“If I had to choose between clothes and furniture,
I'd choose furniture.”
~ Julianne Moore, Actress
I couldn't agree more. I have always gravitated towards incredible antiques and furniture with remarkable character, than I ever have in mass-produced home furnishings. There is something about exceptional furnishings with individuality that can bring a space to life. Our small company, born from an Instagram post - grants me the extreme pleasure of creating vintage inspired benches, consoles and more. I quite literally fall in love with every piece we make.
After a day in our workshop with my dusty brown turned white hair and dirty apron, I look at what we made, and reflect on our hard work. What is it about the act of getting down and dirty that really centers me? I love watching every step from the careful process of selecting the wood, to the final coat of stain that brings each piece to life. I know I am blessed to have my family working hard along side me for this business, everyone plays an integral part in it. It's refreshing that our customers appreciate the artistry and intimacy of our pieces that, truthfully, mass-produced pieces often lack. Home owners are gravitating away from fast trends, and more towards furniture that offers character, heritage vibes, and tells the story of the home, and the lifestyle they want to live.
Our furniture exudes that cozy vibe of beauty and function, with that lived-in comfort wherever they are placed. They are an underrated piece of furniture, and often times, is that one piece needed to complete the look of the space.
Before our company began designing vintage-inspired furniture, I very seldom thought about benches when designing my spaces. I guess I mostly thought about them for additional seating around the dining table. They really are so much more. A great bench can bring on chatter in the entrance way, charm to an otherwise boring hallway, or a little seating for the end of your bed.
The growing demand of benches and consoles being used in homes has certainly become more popular, thanks mostly to decorating shows on television. This has positively opened the door for our company. My father, a master craftsmen by trade, and myself, an interior decorator with a love for great furniture - create these one of kind vintage pieces, infusing every space with an element of originality.
I believe a home should not only represent all the things you hold dear, it should also be lived in. Here in our home, our coffee table (The Algonquin) at any given moment, will have coffee cups, books displayed, a bowl of chips and salsa - and yes even our feet go on it. Like I said, lived in.
If you're a cook book junkie like me, any extra opportunity to display them is imperative. I will always have mine near at hand. My future son in law, Aaron, notes that us Struthers folk are either talking about the meal in progress or the meal that is coming next. Well, we best make sure our research for the next best meal is within reach.
Combining the use of vintage-inspired pieces or hand made artisan furniture has become more and more universal recently and I foresee this being the rule, not the exception, in the future.
Thank you all,
T xx
