The quality of the furnishings produced by Edwin Blue is comparable to that of Design Within Reach (DWR). And while the two furniture design companies can be compared to each other there is still a striking difference. While DWR reproduces designs from carefully picked designers around the world and is made up of many talented designers designing furnishing for them, Edwin Blue produces their own fresh designs. And Edwin Blue makes for today, makes by hand, and makes with the combination of old and modern tools, hence their motto "Handmade Modern".
There is a kind of exuberance one can see in the furniture, at a glance you can see there is something about it, it's hard to place whether this something comes from the shine and perfectly placed wood or perhaps it's the way the supporting brushed steel gives it that modern edge...? I think I've got it, the exuberance, this something we speak of is simply the quality that can be seen in beautifully handmade furnishings.
Read about Edwin Blue, as read on their official Edwin Blue site:
The Story of Edwin Blue
Edwin Blue is the American spirit that cherished the pride of tradition, hard work, craftsmanship and the idea that something should be built for generations to enjoy.
At Edwin Blue, our mission and namesake is dedicated to reviving the spirit of a time in which treasured things were built to last. In the spirit of the American entrepreneurship that built this country, our products are 100% designed, manufactured and made on U.S. soil. More than furniture, it is the embodiment of a time that cherished beauty, quality and steadfastness in the world.
Edwin Blue is our heritage, and your heirloom.
Handmade Modern
This furniture is not made in a factory. The Edwin Blue design and fabrication studios are steeped in technology and tradition. On it’s exterior is a century old horse stable, but upon venturing inside you will find a bustling studio of skilled craftsmen using both traditional old world tools and highly advanced machinery. The combination of traditional craft and advanced technology is the essence of what it means to be Handmade Modern. It is this combination that affords us the ability to manufacture products at a quality unrivaled in the furniture market today.Our craft is in hand polishing the stainless steel in perfectly mitered seams. Our compositions are written by hand selecting wood and arranging it so that each piece compliments the next. Our passion is in constructing frames to exacting detail for hand attaching board after board. Our heirloom quality products are not merely pieces of furniture. They are works of art.
The Story of Sinker Cypress
The term “Sinker Cypress” refers to lumber produced from a Cypress tree felled in the Southeast region of the United States at the turn of the 20th century during the time of the American industrial cypress harvest. These trees were, at the time, anywhere from 100-1,000 years old making their strength impossible to reproduce in modern, new growth cypress.
During the logging process, many of these trees sank to the bottom of the river systems that were being used to float the logs downstream to the wood mills. There they sat, at the bottom of these rivers for decades. Some even approximately 100 years or more. It was here that the cold temperatures and lack of sun light preserved the wood from decay. Lying in the river beds also allowed sediment to collect inside the wood, giving the material a color variance unique to “Sinker Cypress”. This material is ideal for use outdoors due to its high oil content making it resistant to rot, decay, and insect infestation.