Copeland Furniture: Quality Hardwood Pieces from Vermont

What do Forma Furniture customers look for in the pieces they purchase to complete or enhance their decor? Elegant design, exceptional quality, and green manufacturing are certainly high on their list. And while every manufacturer we work with demonstrates these attributes, Copeland Furniture definitely ranks highly in every category. From their workshop on the banks of the Connecticut River in the small Vermont town of Bradford, they produce truly remarkable hardwood furniture.

The History of a Leading Vermont Furniture Maker

Copeland Furniture was founded in the early 1970s as a one-man operation that produced wooden cider presses in an old garage in East Corinth, Vermont. All the best furniture companies start out this way—small and independent. Why? Because having to develop skills in everything from design to joinery to upholstery in order for their business to survive helps the principals master their craft and subsequently instill the desire for flawless execution in every employee they hire and train.

So it was in the early years at Copeland, and so it is today. While the company now operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, every process is guided by the expertise and intuition of the company’s furniture artisans. They produce top-quality pieces in a variety of styles and aesthetics, from Scandinavian and Arts & Crafts, to Mission and Shaker.

Vermont Furniture Inspired by the Vermont Countryside

Vermont is a place where people value preservation. This fact is plain to see in the historic churches, homes, barns, and other buildings that dot the landscape. This appreciation for things that endure clearly informs Copeland’s approach to design. Regardless of the style a piece is crafted in, there is an underlying theme to the company’s furniture: it all exhibits strong, understated design.

Every item of bedroom, dining, living room, or home office furniture that leaves their workshop is destined to be cherished by the purchaser and handed down to many generations to come. This is especially appealing to people who love fine furniture and recognize that buying heirloom-quality pieces is like purchasing a gift for descendants they will never know.

Copeland Furniture: A Beautiful Blend of Traditional and Contemporary

One of the things that draws our customers to Copeland’s line is the way the company’s pieces deftly walk the line between traditional and contemporary. It’s not uncommon to see shoppers look at an item admiringly, look away, then look back again. If you ask them, they’ll tell you that they are trying to categorize the piece in their mind and are pleasantly surprised at the struggle. They know they love it, they just can’t put a label on it!

Copeland characterizes its furniture as “transitional, neither strictly contemporary nor traditional but rather a combination of elements that incorporate classic proportion with modern simplicity.” We think that’s the perfect description. What it means to our customers is that furniture from Copeland works wonderfully in a wide range of decors. And that transitional nature also means that it both blends in and stands out in the owner’s home. Guests initially see a piece as part of a beautifully cohesive decorating scheme but often will gravitate to it later and ask about its design and origin.

Making Sustainability and Stewardship a Priority

Another way that Copeland Furniture is influenced by its Vermont surroundings is that the state’s (and the region’s) commitment to sustainability is ingrained in the way the company operates. Not only does Copeland use sustainably harvested hardwoods like maple, cherry, and walnut, it obtains its raw materials from sites within 500 miles of its manufacturing facility. This greatly reduces the amount of fossil fuels consumed and carbon dioxide emitted through the transporting of hardwoods to its facility.

In fact, according to Copeland, independent research commissioned by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and conducted by international experts showed that:

• U.S. hardwoods derive from legal and well-managed forests. Hardwood procured from anywhere in the hardwood states could be considered Low Risk in all five Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) controlled wood risk categories.
• There exists a low risk that U.S. hardwoods are produced from controversial sources as defined in the Chain of Custody standard of the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
• The U.S. hardwood-producing region can be considered low risk for illegal and non-sustainable hardwood sourcing as a result of public and private regulatory and non-regulatory programs.

What this means to our customers is that they can sleep well in their Copeland bed, rest comfortably in their Copeland chair, and in general enjoy their Copeland furniture knowing that the company demonstrates exceptional stewardship in their use of renewable resources. A number of awards for environmental excellence that Copeland has won attest to this fact as well.

In addition to being selective about the materials it brings in, Copeland is also careful about what its furniture puts out into your home environment. The standard finishes the company applies to its pieces are Greenguard certified. The Greenguard program, which is a testing program of UL (Underwriters Laboratories), ensures that items that get certified produce low chemical emissions. Copeland’s post-catalyzed conversion varnish has earned this certification.

In addition, the company has a box-making machine in its manufacturing facility, which allows it to produce only the packaging it needs at any given time. Plus, Copeland keeps as much of its waste products out of landfills as possible and also reduces its need for imported oil by heating its building completely with its own wood waste.

Your Colorado Source for Copeland Furniture

Intrigued about Copeland and its impressive line of high-quality hardwood furniture from Vermont? You’re not alone. The company has a strong following among the fine furniture experts who are our customers. Not only do they love the pieces, they appreciate that the company stands behind its work with outstanding service and strong warranties. People who purchase Copeland furniture do so with complete confidence that it will exceed their expectations today and for decades to come.

Shop Copeland Furniture in our showrooms in Fort Collins and Boulder, CO, or visit us online.