Homespun
Design
By Sherrie Wilkolaski
A New
Horizon for
Handcrafted
Furniture
I
n a world of mass production,
replicas and standardized
products, it can be difficult to
find something unique. Homespun
Design seeks to counter-act this
trend with its handcrafted, American
made furniture. Founder, Joe Noonan,
combines classic techniques of the
past with modern technology of
today, to bring distinctive home
décor to the masses, with the
expectation that it will last for
generations. He has partnered with
select crafters across the country
to ensure the highest quality of
work and greatest preservation of
the environment. These “makers,”
as they are called, source their wood
from sustainable logged forests,
to help eliminate waste. Since the
makers’ work is of such high quality,
there is a great chance these pieces
will not wind up in a landfill.
Homespun is affiliated with the
Sustainable Furnishings Council,
which strives to raise awareness
of sustainability issues and inspire
eco-friendly decisions in the
wood-working industry. We
spoke with Joe Noonan about his
unique operation to learn more
about his success.
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He started Homespun Design with
the idea of bringing together the
smaller, undiscovered craftsman to
buyers looking for custom pieces.
“Most online furniture retailers cater
to the mass market, which makes
sense since it’s the biggest,” says
Joe. “But I had seen the beautiful
furniture that smaller, highly skilled
American makers were creating, and
I felt like that market was