The furniture industry in the United States is booming, with an estimated demand of $68.8 billion by 2022. However, this growth comes with a significant environmental impact, as Americans discard 12 million tons of furniture annually. Sustainable Jungle proposes a solution that not only reduces waste but also supports the local economy and the planet: opting for eco-friendly, American-made furniture.
By choosing furniture brands that use reclaimed, recycled, and durable materials, consumers can significantly reduce waste, curb deforestation, and minimize carbon emissions from global shipping. Moreover, supporting local furniture makers creates meaningful jobs and promotes the use of quality handcrafted American furniture. The article provides a list of American-made furniture brands that offer a wide range of selection and variety, from Alabama Sawyer’s uniquely crafted reclaimed Alabama-wood pieces to Emeco’s modern designs.
1. BRANDON BUILT
Brandon Built is a furniture company based in Kearney, Nebraska. It was founded by three friends who shared a passion for building home furniture. What started as a joke turned into a successful business, with over 7000 customers and four items on Etsy’s best sellers list.
One of the things that sets Brandon Built apart is its not-for-profit business model. The company donates its profits to support locals who are in need, such as single parents, school children, and the homeless. The shop has donated a variety of items, including diapers, hygiene products, clothing, shoes, school lunches, car batteries, and holiday meals.
Brandon Built’s furniture is made with American-made solid wood, either reclaimed or sourced from an FSC certified supplier. The company prioritizes sustainability and ethical practices in its supply chain and labor practices. Two of the original founders are still involved in the business, ensuring that the USA-based woodworking remains a core part of the company’s operations.
The company offers a wide range of furniture, including bookshelves, bar carts, bar stools, blanket ladders, clothing racks, coffee tables, end/side tables, shelving, and TV stands. All of the furniture is made with high-quality materials and built to last.
Overall, Brandon Built is one of the best American made furniture brands, offering both high-quality furniture and a commitment to ethical and sustainable practices. Customers can feel good about their purchases, knowing that they are supporting a company that gives back to the local community.
2. Urban Wood Goods
Chicago-based Urban Wood Goods is a custom furniture store that specializes in creating one-of-a-kind American-made furniture pieces for both homes and businesses. They have a wide variety of furniture pieces, including dining tables, kitchen tables, commercial tables, wooden desks, wooden benches, console tables, coffee tables, bar stools, and shelving.
What sets Urban Wood Goods apart from other furniture stores is their use of reclaimed lumber that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill or incinerator. Most of their furniture pieces are made from old-growth Douglas Fir, which is typically 100-200 years old and has natural curves or nail holes that make each piece truly unique.
Urban Wood Goods takes pride in their ethical and sustainable practices when it comes to their materials and supply chain. They partner with a few manufacturing partners in Texas, Chicago, and elsewhere in Illinois, but everything is 100% “Grown in America, Built in America.”
Their supply chain and labor practices are also noteworthy. What started out as a one-woman wood reclamation and furniture making business now employs 20 hard-working individuals. They support the American dream by creating meaningful jobs and contributing to the local economy.
Urban Wood Goods’ furniture pieces come in their salvaged, unsealed natural state, but they include a beeswax-based all-natural wood rub with some purchases. This allows customers to create their own memories with the furniture, embedding their experiences into the rich collective history of the piece.
Overall, Urban Wood Goods is a great choice for anyone looking for unique American-made furniture pieces that are both ethical and sustainable. Their use of reclaimed lumber and commitment to supporting the local economy make them a standout in the furniture industry. Their pieces are available on Etsy.
3. RECLAIMED WOOD USA
Reclaimed Wood USA is a family-owned furniture shop that creates beautiful and unique solid wood American-made furniture using reclaimed wood. With over 28,000 sales and an average five-star review on Etsy, Reclaimed Wood USA is a popular choice for those looking for high-quality furniture.
The shop uses reclaimed wood and metal, most of which comes from the construction sites and wreckage caused by Gulf Coast hurricanes. All of their pieces are finished with 100% eco-friendly water-based stains and lacquers, making them sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Reclaimed Wood USA works strictly with US-based designers and all of their furniture is handmade in their woodworking and metal fabrication studio. This ensures that their supply chain and labor practices are ethical and sustainable.
