Our Crafters
We create heirloom quality furniture that is created to last for generations if cared for properly, which is longer than the time it takes for the renewable resource (hardwoods) to regrow.
Our furniture is hand-made by Amish crafters, but 'Amish' isn't a word that we use frequently on our website. There are two reasons for this:
Reason #1 Our furniture is handcrafted by woodworkers who are part of a conservative Amish community. We respect their desire for privacy.
Due to their isolated geography and preference for limited English (non-Amish) contact, woodworking is one of the few ways their community has found to consistently provide for their families.
The trust relationship between Erik and our Amish crafters has taken nearly 20 years to build. It took 3 years of chatting to get Johnny to round the edges of his leather chairs to modernize them a bit; it took 12 years for Rising Design to be approved of by the community, for being consistently beneficial for the community.
Reason #2 The quality of Rising Design furniture is much higher quality than you will find on Amish Furniture websites or by going to your local Amish Furniture store.
Take our dining tables, for example. Chances are that if you order a handmade Amish dining table on the Internet, it was made in Indiana in specialized Amish-owned furniture factories. Their tables are beautiful! But the quality is incomparable with Rising Design dining tables.
We've worked with our crafters and customers closely for 19 years to create the best furniture we can — in engineering terms, Rising Design has developed a very tight and effective quality improvement process based on customer feedback.
One mark of this: Our tables weigh a lot more. Around twice as much more, according to several of our drivers.
That difference can be attributed to one thing: We create 'No Compromises' furniture and we don't skimp on the hardwood.
Rising Design's Small-Batch Production
When you look at a piece of our furniture, we believe you can see the hands that made it. Our tables and bedroom sets aren't stamped out of a factory, our chests and dressers aren't glued together by massive machines. They're made by living, breathing people who bring generations of woodworking expertise to each piece.
The pride, care, family learning, and artistry of our furniture is clear from the very first day it arrives at your home.
Our crafter's work and mindset is that of a true artist. While crafting each individual piece, their equipment is the brush, the highest quality wood is his canvas, and the best finish that money can buy is the frame for his artwork.
Like anything handcrafted, obstacles can arise based on what each customer is looking for. They handle each challenge with ease and grace and is constantly learning and looking for ways to improve his process. The artist behind the work is apparent and clear when the finished piece is then hand delivered to each customer.
Rising Design's Hand-Selected Wood Grains
All of our furniture pieces are handcrafted in small Amish workshops, not large furniture factories. The individual care and attention of an artisan woodworker is an indispensable part of the Rising Design furniture-making process.
A story from one of our crafters:
"When Dan is working, he practices mindfulness by focusing on exactly what’s in front of him. While at the shop he is able to be very present with what he is doing, paying careful attention to detail, quality and the artistry of his craft. He truly loves what he does and that focus and enjoyment comes through his work. Dan loves a challenge and can be very selective when it comes to finding just the right wood. He pays attention to details like finding lumber that blends very well together and has similar features. He doesn’t cut any corners in his entire process, and this attention to quality and detail is what our customers love and appreciate about the furniture from Rising Design.
A typical day for Dan involves waking up around 6 or 6:30am to feed and give water to the pigs and horses, and gather eggs from the chickens. He heads to the shop around 7:00am and works until around 5pm with an hour lunch break. When he gets home he works on his “honey do list” and also takes care of his pigs, horses and chickens before going to bed. A full but fulfilling day, Dan truly enjoys making furniture. He says it’s a blessing to practice this craft that can be passed down to his own sons one day."
Rising Design's Sustainable Production
"Sustainable" is a buzzword you often hear these days, but for us, it's a solid part of our business plan. We create furniture that will last longer than it takes to grow new hardwoods to replace the ones we harvest. We make sure that our furniture has a positive impact on the rural Minnesota community in which it's made.
Our furniture is designed and built to outlast its buyer, meaning we avoid the destructive cycle of disposal, re-manufacture, and repeated shipping.
Our solid hardwoods are locally grown and harvested by rural farmers, often located within 100 miles of our workshops. This provides financial benefit to farmers who have sections of their land set aside for selective hardwood harvesting, tree-lined wind breaks, and tree farms. The local sourcing also assures an incredibly high level of quality and consistency in our hardwoods.
We have built a sustainable business that financially supports the things that matter to us — functional and beautiful furniture art, employing wise land use practices, and keeping our communities thriving economically and culturally.
Our Furniture is Created Within a Community
At Rising Design we believe in upholding our end of the social contract by being responsible to our customers, our employees, to the land, and to the community at large.
Our collective of family-built workshops are all located near each other in a rural Minnesota community where work is never separate from family. Living so close to each other allows our craftsmen to share woodworking expertise, help one another when there's a family emergency, and teach apprentice woodworkers who will continue these traditions into the next generations.
Eli shared his story with us a few years ago, and I think it helps to understand the level of crafters that Rising Design works with. Their furniture art and community are deeply linked together:
"Eli lives a humble life on his family’s farm. His workshop is only a few feet away from his home so he visits his wife throughout the day and walks home after a hard day’s work. He is only a buggy trip away from his friends and visits them whenever he can. Eli is content with simple pleasures like this. Appreciating nature on long walks, enjoying the company of his loved ones and creating furniture has given his life true meaning.
His wonderful life has made Eli a joyful and animated man, something that becomes immediately evident from the very first moment you meet him. He is extremely kind, bears no ill will towards anyone and wants everyone to live a happy life. Many people have gone to him to learn the trade and not only has he shared his skills, he has helped them to set themselves up as independent workers. Eli believes that his skills should not be used to beat the local competition, but to help his wider community to enjoy the same successes he has enjoyed. A vibrant local community where everyone helps each other out is something he steadfastly stands by.
As an expert in furniture and a loving father and husband, Eli has had a wonderful influence on his community and the Rising Design family. We are all blessed to have him in our lives.
To our customers, Eli is not just a table maker. He is a friend; someone who will always endeavor to produce the furniture of your dreams."