials. Mineral and stone patterns dominate and a crafted minimalism help people enjoy real-time versus virtual-time.
Next Nature
Boundaries between humanity, technology, and design are redrawn as we find architecture winding through the forest and furniture growing like plants.
N.D.A
“New Digital Aesthetics” (NDA) – Designers are creating a new “rendered reality,” with real objects that look as if they belong in a virtual world. Infinite pixelization, a fading of edges, and designs that seem to go on infinitely are key.

Manchester Wood has designed and produced quality, affordable, eco-friendly solid wood American made furniture in the Green Mountains of Vermont and Adirondack foothills of New York for over 35 years.

Valentine’s Day Customer Love with Manchester Wood!

Whether it’s a solid wood table in the form of a folding tray table or shaker desk; or the many other items of solid wood furniture made in the USA by Manchester Wood, we are committed to you – the customer – loving our product for its endless uses, unique designs, and quality handcrafted construction that sets us apart from other leading American furniture manufacturers. We take pride in our work, and the results are showing!

At Manchester Wood we offer each month a free monthly giveaway typically by raffle, and occasionally by offering gifts to every customer that month. For this month’s giveaway we’re raffling a Contemporary Round End Table, a $219.95 value absolutely free to the winner drawn randomly at the end of the month! Admittance to the drawing is by either emailing service@manchesterwood.com, writing on our wall on Facebook, or mentioning us on Twitter @manchesterwood with how you plan on spreading love this February.

We’ve enjoyed all your plans of spreading love so far, and we know this day (Valentine’s Day) is the day most celebrating that expression; so we’ve decided to celebrate it ourselves by sharing some love notes we’ve received in feedback from you – the customer – the last couple weeks on your orders!

Thanks for all the love, and keep it spreading!

Manchester Wood: American Made Furniture

I found Manchester Wood because I was looking for a stepping stool.  And I feel like I found an American gem.   The stool is simply beautiful. Quality craftsmanship. Functional. Just the right height and weight.  And beautifully designed and crafted.  Who would have ever thought that a stepping stool could be an object of beauty?  Clearly, Manchester Wood really is about delivering quality, well designed, American-made, all-wood furniture.  It has won my future business!

-Roberta

Thanks so much for your timely attention to our broken T.V. stand piece.  All is well with the set and I will definitely recommend Manchester Wood to friends and family.

-Linda

I thought you’d like to know that the cart just arrived and that I’m delighted with it.  It is sturdy and well made and is going to be very useful.  Thank you too for the speedy delivery. 

-Barbara

Wow, that was quick.  I’ll probably buy it just for the service!

-James

American Made Solid Wood Cabinets

Manchester Wood: American Made Furniture Jelly Cabinets

When searching storage options for the kitchen, as well as for the home office, dining room, or study room, look no further than the solid wood furniture made in the USA by Manchester Wood. Our well-crafted cabinetry with Americana country favored styling is one of the more popular, yet often overlooked, options in Shaker furniture style.

ABC World News with Diane Sawyer’s Made in America series featured our Tall Double Jelly Cabinet on a ‘Made in USA Home Makeover’ edition last season. Among other options of our solid wood cabinets are the Double Jelly Cabinet, Tall Jelly Cabinet, and Side Table.

The term ‘Jelly Cabinet’ dates back to early America and it was used — as one might expect — for holding “the jams and jellies through canning from seasonal gardens. Jelly was important when fresh fruit was lacking from the diet due to the [area’s colder, non-harvesting seasons.] The cabinets protected produce (and occasionally baked goods) from rodents in days before refrigerators were widely used and homes lacked built-in cabinets. The cabinets were constructed of materials such as wood with iron strap hinges. They were mainly used in the kitchen, but as they became popular to place in other rooms of the house (and to store more than jelly), the wood and finish used became more refined.” *read more: What Is a Jelly Cabinet? | eHow.com http://bit.ly/14nw5TF

Support American furniture manufacturers and discover the quality of solid wood furniture made in the USA. Shop ManchesterWood.com today.

Shaker Collection

Manchester Wood Shaker Coffee Table and Shaker End Table (Above)

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, Shaker Furniture, John Humphrey Noyes was quoted in a book, “History of American Socialisms,” where A.J. Macdonald once commented Shaker furniture was originally designed in heaven and that the patterns had been transmitted to the Shaker people by angels.+

Furniture was treated by the Shaker people as any other form of craft in their communities. It was a strict and formal process with strength and quality never lacking. In fact, many Shakers treated each project as if it was their final product for God. Perhaps that’s the very reason that brought Macdonald’s comment on the heavenly appeal.

Although the furniture line began with this rigid religious order and simplicity, through the ages, and due to it’s continuing popularity, Shaker Furniture has flourished in many directions.

Our Shaker Collection at Manchester Wood keeps the tradition rooted in the beginnings, even being located in the colonial New York and New England area where it started, but with a constantly evolving touch in design as we continue to move through the 21^st Century.

A once humble, basic product we’ve now added with a contemporary design and craftsmanship that equals the essential character of its origins.

From our flat-screen, modern digitally designed Shaker Entertainment Console, to our more basic Shaker Tables and Shaker End Tables; we feel we cover the best in what Shaker Furniture has to offer.

Manchester Wood Shaker Secretary Desk (Above)

Our Shaker Desks range greatly as well, which include a Large Shaker Desk for maximized workspace, down to a smaller, more concealing desk in our Shaker Secretary Desk.

We believe you’ll enjoy everything that comes out from our Shaker Furniture here at Manchester Wood.

To view our Shaker Collection, click here.

+John Humphrey Noyes. History of American Socialisms, pp. 602-603.