Their furniture pieces include floating shelves, a fireplace mantel, and benches, all of which are designed to be heirloom pieces that can be passed down for generations. The use of reclaimed wood gives each piece a rich and rustic feel, making them stand out from mass-produced furniture.
In addition to their commitment to sustainability, Reclaimed Wood USA is also dedicated to giving back to the community. They support Mississippians following the devastating impacts of hurricanes, demonstrating their commitment to charitable giving.
Overall, Reclaimed Wood USA is a great choice for those looking for high-quality, sustainable, and unique furniture pieces made from reclaimed wood.
4. Floyd
Floyd is a Detroit-based company that specializes in creating American-made furniture. The company is committed to producing quality furniture that is not disposable, which is good for the planet. Although not all Floyd furniture is made in the USA, most of their pieces are.
Floyd offers a simple selection of furniture, including a bed frame, mattress, sofa, chaise, dining table, side table, coffee table, standing desk, and a few storage and shelving systems. All of their furniture is made from high-quality materials, such as steel, natural linoleum, Baltic birch, and FSC-certified American-grown walnut.
When it comes to ethical and sustainability practices, Floyd is dedicated to using environmentally and socially responsible values. They only work with factories that share their values and are committed to reducing their environmental impact.
Their Full Cycle program is designed to extend the life span of their products by offering furniture repair services and responsible recycling when repairs are no longer an option. They also design their furniture with easy-to-service components, making it simple to make small repairs or replacements, rather than discarding the entire piece.
Floyd is committed to reducing their environmental impact. By 2025, they plan to source 70% of their materials from recycled or renewable sources, including 100% FSC certified wood. They are also eliminating single-use plastics and plan to disclose a greenhouse gas emissions report.
Overall, Floyd is a company that offers high-quality, American-made furniture that is both stylish and sustainable. Their commitment to ethical and sustainable practices makes them a great choice for anyone looking for solid wood furniture that is handcrafted and custom-made.
5. Alabama Sawyer
Alabama Sawyer is a furniture maker based in Alabama that specializes in creating modern and environmentally sustainable furniture. The company was founded by a husband and wife duo, Leigh and Cliff Spencer, who have won several awards for their work and diverted hundreds of logs from landfills.
If you are looking for American made furniture online, Alabama Sawyer offers a range of products, including tables, shelving, seating, desks, and credenzas. The company’s materials are sourced from urban timber, which is chosen not only for its sustainability but also for its unique imperfections such as insect holes, burls, and knots.
Alabama Sawyer’s supply chain and labor practices are also ethical and sustainable. Over 90% of the company’s wood comes from Alabama, and the trees are gathered from homeowners, businesses, and municipalities. The wood is then transported to a facility in Birmingham, where it is processed by skilled technicians, dried for at least six months, and kiln fired. Finally, everything is sent to a woodshop in North Birmingham where the furniture-making process begins.
The company’s green business practices are also noteworthy. Alabama Sawyer’s commitment to treecycling keeps usable hardwood trees from releasing greenhouse gas emissions and transforms them into some of the best American made furniture available. By choosing Alabama Sawyer, customers can support the local economy and the planet at the same time.
6. WHAT WE MAKE
What WE Make is a family-owned and operated American made furniture brand based in Chicago. With over 15 years of experience, they specialize in creating furniture from reclaimed materials. They offer a wide range of American made living room furniture, dining room furniture, bedroom furniture, and more.
Their collection includes various pieces such as dining tables, benches, coffee tables, end/accent tables, console tables, bathroom vanities, chairs and stools, buffets, bookcases, storage pieces, media consoles, and desks. All of their furniture is made from reclaimed old-growth wood, sustainably sourced Midwest walnut and white oak, hand-welded metal, and durable, special-blend concrete.
What WE Make’s commitment to ethical and sustainable practices is evident in their choice of materials. They use old-growth wood harvested from midwestern barns, which is at least a century old, to create unique pieces with naturally-occurring splits, weathering, knots, cracks, and nail holes. They finish all of their pieces with no or low-VOC eco-friendly finishings, which contain far fewer toxins than traditional furniture.
