In this guide
Maine has had a distinctive furniture-making tradition since the early 1800s — think Shaker simplicity, Yankee restraint, and a deep relationship with local hardwoods (cherry, maple, white pine, oak). Today's Maine furniture makers tend to share three traits: they're small workshops with named makers, they use locally sourced wood when possible, and they're built to outlast the people who buy them. None of these pieces are cheap. All of them are heirlooms.
Below, twelve Maine furniture makers worth knowing — sorted by what they do best.
Thos. Moser is the most internationally recognized Maine furniture maker. Tom Moser left a teaching career in 1972 to build cherry furniture in his New Gloucester garage; today his sons run the business out of Auburn, with showrooms from Portland to San Francisco. The Continuous Arm Chair and the Edo Bench are the iconic pieces. If you order one thing in your life from this list, it's probably here.
Chilton has been making solid hardwood furniture in Maine since 1985 — Shaker-inspired, mostly cherry and maple, with a focus on case goods (dressers, dining tables, bookcases). The Freeport showroom is worth visiting if you're in the L.L. Bean orbit anyway.
Huston & Company in Kennebunkport designs and builds custom contemporary furniture — cleaner lines than Moser or Chilton, more visible joinery, often with steel and glass mixed in. Best for a modern interior that still wants the heirloom factor.
Maine Cottage has been building hand-painted furniture since 1992 — sofas, beds, dining tables, case goods — in cottage-coastal colors that have become a signature look. The aesthetic is a real love-it-or-leave-it; if it's your style, no other maker comes close.
For the purist Shaker buyer, Shaker Furniture of Maine in Augusta builds traditional Shaker-style cherry, maple, and oak furniture using time-honored techniques. Custom orders, nationwide shipping.
Krovel makes "modern floating" furniture — wall-mounted pieces, minimalist desks, sleek consoles — handmade in Portland. The aesthetic skews architect, not farmhouse.
Bicyclette in Brunswick designs sustainable, modern furniture from local Maine hardwoods. Smaller catalog than the big names but the design sensibility is sharp.
Studio 89 on Deer Isle handcrafts contemporary furniture and home goods. Small operation, high-end work.
Most famous for the Owl Stool — an ergonomic perching seat designed for office and counter use — Geoffrey Warner's studio in Stonington also produces other distinctive pieces. The Owl Stool alone is worth knowing about.
Maine Bunk Beds specializes in solid-wood bunk and loft beds for kids and adults, made in their Portland workshop. Heirloom-grade for a category usually dominated by particle board.
Portland Mattress Makers hand-builds mattresses, futons, and platform beds in Portland using natural materials — a useful complement to the rest of the bedroom you're putting together from this list.
Maine Woodworks is a nonprofit social-enterprise workshop that builds painted cottage-style furniture while training and employing adults with disabilities. Strong product, real social mission.
If you want one piece you'll keep forever and pass down, Thos. Moser is the answer. If you want clean Shaker simplicity at a slightly more accessible price point, Chilton or Shaker Furniture of Maine. If you want the cottage-coastal palette, Maine Cottage and Maine Woodworks. And if your taste is sharper-edged contemporary, Krovel and Huston & Company are where to start.
For more Maine makers, explore the full Home Decor category on Maine Open Online.
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