Mission style furniture derived its origins from a desire to create furniture and accessories that were pure in form and lacked a lot of ornamentation. The mission movement, which began in the early 1900s, was in response to the heavily gilded and carved Victorian styles. Unlike it predecessor, the mission statement stressed the importance [...]

The Portland Museum of Art’s new exhibition pairs architects with furniture makers.
Opening on Saturday, “Getting Personal: Maine Architects Design Furniture” features 15 pieces, many built by Maine artisans.
The exhibit follows the furniture from napkin sketches to final products of wood, concrete and steel.
The show will run through Aug. 28 and is designed to complement the [...]

It may have been an overexposure to early Frank Lloyd Wright, or perhaps too much time spent in boats, but when I was young, and until very recently, I was horrified by furniture. I always thought that a perfect domestic architecture would be heavy on the built-ins. Shelves, benches, various seats and berths—these were the [...]

BRADFORD, Vermont – Over the last ten years, the U.S. furniture industry has experienced a serious decline in manufacturing operations. According to the American Furniture Manufacturers Association, the U.S. was importing only 26% of its furniture in 1994, but by 2003, domestic imports had climbed to a stunning 51%.
Stiff competition from countries like China and [...]

At a time when daily life is infused with the technology of cell phones, ipods and plasmas, the American furniture industry has sensed a counter-trend at hand.
“Consumers depend on all of the technological conveniences of our time, but many of us need a balance, especially in the environment we come home to each day,” explains [...]

For three generations since 1928, the Rubin family has offered a unique assortment of housewares to suit sophisticated tastes.
Today, with an art gallery, a clearance store in Monona, a store on the West Side that specializes in Scandinavian furniture and locations in Milwaukee and Chicago, Rubin’s Furniture is setting trends in comfort and fashion for [...]

At a time when daily life is infused with the technology of cell phones, iPods and plasma TVs, the American furniture industry has sensed a counter-trend at hand.
“Many of us need a balance, especially in the environment we come home to each day,” says Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Home Furnishings Alliance.
New [...]

The Mid Century retro modern furniture movement has taken center stage in the world of design furniture today. In recent years, mid-century modern furniture, glass, ceramics, and textiles have become hugely popular among those who appreciate the stylish contribution these pieces make to contemporary homes.
At the close of World War II the US was electrified [...]

Much of today’s world is look-alike: cookie-cutter subdivisions, chain stores and cheap imitations. If there is an antithesis to all this, it might be Prairie Woodworks in Downs.
The shop is known for its handcrafted arts and crafts-style furniture. Owners Steve Stenger and Ron Skidmore have been ranked among the top 10 furniture makers by Midwest [...]

Furniture manufacturers are betting we’re so fed up with technology and mass-produced goods that we will want to put our money on the “Simple Life.”
This yearning for a vanishing lifestyle has nothing to do with Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton.
It has everything to do with the Arts & Crafts Movement that made Gustav Stickley, Frank [...]