Their supply chain and labor practices are also commendable. All woodworking is done by hand by brothers Dan and George Quinn in their Algonquin, IL workshop. Each family member is responsible for a different aspect of the business, ensuring a personal touch to every piece of furniture.
What WE Make’s green business practices are equally impressive. All items are made-to-order, which minimizes their carbon footprint and eliminates the need for a warehouse storing stock. They also donate wood scraps and sawdust locally for farming and fires, reducing waste even further.
In conclusion, What WE Make offers a wide range of American made furniture pieces that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also environmentally friendly and sustainable. Their commitment to ethical and sustainable practices, combined with their use of reclaimed materials, makes them a brand worth considering for anyone looking to purchase furniture that supports both the local economy and the planet.
7. Emeco
Emeco is a furniture company that specializes in creating modern American-made furniture. The company was founded in 1944 and is well-known for its Navy Chair, which was originally designed for warships and sailors. Today, Emeco chairs can be found in offices, hotels, and restaurants worldwide.
Emeco’s commitment to sustainability is evident in its choice of materials. The company uses recycled aluminum in 80% of its products, including the Navy Chair. They also use recycled PET, local and FSC-certified or reclaimed wood, cork, eco-concrete made from recycled glass bottles, and reclaimed wood polypropylene. The latter is a combination of leftover bits from plastic factories, sawdust, and wood from lumber yards. This yields a speckled look and natural easy-to-wipe feel that’s effective for high use and harsh environments.
Emeco prides itself on making furniture in America, often by hand. They partner with Amish communities in Pennsylvania and have their own Pennsylvanian factory, which is the same one that produced the iconic chairs back in 1944. The company’s green business practices are also noteworthy. For instance, Emeco’s partnership with Coca-Cola has given way to the 111 Navy Chair, which is made from 111 plastic bottles and can be 100% recycled.
Emeco’s aluminum chairs are made in a 77-step process to ensure they last forever. The company’s guiding principle is that if you make something well, it can survive anything. Most pieces are finished with a no- or low-VOC sealer to make them stand the test of time.
In addition to chairs, Emeco offers stools, tables, shelves, benches, sustainable outdoor furniture, upholstered furniture, and a host of accessories and replacement parts to keep their American-made furniture lasting a long time. Emeco’s commitment to sustainability and ethical practices make it a great choice for those looking for high-quality, durable furniture that supports both the local economy and the planet.
HOW WE FOUND THE BEST AMERICAN MADE FURNITURE
Materials
When searching for the best American made furniture, the team at [company name] prioritized pieces made from recycled, renewable, or reclaimed materials. This included recycled aluminum, steel, glass, and PET, as well as American-grown wood that is renewable. Additionally, old-growth wood and wood polypropylene (WPP) that is reclaimed was also taken into consideration. The team also looked for furniture that used 100% eco-friendly water-based stains and lacquers, while avoiding flame retardants, VOCs, or anything associated with dangerous off-gassing.
Certifications
The team at [company name] made sure to include furniture that was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the California Air Resources Board (CARB II), and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Title VI. These certifications ensure that the furniture meets environmental and safety standards.
Supply Chain and Labor Practices
When looking for American made furniture, it was important for the team at [company name] to support strict labor laws and local economies. This meant supporting brands that had artisanal jobs within the community and avoided outsourcing labor.
Green Business Practices
Many of the brands chosen by [company name] not only saved materials from landfills but also offered to repair, recycle, or resell old furniture. Additionally, these brands made designs that made replacing and repairing furniture easy. All of the pieces were designed to last a long time, even when it took 77 production steps to make it happen!
Community & Charitable Giving
By supporting American made furniture businesses, [company name] was supporting American communities. Some of the brands chosen by the team went even further by donating and providing financial support programs for children, single parents, and victims of natural disasters.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON AMERICAN MADE FURNITURE
When it comes to purchasing furniture, buying local is better for the environment, the economy, and the community. By cutting down on the supply chain and supporting American made furniture, [company name] is making a conscious effort to make a positive impact. By choosing furniture made from sustainable materials and supporting brands with eco-friendly and socially responsible practices, consumers can make a difference in the furniture industry.
