Who makes the best furniture in the U.S.?
That’s easy to answer. At Furniture Consignment Gallery, we inspect, compare and value items from a vast number of manufacturers. All the top furniture brands flow in and out of our three stores. So we’re experts.
We study furniture closely with a practiced eye. Do the legs wobble? How does the satin finish on that dining room table look after ten years of humid summers and bone-dry winters? How’s the leather holding up on that sectional?
Furniture made in the U.S. is consistently better. Companies that manufacture overseas inevitably suffer gaps in quality control. Foreign lumber is typically a lesser grade. Even when companies ship domestic lumber to foreign assembly plants, problems arise. And furniture is vulnerable to moisture at sea on the return voyage to the U.S.
Without a doubt, the very best furniture comes from small shops where master woodworkers put heart and soul into every piece. Meticulous craftsmen spend hours aligning wood angles, carving by hand, and applying a finish that is close to perfection. A commisioned piece by one is an expensive but worthy heirloom.
For mainstreamers, here’s our list of the best furniture makers in the U.S. They employ some of the most talented craftsmen in the world. We’ve ranked them in three categories:
Resale Value
1. Baker Furniture: New Baker is stunning and pristine. Very old Baker Furniture still has value. Everything in between is magnificent.
2. Stickley Furniture: While it focuses mostly on Arts & Crafts, the company does a superb job even with other styles.
3. Kindle Furniture: It boasts, rightfully, of the best finish process and the finest finishes. Its reproductions are museum-worthy. Quality never wavers.
4. Hancock & Moore: Its leather withstands the elements and gets better with age. Timeless style and excellent construction keep resale values high.
Quality Construction
1. Kindle Furniture: Made-to-order in the U.S., its pieces are top-quality, finished in a lengthy process.
2. Stickley Furniture: Joinery is pinned mortise and tenon, thus very stable. It uses solid quarter-sawn white oak from indigenous regional forests. It crafts dovetail and tongue-and-groove cross joints better than anyone.
3. Harden Furniture: Furniture is hand-constructed by skilled craftsman. The company has embraced sustainability in procuring its lumber.
4. Henkel Harris: Hand-rubbed finishes have a stunning patina. Its inlaid veneers on top of solid woods are gorgeous.
Style
1. Thomas Pheasant Baker Furniture: He is simply the best furniture designer in the world. He skillfully pushes design limits while remaining true to traditional roots.
2. Herman Miller: Mid-century style is back, and HM has modernized the designs better than anyone.
3. Minton-Spidell: They have masterfully updated the design of hand-made European 18th & 19th century reproductions.
4. Guy Chaddock: His creative styling blends elements of contemporary and traditional designs without slavishly following one or the other. His pieces mix well with other styles.
5. Century: After a lull, it has rebounded with a phenomenal line-up of designs that keep it on the leading edge of style while retaining a luxurious look and feel.
