Why England Furniture is Made in America

England Furniture craftsman upholstering a sofa

With a name like “England Furniture” people are sometimes surprised to find that this company is American through and through. Founded in the 1960’s by Charles England and sons Eugene and Dwight, this furniture manufacturing company has stood by American workers in Appalachia, and even recently expanded American manufacturing. When the founders of England Furniture set out to establish an American furniture company, they wanted to create sustainable jobs in the region.

Since then, England Furniture has become a pioneer in the industry known for rapid delivery of custom furniture. Through a proprietary transportation system and operations management processes, the England Furniture company has been able to keep manufacturing stateside.

England Furniture craftsman carrying a bolt of fabric through the factory floor

The craftspeople who work in the England Furniture plants deliver quality to each piece they create. From the framing process, to quality testing and delivery, England Furniture has prided itself on maintaining core values all this time. In 2019, if you are considering a renovation or a room design, consider buying American with England Furniture.

Benefits of Buying American-Made Furniture

In recent decades, American manufacturing has fallen behind, as inexpensive products can be shipped across the world rapidly. Factory jobs in America are not as plentiful as they once were, and mass produced lower-quality items line shelves. Over fifty years ago, the brothers who founded England Furniture decided they would not sacrifice quality and ship jobs overseas. That legacy is still a driving force behind England Furniture. Here are a few benefits of buying American-made furniture.

American Job Creation

As demand for American-made furniture remains strong, companies can continue expanding and hiring skilled craftsmen and women, as well as corporate staff. Participating in a movement to invest in a piece of furniture made in America is a statement that helps American companies keep their operations in the States. Recently, England Furniture announced that 200 jobs would be added to their company in the coming year as a result of strong growth.

Low Carbon Emissions

All of England Furniture’s pieces are created in Tennessee, and don’t have to cross an ocean to get to you. This means that there is less fuel needed to transport furniture from the warehouse to your house. With less exhaust smoke is in the atmosphere, air quality improves for everyone around the globe.

Fast Turnaround

England Furniture innovated their operations to be able to deliver customizable pieces of furniture in three weeks or less. This fast delivery does not come at the cost of quality, which is incredibly important when purchasing a piece that will be in your home for years to come. Additionally, being made in America, furniture orders don’t run the risk of being held up at customs, which can cause furniture to arrive weeks later than intended.

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Pictured is the Brett chair.

Dimensions:

Width 43″

Depth 38″

Height 37″

Seat Width 22″

Seat Depth 21″

Seat Height 21″

 

England Furniture: Creating 200 Jobs & Expanding

To further our commitment to creating jobs in the United States and investing in talent right in Tennessee, we are proud to announce an expansion to our manufacturing plant and corporate offices, which were destroyed by a fire less than one year ago. Along with the expansion, we will be able to create about 200 jobs right in Claiborne County, Tennessee.

England Furniture Factory

The 87,000-square foot expansion to the already 400,000 square-foot England Furniture factory gives us the space we need to provide more great pieces for families all over America. To kick off construction, we were proud to have Governor Bill Haslam and Commissioner Bob Rolfe attend Plant 8’s expansion ceremony on February 21st. Keeping in line with our corporate philosophy, we are wasting no time getting to work so the plant expansion happens as quickly and smoothly as possible. We are proud be part of a movement to revive American manufacturing!

England Furniture creates 200 American jobs in Tennessee factory expansion.
England Furniture executives break ground together with Governor Bill Haslam and Commissioner Bob Rolfe

Corporate Office

The fire in May 2017 completely devastated our corporate office, but in the following months, we were able to continue to deliver the same level of service to customers, delivering furniture in three weeks or less. In place of what once was, the new corporate office building will cover 22,500 square feet—best of all, the building will be LEED certified in order to ensure it follows high environmental standards.

About the England Furniture Company

England Furniture has been operational in Tennessee for over 50 years, and is committed to creating high quality furniture and dependable jobs in the state. Co-founded by Charles, Eugene and Dwight England, these brothers decided to invest in the hardworking spirit of Appalachia where the business evolved to what it is today. The company’s competitive advantage lies in the short build cycle in crafting high-quality furniture. There are hundreds of fabrics and styles to choose from, so you can customize each piece to perfection. England Furniture has operated as an independent division of La-Z-Boy Co. since 1995.

Making Furniture and Creating American Jobs

EnglandFurnitureMadeInUSA4

England Furniture was founded in 1964 with a mission to create manufacturing jobs where they were needed most, in America. Today, all our items are manufactured right in the foothills of East Tennessee. We’ve grown since then, with over 1,000 people as part of our team. We remain competitive with our high-quality products and a rapid delivery system. We’re proud to offer 400 fabrics and leathers for the best customer experience. Take a look at some of the photos from our factory that we post on #PlantTourTuesdays.

EnglandFurnitureMadeInUSA1We have over 400 textiles to choose from.

EnglandFurnitureMadeInUSA2We guarantee our products to deliver in 3 weeks or less.

EnglandFurnitureMadeInUSA3Tennessee craftsmen and women work hard for your perfect piece.

Proudly built in the foothills of East Tennessee, USA.

England Furniture Considers A Brief History of Furniture

The often cited emergence of furniture manufacturing began around 3000 BC as noted by furniture discovered in a preserved village located in Orkney, Scotland.   In the many centuries since these original pieces were created, humans have been able to improve the design and functionality of furniture.

