Beth Rice is a content writer for DutchCrafters Amish Furniture. She is the primary author of Timber to Table blog posts and has spent the last several years researching and providing knowledge on wood types, furniture styles, and design trends. As a busy mother of two, Beth understands the value of furniture in helping create a welcoming home for family and friends, and often writes on the ways our furniture can help support that. Beth is a published author with a gift for identifying the special moments in everyday life. Most recently, she had a short story included in Chicken Soup for the Soul's "My Amazing Mom" edition. Since 2012, the DutchCrafters Timber to Table blog has been providing customers and other readers with furniture and interior design tips, information about the Amish, and woodworkers’ stories.
As we spend more time at home during this time of social distancing, some of those projects we always mean to get to can rise to the top of the list. Like outdoor wood furniture. When was the last time you cleaned yours? To extend the life of your outdoor wood furniture, occasional cleaning is recommended. What’s the best way to go about cleaning it, and what are some tips to help protect it? Let’s… How to Protect and Care for Outdoor Wood Furniture
Amish wood desks are special. Not just because they’re pretty and made with solid wood, but because they are customizable and customizations give you options. An Amish wood desk can have the look, the features and the function that will serve you best. Here are 10 ways you can customize an Amish wood desk to be the desk you like to use, look at, own and pass on for generations to come. Get ready. It’s… 10 Ways You Can Customize an Amish Wood Desk
What’s happening this year with outdoor furniture? Is poly outdoor furniture showcasing something new? Are there new wooden outdoor furniture ideas? What are the looks for outdoors? We’re focusing on 5 Outdoor Furniture Trends for 2020 featuring some fashionable poly outdoor furniture and wooden outdoor furniture for your home. 1. Outdoor Accent Chairs Take Center Stage A popular grouping for patio, porch or poolside features outdoor accent chairs taking center stage. You can create a… 5 Outdoor Furniture Trends for 2020
So you’ve decided you like the look of outdoor wood furniture and perhaps you’ve heard of the qualities that cedar and pine outdoor furniture possess. How do you choose? What does one have that the other doesn’t? We’re taking a look at outdoor cedar furniture versus outdoor pine furniture to see which one has the edge. Things to Love About Outdoor Cedar Furniture The Shades of Red Outdoor cedar furniture displays shades of reddish/pinkish brown… Cedar vs. Pine: Which is Best for Outdoor Furniture?
We are thrilled to have Erik Wesner, founder of amishamerica.com and author of Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive contributing to Timber to Table. Erik has written several posts for us in years past, providing insight on different aspects of Amish life. Here Erik contributes the various ways Amish people get around, and it’s not always by horse and buggy! 10 Ways Amish People Travel by Erik Wesner In our… 10 Ways Amish People Travel
Martin Yoder from Forks Valley Woodworking was speaking. As he stood in the conference room at our DutchCrafters corporate office in Sarasota, Florida telling us about a recent challenge with quarter sawn white oak wood, I thought, yes, this is what the slow furniture movement is about. Forks Valley Woodworking, which makes DutchCrafters Middlebury Collection, is one of over 150 Amish woodshops that makes Amish furniture for DutchCrafters. They produce stunning wall units for living… Why Does It Take So Long to Receive Amish Furniture? A Slow Furniture Movement Post
Loveseats are loved for offering seating without taking up as much space as a sofa. They fit in small spaces and add color with attractive fabrics and leathers. Originally designed for two people….. Record scratch… Wait. Originally designed for what? Loveseats in fact, were not originally called loveseats, they were just seats. And they weren’t originally designed for two people. Loveseats were originally designed for a woman and…..her dress. That’s right, back in the Victorian… The History of the Loveseat
Furniture that’s weathered and worn can feel like it has a story to tell. Something aged like a dining table with nicks and worn edges that’s been loved and used feels familiar and welcoming. Coffee tables that show signs of enduring the kids’ coloring and nicks from Jenga spills indicate that they have been part of the family story for years. Furniture with some age to it develops its own character. Why Choose Distressing? Distressed… Distressed Furniture: How Old Do You Want It to Look?
While a desk is essential to supporting our work, we don’t sit in the desk. It’s understandable that significant funding can be put into the right desk for the job, but working at your desk can become unbearable if comfort is sacrificed. And the source of comfort for someone working a desk job 40-plus hours a week can be found in….an Amish desk chair. What Makes an Amish Desk Chair Comfortable The Back Support The… 5 Things That Make an Amish Desk Chair Comfortable
Sustainable, warm and unique, barnwood furniture is making its mark. At DutchCrafters, our Amish woodworkers take pride in their sustainable practices and crafting with reclaimed wood embraces sustainability on a whole new level. While there’s no doubt barnwood furniture is beautiful, the story goes much deeper than just knocking down barns and making furniture out of them. The Urban Barnwood Collection here at DutchCrafters is in high demand, and when Jonathan Fell, the sales manager… The Urban Barnwood Collection
Looking for an office desk that will do more for you in the new year? We’ve zeroed in on three office desks that bring a lot to the work space and that can help you get and stay organized in the new year. Which office desk will help you the most? The Computer Desk If you have lots of computer and office equipment and not enough room to put it, a computer office desk could… Office Desks That Help DeClutter
As we ring in the new year, make our lists of resolutions and feel inspired by a clean slate, it’s out with the old and in with the new, right? Well, maybe not in all cases. You might share our view on vintage furniture which is this: we love furniture that is built so well it lasts a long time. How long? Well, we mean decades, until it has earned the title “vintage.” Having furniture… New Uses for Vintage Furniture
One’s a little bit country, and the other well, is not. The other rocks a sophisticated solid wood that wears red well. In both instances we’re talking cherry wood furniture, loved for its smooth grain, timeless look and elegant feel that can either wear a smooth finish or let loose with rustic fervor. Would you like your cherry with a few knots on top? Or does the only cherry wood furniture that comes to mind… Cherry Wood Furniture vs. Rustic Cherry Wood Furniture
The Slow Furniture Movement embraces the deliberate creation and use of durable furniture. A part of the Slow Movement that values quality over quickness, it has emerged as a response to the mass production of disposable “fast” furniture. You don’t have to spend a lot to participate in the slow furniture movement. Here are five ways that you can get involved. 1. Shop Sustainable Solid Wood Furniture Investing in solid wood furniture, whether it be… 5 Ways to Participate in the Slow Furniture Movement
What is the appeal of something old and worn? Is it the wisdom it possesses? Is it the stories it has to tell? A display from Urban Barnwood sits right inside the DutchCrafters Showroom in Sarasota, Florida. It features samples of real barnwood in different stains. The legs are thick and strong, the colors are warm, and the knots are real. It shows the possibilities we offer for custom-made barnwood furniture that brings with it… Bringing Barnwood Inside: Will You Go Rustic Or Contemporary?
