I Grew Up With Early American Furniture

I Grew Up With Early American Furniture

Yep, I grew up with Early American furniture. It was an interior style that was very popular in the 1950s and 1960s.

During this time, Ethan Allen furniture was the best Early American furniture one could get. The company boasted over 700 sales outlets and 14 factories during this period.

This was a time when people invested in their home furnishings with the idea that such well-built furniture would last a lifetime. Believe me it does. I’m still living with it. It’s too nice to get rid of.

Ethan Allen uses high-quality joinery and hardware. Drawers are very well-built with dovetailed joints, and solid bottoms and hardwood rails. Furniture finishes are very long-lasting.

Also, Ethan Allen does not use composite board in their furniture. Most of the hardwood they use is maple, oak, cherry and ash. The back panels are high-grade furniture plywood, not masonite.

This furniture was heavy and hard to move. You just had to hope the interior designer (mom) had the movers (us) place that dresser where it  would stay for awhile. But really, it took about two furniture moves to get it where she wanted it. Sometimes three.

My parents collected Early American furniture. They saved up for each piece of their home furnishings. To quote my Mom, “We furnished the house one stick of furniture at a time.”