In the 18th and 19th centuries archaeologists uncovered tables and inlaid serving stands that were dated back to the 8th century BC in Gordion, Turkey.   Ancient Egyptian furniture has been known to include beds, boxes and chairs dating from 1550 to 1200 BC.  The early art of furniture making was also present in Ancient Greece.   Research has found Greek vases with images of beds and chairs suggesting that some Greek furniture could be dated as early as the 2nd millennium BC.  Wood was commonly used to create furniture and furniture made with wood was usually heavy and ornamented with carved designs.

During the time of early modern Europe, furniture making became increasingly common and popular. During the 17th century, both Southern and Northern Europe was characterized by opulent and often gilded Baroque furniture designs. Palladianism was a style that belonged to Great Britain while the Rococo and Neoclassicism styles were more common in Western Europe.

By the year 1860s, the Rococo style subsided and the Renaissance Revival took its place as the latest trend in furniture style.  Reform and revolution in the art of furniture was very evident an marked the turn of the century.

After World War II, some furniture makers took a new initiative and began to use other materials – such as metals and plastics – in their furniture pieces. These furniture makers collaborated to create new designs such as the Eames chair and ottoman. These pieces are most known for their composition of curved molded plywood with deeply padded upholstery. Modernism in terms of furniture was introduced during the first three quarters of the twentieth century. Many furniture designers worked to attain this Modernist style.  This is also the era when Transitional furniture was first introduced.  This furniture sought to fill the gap between Traditional furniture and Modern furniture.

During the 1980s, furniture styles had rapidly flourished to the point of hundreds of examples emerging on the scene. The positive aspect of this stylistic era was the enormous range of choices that were offered, from classic modern to high-tech industrial furnishings. Live-edge was introduced as one unique outgrowth of post-modern furniture design.  This design incorporated the natural edge of the wood and blended it with the design of the furniture.

England Furniture, born in 1964, demonstrates the growth of furniture styles that have occurred in the furniture manufacturing industry over recent decades.  England Furniture provides audiences with a wide variety of modern and traditional styles and they supply their customers with custom fabric and pattern options. The England Furniture factory is located in the United States (in the state of Tennessee) and you can view the latest offerings of England Furniture or visit the full England Furniture catalog to see the wide array of England Furniture creations.

England Furniture Company and Contemporary Furniture

Contemporary furniture is known for including different varieties of sophisticated and practical modern furniture. Contemporary furniture design is recognized by the total absence of any ornate designs, carvings or design work on the furniture.  Some people consider contemporary furniture as synonymous with modern furniture.

Contemporary furniture became popular in the twentieth century. This style of furniture design blends materials like steel, chrome and glass along with traditional wood – often used as the base material for the furniture pieces. Contemporary design is simplistic and practical. It tends to lack the glamour of the Victorian era and the design elements associated with contemporary furniture are almost the exact opposite to those present in the original Victorian styles. The contemporary design of furniture originated from Scandinavia and was also popularized by the Danish.

The most significant attribute of contemporary furniture is the need to be unique and modern while maintaining a sense of comfortableness. Contemporary design draws strength from the basic ideology that furniture has the ability to influence the environments that it is placed in.  This often means that these types of furniture pieces tend to complement – and even draw symmetry from – the locale, design and spaces that it is housed in.

Some common attributes of contemporary furniture design are:
• Smooth, clean edges with no ornate cuts or designs.
• Asymmetrical appeal – The shape, cut, layout, assembly or furnishings will bring an asymmetrical finish to contemporary furniture. This differentiates it from the modern furniture which tends to only use new age materials and fabrics in the design.
• Furnishings and feel – The furnishings tend to be sans designs, motifs or pattern. The colors are largely neutral (blacks, whites and tans).  These colors contribute to the environment and are also accented by colors of accessories, lights and other linen. The feel of the furniture will sometimes blend wood with leather, glass, chrome, steel or even stone.

Contemporary England Furniture is easy to mix and match.  They are understated pieces that emphasize a comfortable and clean style, but not necessarily on detailing and color. Blending contemporary England Furniture design into older rooms can bring about a nice, different retro effect while also creating an entirely modern living space.

England Furniture Explores Modern Furniture

A common misconception of many people is the notion that “modern” means “in one’s own current time.”   These individuals who tend to believe that modern furniture has to be brand new. Some would even suggest that modern furniture has to be styled in a sleek, futuristic way to reflect the ever-changing times.  By this definition of “modern furniture,” any furniture that looks ahead of its’ time could be considered modern.   Most furniture design enthusiasts interpret the term “modern furniture” differently.  According to these furniture aficionados “modern furniture” actually references back to a school of design known simply as “modernism.”

The Modernism movement began with designers who wanted to emphasize function over form.   Their leading question is “what works?” over “what looks good.”   This movement eventually evolved to consider both function and form and modernists often now seek a form of functional modern art.

Pieces of furniture that are done in this modernism style tend to use a wide variety of different materials. Metal and plastic are popular options because they create sleek, clean lines and can be molded into almost any shape.  Modern furniture, however, is by no means limited to these two materials.  They can include a wide array of raw materials including different types of wood-based materials and different styles of coverings/fabrics.

England Furniture has a considerable collection of modern and contemporary pieces.  These modern England Furniture items can make an easy addition to any room in your home. Manufactured in state of Tennessee, England Furniture provides its’ audiences with simple, clean styles and a wide variety of custom fabric/pattern options to consider.