About Our Furniture

Hardwoods are the Gold Standard for home building and furnishing materials. There is no substitute for their appearance and natural longevity. Still, synthetic imitations abound.

What may look at first like solid hardwood furniture may be something else. It pays to ask questions and take a hard look at materials. Substitutes can't compare to solid hardwoods when it comes to holding nails and screws and withstanding stresses, loads, and abrasions of daily life. Remember, a term such as "oak finish" may simply refer to the color or the photographic reproduction of the wood's grain, (this is called wallpaper or foil veneer) it does not necessarily mean it is the authentic, natural hardwood. What you see is not always what you think it is. Here at Country Lane approximately 97% of our furniture is made up of solid oak, maple, walnut, cherry and pine.

Oak: The use of oaks dates back to English cathedral carvings and thrones of the Middle Ages. King Arthur's legendary Round Table was probably made of oak. Their bold grain and its subtle-to-rich color ranges (from light grayish-brown to reddish brown) provide the authority and character that make red and white oak the most widely used hardwoods. The oaks are America's most abundant hardwood species.

Cherry: Cherry is 'the collector's wood.' A hard, lustrous wood, ranging from pale yellow to light reddish-brown with fine even texture, cherry has traditionally been a choice species for fine furniture. Created by Pennsylvania professional craftsmen with a passion for detail. When you buy from Country Lane Furniture, you invest in the best quality and you enjoy a work of nature, the warmth and beauty of our genuine hardwood handcrafted furniture.

Every board tells a story.

Unlike factory-made materials, every board has a unique life story to tell. You can be sure that your particular hardwood furniture looks like no other in the world ... including those in our showroom. Our hardwood is from the Northern Appalachian Mountains and Valleys. Some Hardwoods are even harvested right here in our local counties. Each hardwood tree develops a unique grain pattern and texture. After the tree is harvested, its individual boards reflect this history. The main story is always written in the grain. Grain patterns result from the tree's growth rings -- one for each year in the forest. Knots are character marks, telling the story of tree limbs which grew and fell to the forest floor as the tree matured. The color of boards from the same hardwood tree will show significant variation. For instance, "younger" wood closer to the bark will be lighter than that which comes from the central portion. Other more subtle effects are caused by the traces of minerals and other essential elements which the tree absorbed as it grew. You can be confident that none of the natural markings that characterize your Country Lane Furniture hardwood furniture will affect its durability or structural integrity.

Naturally Renewing, Carefully Nurtured: Hardwoods are responsible for nature's magnificent display of autumn colors, before these trees shed their leaves. Responsible forestry practices ensure that the brilliant fall spectacle will be just as dazzling centuries from now as it is today.

Each year in this country we grow twice as much hardwood as we harvest. Responsible hardwood forestry ensures that the hardwoods we treasure for their beauty and variety will be abundant for generations to come. In fact, experts now project there will be 70 percent more of such hardwoods as oak, cherry, ash and maple over the next half century.