The Industrial Farmhouse is a newly formed Chattanooga venture that creates, designs, markets, and distributes a wide variety of original styles of hardwood furniture. They have trademarked “made in Chattanooga” to highlight their love for the Scenic City.
From their newly renovated workspace off Broad Street in the Southside District, a crew of craftspeople use hardwoods such as black walnut, maple and heart pine to make conference tables, countertops, tables, desks, shelving units, coffee tables and end tables. Then, Industrial Farmhouse creatively combines welded metal joints with the chosen hardwood to withstand and handle high traffic usage.
Their furniture designs can be found at places like the new Chattanooga Brewing Company, TerraMae Appalachian Bistro, and restaurants in Orlando, Fla. and Dallas, Tx. Customers can shop for items or start a conversation about custom-building their own designs on their website at http://theindustrialfarmhouse.com.
The spark of inspiration came for owners David Mitchell and Mark Oldham out of a need for distinctive tables at the TerraMae Appalachian Bistro they co-created in Chattanooga.
“We couldn’t find what we were looking for,” Mr. Mitchell said. “We had specific sizes and designs in mind, so we built tables rather than buying them. By golly, they were cool, and we put them in the restaurant in the bar area. We got a lot of comments, then I put some designs on Etsy and they sold really, really well. I was snowed under with orders and needed help.”
With so much demand, they set up a facility off West 20th Street near Finley Stadium and began producing orders. They were using so much material that they started a hardwood division of the Industrial Farmhouse, hiring Amy Adams to sell hardwood lumber and plywood by the truckload to customers off the street.
Mr. Mitchell said interest has been extremely high as they’ve displayed at places like Scott’s Antique Mart at the Atlanta Expo Center. They’re targeting designers, restaurant and bar owners, corporate clients and consumers who want something original in their living spaces. They’re shipping the furniture all over America.
“A restaurant designer from Orlando told us that once the word gets out, we are going to be very busy because there aren’t many companies in the U.S. doing what we’re doing in the way we are,” he said. “People in Chattanooga have noticed all of the construction while we renovate, so I know they are eager to see the showroom we are planning to add later this year.”
When possible, Industrial Farmhouse uses up recycled wood and reclaimed steel that might otherwise end up taking space in a landfill, thus giving it new life as limited-edition works of art.
Mr. Mitchell said the talent of their team is what sets them apart. “It’s the skill of the people we have that allows us to take the designs to a higher level. Collaboratively, they say we can translate an idea into reality. I haven’t heard ‘No, we can’t’ very often. While there may be similarities, our designs are different from anyone else’s. We come up with ideas off the top of our heads rather than looking at a photo in a magazine and attempting to replicate something that someone else conceived,” he said.
Visit
http://theindustrialfarmhouse.com to learn more about the company or follow their Facebook Page at
http://www.facebook.com/theindustrialfarmhouse