American Made Appreciation
These products are made in the USA and we think that’s pretty cool.
04 July 2019 -
Happy 4th of July! Today you can take a peek into the American made vendors we carry in the shop. We’re talking how to make life beautiful, why US production is so important, and just learning more about some beautiful products.
FARMHOUSE POTTERY
SM: As a company, how do you “Make Life Beautiful”?
FP: We believe that each an every thing in your home should be inspiring and beautiful. We take the time to design each and every product that we make to both be beautiful and functional, our designs are also meant to fit into a variety of aesthetics from modern to rustic farmhouse. The thought behind our collection is to make day to day tasks more inspiring just by changing the objects we use.
We collaborated with them to created our exclusive Miller Laurel Crock. Shea has always been inspired by the laurel wreath, and wanted to design aa simple heirloom piece that would serve as a staple for years and generations to come.
Shop Miller Crock >
We even paid a visit to their studio in Vermont!
SM: Tell us something we may not know about you guys.
FP:I fell in love with making pottery on the wheel in my 6th grade art class with Mr. Burrows 🙂 Jessica, our production lead started when she was around the same age at summer camp in upstate NY.
SM: Tell us about your product? What makes it so special?
FP: Our products are all inspired by or crafted from Natural materials. We focus on sourcing sustainable mediums for our collection from our hand crafted wooden bowls, to the pottery we produce in our studio every day. The hands behind each piece are what makes them special and unique, we estimate that each of our pottery pieces is touched 25 times before it reaches our customers from the clay being made to the piece being dipped in our milk glaze.
SM: What is your company inspired by?
FP: We are lucky enough to live and work in one of the most beautiful areas in the world (in our opinion 🙂 Our store and studio is located in Woodstock, Vermont on the bank of the Ottauquechee river. Our collection and our team is inspired by the pastoral and peaceful environment that surrounds us. We are also inspired by our amazing team of artists that make each and every one of our pieces by hand.
SM: Why is the production of your products important? Why do you go the distance to produce in the US?
FP: The production of our products is what makes them so special and unique. We are the largest studio pottery in the US, we define this by each and every one of our pottery pieces being hand thrown on the wheel by artists. We don’t use any machines or molds to create our pieces, which gives each and every one it’s own unique character and speaks to the individual who made it. It all starts with the clay blend we use, which is 100% mined and produced in the US from a custom blend of stoneware clays out of Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee from there the clay arrives in Vermont by the ton and our artists weigh each piece by hand, and turn it into the desired form on their wheel (our pottery wheels are also manufactured in the US!) Our pieces are fired twice in electric kilns and hand dipped in our milk glaze between firings.
In addition to our pottery production, we’ve worked with American makers on our wood bowls and boards, glass and textile collections. We find it so important to have a relationship with the makers that are crafting our designs and to understand the processes that go into each piece so we can share the stories with our customers.
DBO HOME
SM: As a company, how do you “Make Life Beautiful”?
DBO: You know that favorite mug that you reach for every morning? Maybe you fish it out of the dishwasher and give it a rinse. It makes you feel really good. With everything we design and make, whether it’s a mug, a platter or a dining table, we aim to create the pieces that make you feel that good. That become a part of your story and in turn make your life a little more beautiful.
SM: Tell us something we may not know about you guys.
DBO: I’m not sure how well you know us. But some find it surprising that I was a record label executive, working with bands like Metallica and AC/DC before I switched up careers. And Daniel was firmly ensconced in the NYC art world as a sculptor represented by 303 Gallery. Something else you may not know is that most of our design meetings take place either in the kitchen over breakfast or while walking our dogs.
SM: Tell us about your product? What makes it so special?
DBO: We are both designers and makers so each piece is handmade by us or artists in our studio using high quality materials. We pay attention to the details, not only how something looks but how it feels as well. So you might like the simple form of our Lidded Vessels but what makes them really special is that you can feel the hand that made them, the glaze is hand dipped so there are slight imperfections (we think make it better), the wood of the lid has a unique grain and is gently oiled and the leather pull is hand stitched. Each component adds a little touch of comfort, beauty and quality…and for us that’s luxury. Luxury you can enjoy everyday.
SM: What is your company inspired by?
DBO: There are so many ways to find inspiration now through social media which is amazing. Food and shelter photographers and stylists really inspire direction. But I think we take most inspiration from nature. We live and work in a beautiful part of the world, surrounded by nature in rural Northwest Connecticut. That kind of beauty has to soak its way into our work for sure.
SM: Why is the production of your products important? Why do you go the distance to produce in the US?
DBO: We have always created handmade products. And for the most part we make it all ourselves. Again, it all goes back to the details and how we want our work to feel as well as look. To this point we feel that’s achieved best in small batches made right in our studio. When needed, we find other local artisans/artists to help.
MCGEE & CO. (US!)
SM PILLOWS
A variety of our patterned pillows are designed in-house, and made in the USA! We took a visit to see how they’re made in a behind the scenes video below!
The Holly Addi Collection
We’re showing you the brilliant artist behind the Holly Addi Collection. Holly Addi herself! She’s an artist located in our HQ, Salt Lake City, and you might recognize her work from some of our projects and her projects all over the web. Watch our webisode to get to know her better, then shop the piece!
THE UPHOLSTERY COLLECTION
Our custom upholstery collection makes it easy for you to design your perfect piece from our assortment of timeless silhouettes paired with elevated details. Each piece can be personalized with a a variety of leather, velvet, linen and crypton finish options. Each piece is handcrafted in the USA for a lifetime and designed for comfort.
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