Now’s a Good Time to Consider American-Made Furniture
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I first moved out of my parents’ house at the height of the Great Recession, when American-made mid-century furniture could still be found at most Goodwills for under $30. Despite being subjected to a cross-country relocation and several subsequent moves, these solid wooden relics have outlasted dozens of their newly purchased counterparts. Some of the companies that originally produced these pieces are still around, likeBassettandThayer Coggin. Still, these survivors have had to move at least some production overseas, abandon the budget market entirely, or both.
Amid this turmoil, a new generation of smaller-scale brands is beginning to fill the gap by selling sturdy, stylish American furniture directly to consumers. These companies are often run by a single owner-designer with a handful of employees who all build, pack, and ship their products out of the same building. The logistical savings are reflected in the retail price, which is comparable to those of Crate & Barrel or West Elm for similar items. It’s pretty reasonable considering how expensive it is to make things by hand in America.
Tim Copeland founded Copeland Furniture in 1976, and for him, “it’s always been about bringing something to life and producing it, working with the wood and machinery.” Figuring out the business part is simply necessary to keep doing what he loves. This passion for making things was shared among all the founders I spoke to and suffuses every product from their workshops. I like knowing that when buying from these brands, I support a dedicated craftsperson and their employees today while paying it forward to future generations. After all, tomorrow’s vintage finds have to originate somewhere.
Below are a few of the American-made brands I’ve been fortunate enough to have in my home along with some favorites from other Strategist writers and editors.
Krovel Furniture
Krovel Furniture Companyprides itself on shipping its furniture fully assembled from its workshop in Portland, Maine, at no additional cost to customers. It specializes in wall-mounted “floating” designs that help make the most out of smaller living spaces.
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For the past six years, I’ve relied on Krovel’sentryway organizerto keep my Brooklyn apartment’s entrance looking presentable. The cubby provides just enough space to keep a few handy items (like sunglasses or change for the laundromat) out of full view, the top is a nice landing spot for mail requiring attention, and the rare-earth magnets along the bottom edge keep keys out of the way but within grasp. The whole thing hangs off of a cleat that is attached to the wall and hasn’t budged a millimeter throughout this entire time, despite being a favored resting surface for my two cats.
Roseland
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When I askedRoselandco-founder and CEO Luke Sherwin about how he decided to manufacture its Shaker-inspiredbedandnightstandsin America, he explained that while making American furniture from American wood in America makes for a good story, the choice to manufacture here had more to do with the value being offered by American suppliers than any personal values concerning the virtue of domestic production. “There are just so many great family-owned businesses willing to give you their time up front and collaborate down to the smallest detail, which lets you create something really special,” he said.
“We can stand face-to-face with our welders and be next to them while they curl the foot of anandiron[a decorative fireplace log holder], describing what we want it to look like,” added Sherwin’s co-founder and wife and acclaimed chef Clare de Boer. This iterative process ensures even the most minor improvements reach their customers as soon as they’ve been implemented — a benefit that I’d already experienced firsthand without realizing it.
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“Were there metal fasteners on the nightstands?” Sherwin asked, referring to the Roseland nightstands my wife and I had assembled earlier that morning. I confirmed that there were — and that it took less than ten minutes to get them looking as lovely as they did in the product photos. He responded with palpable relief: “You have no idea how many prototypes it took to get the nightstand to bealmosteasy to assemble.”
Copeland Furniture
Tim Copeland started Copeland Furniture as a humble cider press and workbench manufacturer in 1976, well before China entered into the World Trade Organization and the ratification of NAFTA. While these events affected his manufacturing business the same as any other, Copeland weathered the storm by moving upmarket, investing in design and increasing the finish quality and craftsmanship of his goods to command higher prices.
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Copeland Furniture’s continued success speaks for itself, but it also has fans among Strategist staff. Senior editor Winnie Yang had been searching for a suitable credenza to place in a cutout of her apartment’s entryway for over a year when she finally came across theCopeland Lisse buffetat Urban Natural Home in Montclair, New Jersey. “The high level of craftsmanship is apparent when you see it and feel it in person,” said Yang of her find. The visible joinery exemplifies the finish quality one expects from a product built to last for decades, not years, and is priced accordingly. “I love seeing it whenever I pass by or enter our apartment, and I think one of my kids will be very pleased to inherit this from us someday.”
Simple Wood Goods
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Matthew Swaidan originally trained as an architect but found his true calling designing versatile wooden products that could be easily manufactured by well-paid employees in his hometown of Cincinnati. Since 2015, Simple Wood Goods’ core offering has been theStorage Cube: A stackable birch-ply box with a colored acrylic door that’s optimized for vinyl records but can hold anything you like, so long as it’s shorter than an LP in every dimension. I bought my first pair of cubes in 2015 and have expanded my collection to include ten more and a four-wideStereocabon top to hold my audio equipment and turntables. The contrasting arrangement of the varying colored doors evokes a Mondrian painting; it’s always the first thing guests ask about when they visit.
Cisco Home
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Senior writer Lauren Ro first encounteredthe wingback chair of her dreamsinthis 2018 home tourof renowned homewares seller John Derian’s Provincetown residence. The chair was designed by Derian himself and produced at that time byCisco Home, a Los Angeles–based furniture seller and maker specializing in organic construction that consolidated its manufacturing in North Carolina in 2024. But with a starting price of over $3,700 each, she was only able to afford it several years later when she found an unmatched used pair on Kaiyo for a total of $1,000. Despite regretting her hasty choice of reupholstery fabric, she loves how they combine a traditional silhouette with modern materials and sustainable manufacturing practices.
American Leather
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“If you ask a furniture seller about the best sleeper sofa, they’ll probably point you toward American Leather,” wrote décor writer Erin Schwartz in their guide to thebest sleeper sofas. Their own in-person testing backed this up as well. During a showroom visit, Schwartz found it to be comfortable both as a bed and a sofa, and they appreciated that the patented folding mechanism was easy enough to be operated with only one hand.
Room & Board
Minneapolis-based Room & Board has long been on my list of saved keyword searches on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist because of its emphasis on skilledAmerican craftsmanship, which results in a great product at a reasonable, albeit increasingly high price. Its mid-century-inspired designs are more soothing than striking, but that’s often what you need from a piece of furniture that you plan to keep for decades.
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Room & Board Emerson Dresser
Yang has used the Emerson Three-Drawer as both an elegant dresser and a changing station for two kids in three different apartments and has been thrilled with its durability and craftsmanship for the price she paid for it new in 2019 — which she was shocked to learn was less than half of what it costs today. This is not a knock against Room & Board and is unsurprising given the pandemic-driven supply-chain disruptions and ensuing inflation. I see it as an instructive example of the kinds of changes companies like it have had to make to stay solvent in a changing economy that’s going to get a lot more turbulent in the coming months.
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