Vermont Woods Studios

We are in the final stages of recovering from Hurricane Sandy and had reached a point where we decided to treat ourselves to a new set of furniture for our master bedroom. We have some Heirloom quality furniture in our living room, dining room and den, interspersed with some genuine antiques. Our taste in furniture runs from 18th Century to Arts & Crafts (Mission, Stickley, Craftsman, Limbert). Our old bedroom set was clunky Spanish Colonial (for want of a better description) and it had outlived its useful life. We ended up keeping the Armoire for storage (it's now in a guest room) but the remainder of this huge, heavy set ended up in the back of a sanitation truck (unfortunately...we tried to give it away to Habitat for Humanity, shelters for battered Women, you name it, nobody wanted it). We decided that we wanted a lighter, more functional look...something in a Shaker or Craftsman style. We researched what we wanted and were amazed to discover that there is a whole Cottage Industry of furniture manufacturing going on in the states of Vermont and Massachusetts. Who knew? Well, we were familiar with Thomas Moser furniture (located in Maine with showrooms in expensive zip codes around the U.S.) but we didn't want to spend $30,000 for our bedroom set. We considered Crate & Barrel which makes nice, honest furniture (we have this in our guest bedroom and love it), but we wanted higher quality. In continuing our research, we found some manufacturers in the Western U.S. And some Shaker manufacturers sprinkled from Pennsylvania to Illinois. Eventually, I came across Vermont Woods Studios. This find was The Epiphany! Fortuitously, Vermont Woods Studios was running a 20 percent discount sale, with free White Glove shipping. This was towards the end of December, 2015. We selected a style called Contemporary Craftsman in Cherry (wood selection also runs to Oak, Maple and Mahogany; Mahogany is an additional cost). We upgraded to a King Size Bed (low footboard option); the rest of the set that we selected contains a six drawer Dresser, a seven drawer Chest, a three door Night Table and a Utility Table (a second Night Table was not possible with the King Bed due to space issues). The only custom feature that we required was for the bed to be made one and one half inches lower. When we decided on the style, set, pieces, et al, it was time to make payment. The furniture must be paid in full at the time of purchase. This made us hesitate a bit but the reputation, based on our research, of Vermont Woods Studios is absolutely Gilt Edged. We put the purchase on a Cash Back Credit Card. At the conclusion, our wonderful Salesperson, Sean Henry, provided us with hard copy receipts confirming our selections (our computer is still not set up) and advised us that the furniture had to be built, and that it would take eight to 12 weeks to complete the process. Sean told us that the White Glove delivery service would contact us to arrange delivery and they would deliver the furniture to our second floor, place it where we wanted, put the bed together and remove all packing materials and protective blankets. There is a process for reporting and/or rejecting damaged pieces but we were assured that the White Glove delivery service is so good that damaged furniture is almost never an issue. About two weeks after we made the purchase, we received an e-mail from Vermont Woods Studios advising that Bedroom Sets were now 25 percent off. I called our Salesman, Sean, and inquired about an additional five percent credit. Sean said he would speak with Management and in under an hour called to advise that $624.05 was being credited back to my credit card. After being in a Death Struggle with our Insurers for over three years, this credit was important for us. Towards the end of January Sean called to advise that the furniture would be finished at about the six week mark, around mid February. We advised that we would not be able to accept delivery until painting and carpeting were completed, around early March (we were slowed by the latest Snow Storm of the Century in late January). We were told it would not be a problem. But I did appreciate that Vermont Woods Studios Craftsmen over delivered on the eight to 12 week manufacturing cycle. Good to know. In addition it sort of settled me down over wondering if the quality of workmanship would be there. After all, the furniture suite was purchased over the Internet, without being able to see and touch finished samples. [N.B.: Sean did provide samples of the various types of wood used to build our bedroom set; this was helpful). When the furniture was completed, we received a call from the delivery service and we were fit into their regional delivery schedule. D-Day was March 11, 2016. The delivery folks called to confirm and then called to advise they were less than an hour away. They arrived, scoped out were the furniture had to go and got the case pieces up the stairs and down the hall into the Master Bedroom without touching a wall. Amazing! Everything was carefully blanket wrapped. The movers (I will write a separate review for them) were so thoroughly professional and neat as a pin. They put the bed together and moved the case pieces into their final resting places, and removed any cardboard and plastic packing materials along with the blanket wraps. The movers advised that they do work for Thomas Moser and many ultra high end concerns. These guys were GREAT. There wasn't a nick on any piece of furniture. EVERYTHING ARRIVED IN PERFECT SHAPE. Another area in which Vermont Woods Studios totally lived up to its word. NOW FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE...THE QUALITY OF THE FURNITURE: OUTSTANDING!!! The quality of this furniture is nothing short of magnificent. In our house we have Karges, Kindel and Stickley furniture by E.J.Audi (the current owner of the Gustav Stickley legacy). In terms of craftsmanship, fit, finish and attention to detail, our Vermont Woods Studios Bedroom Set is as good or better than the best and highest quality furniture that we own. Even the wood applied to the rear of the case goods is high quality, perfectly fitted with screws, smooth as glass and devoid of splinters. Every single piece looks like a magnificent sculpture in Cherry wood. Today, March 14th, I finished oiling the furniture with Danish Oil (per VWS instructions) and the grain is more visible. The furniture is even more beautiful than the other day. And the Cherry wood will develop more character and depth as a patina forms over the next three to six months. We can't wait! In conclusion, this was a perfect transaction from a great and wonderful vendor. We received the bedroom set of our dreams, a set of extraordinary quality and beauty, at a very reasonable price, that was delivered, placed and set up without so much as a pin scratch. My wife and I are already plotting more purchases from Vermont Woods Studios...we need a coffee table, bench, bookcase and who knows what else.