Does Made In USA Mean Anything Anymore?
One of the biggest questions that seem to permeate our country anymore is why you can no longer seem to buy anything that is made in the USA anymore. No matter what you are looking for ranging from axe handles to zithers and everything in between, it is more likely to be made overseas rather than in this country. Not everyone wants to buy products made in a foreign country, many would rather see the jobs stay here and our manufacturing capabilities return to the top.
Having said that, if you are planning to the redecorate and refurnish your home, you do have a choice between buying products and furnishings that are made offshore and those that are made hire in the USA by craftsmen who still believe in old fashioned high quality craftsmanship. If you want to use truly American furnishings that not only look like they are a part of our heritage, but are still made the same traditional way, they are available.
Having the opportunity to redecorate your home can be a very exciting time. You get the chance to recreate the interior of your home to match your tastes. While you may have done this a few years or more ago, your tastes change over the years and what may have looked fantastic then is now old and boring. When this happens it is definitely a time for a change starting from the ground up. For most people simply repainting or changing the wallpaper is only the beginning and never enough to do the whole job.
Where once ultra-modern chrome and glass furnishings may have appealed to your senses, they now remind you more of the waiting areas of the airport. This is probably not how you want your home to look anymore. As you search for a richer simpler look for your home, you might find that Shaker and Mission style furnishings will fit in with your new tastes and décor.
Mission style furniture first came into vogue in the early 20th and was considered to be a part of the Arts and Crafts movement. The style was one of slats in the doors of cabinets and simple lines that were created as an answer to the overworked and overstuffed look of the Victorian furniture of the period that had long enjoyed popularity for many years. People were looking for good solid furniture that was far more about function that about overbearing decorativeness.
Today Mission style furniture looks as good in any setting as it did one hundred years ago and will make a perfect addition to any home. For those that are trying to recreate an old world country look, this style of furniture will blend in very smoothly with your living room or home office décor and with any color that you have chosen for your walls and carpets.
While Mission furnishings may focus on cabinets and accents, you can continue to add to your country styling with one of America’s most popular styles of furniture that has stood the test of time over the past 200 years. Shaker style furniture has always been well known for its superior craftsmanship and very simple styles. If you were to go to any furniture auction, you would find that genuine Shaker furniture is still a very hot seller and always commands a high price.
What you may not realize is that it is not being bought by museums, but by collectors who wish to decorate their homes with this style of furniture. For those who want the look, but do not want to have to pay the price for antique Shaker furniture, there are still furniture manufacturers that are making this style of furniture and selling it for a far more reasonable price.
If you are planning to use either Mission or Shaker style furniture, or for that matter a blend of both in your home as a part of your redecorating plan, you should pay very close attention to where you buy it from and what it is made from. There are plenty of poor quality reproductions of both styles made from particle board that has been veneered to look like real wood.
At Sturbridge Yankee you will find a selection of both Mission and Shaker style furniture that is made right here in Maine. All of our furniture is made from real wood and will last you and your family many years as it becomes a family heirloom in much the same way as the furniture your grandparents passed on down that graces your parent’s home.
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