A Lesson in Furniture Building

This hardly looks like a rocking chair, right?  It actually includes all 22 pieces of wood that will be needed for our new chair which is being built by Hardwood Artisans in their workshop in Woodbridge, Virginia.

When we purchased our new family room furniture almost 3 months ago, they told us it would take about 3 months for it to be lovingly made by real people in their workshop.  They also said they would let us know when our pieces were in production so we could come see the work in progress.

Today was our day to visit.  We were escorted by Edwin, one of the foremen at the workshop.  He seemed to know the exact status of every one of the 6 pieces we ordered.

We started off in are area that contains piles and piles of lumber in the various woods they use.  Ours happen to be natural cherry.

We met Beth, a woman who will make our rocking chair from start to finish.  She described in minute detail the entire process.  I was immediately struck with the degree of precision that is necessary in doing this kind of work.

We saw our footstools and one of our chairs that are mostly finished.  The finishing area had a rich smell of the finishes they apply to the assembled pieces.

Then we met Aurora, the woman who is making our chairs and loveseat.  She was building a couch at the moment, but our loveseat was sitting in a pile of pieces waiting to be assembled.

This is a company with a high retention rate.  Many of the employees have been there for years.  They have such perqs as the encouragement to make their own furniture for the cost of the materials only.  This gives them practice and allows them to own fine handmade furniture.

I was actually quite surprised at the diversity of the workforce.  Not only were there women, but there were also African Americans and Latinos among the otherwise mostly white male employees.

In a couple of weeks when the construction is complete and the upholstered parts have arrived, we will accept delivery of the furniture.  I will always remember this visit behind the scene when I sit on any of the pieces we are getting.