Furniture With Soul: Why More Homeowners Are Choosing Heirloom Pieces Over Fast Furniture

Furniture with Soul

Why More Homeowners are Choosing Heirloom Pieces Over Fast Furniture

Our modern world moves so fast and people have become accustomed to fast transactions in everything they do. Fast food, fast purchases (like Amazon), fast shipping, etc. And that goes for furniture also. Customers can buy fast furniture from the big box retailers and have it in their homes in a matter of days.

However, at Unique Custom Furniture we are beginning to see a new trend where homeowners are willing to wait a few weeks for a piece of furniture that is uniquely custom with its own story. A piece of furniture that is made from 100-200 years old barnwood from America’s past that has seen the changes of history.

From a quality standpoint when you compare fast furniture made with poor materials to a solid hardwood piece of furniture made with weathered reclaimed barnwood, you will immediately notice the structural differences in the weight and how solid the furniture feels. At Unique Custom Furniture, our standard piece of furniture weighs 300-400 lbs. A standard piece of fast furniture weighs around 100 lbs. and may not even be made of real hardwood!

Furthermore, fast furniture lacks the human touch. These pieces of furniture are mass produced using automated machinery and quickly assembled by factory workers who have no interest in the quality of the final product. At Unique Custom Furniture, every piece of furniture is constructed by hand by our master craftspeople – artisans who have dedicated their career to building something one-of-a-kind that is full of character and rich with stories. Each piece of wood for our furniture is hand selected and assembled with great care, ensuring a truly unique and heirloom quality piece of furniture with soul.

In a world flooded with flat-pack furniture and disposable design, it’s rare to find pieces that carry real character—pieces with soul. Custom, handcrafted furniture made in the USA has become increasingly scarce, especially when it comes to heirloom-quality work built with integrity and care.

At Unique Custom Furniture, we believe great furniture should do more than serve a purpose—it should tell a story. Our skilled craftspeople create each piece using time-honored techniques and hand-selected materials, often reclaimed from century-old barns. The result is furniture that feels alive with history, warmth, and personality.

These are pieces with weight, presence, and heart—built not just to last, but to be remembered not just for their visual appeal but for the essence of their soul.

Take a look around our online store and explore the unique character of our reclaimed barnwood creations.

Why Every Piece of Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture is One-of-a-kind

Why Every Piece of Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture is One-of-a-kind

When it comes to the authentic reclaimed barnwood furniture that is produced at Unique Custom Furniture, every piece of reclaimed wood is treated uniquely and differently. This creates a one-of-a-kind heirloom quality product that will last for generations. When you purchase furniture from larger retailers, it is mass produced without a lot of care relative to the individual pieces that make up that product. It lacks a human element. Furthermore, the materials are sub-standard and oftentimes are not even made of real wood, let alone hardwood. The term “solid wood” has been so overused in the industry and can mean almost anything.

At Unique Custom Furniture, our furniture products are made from 100% reclaimed barnwood; solid hardwood from 100–200-year-old barns that has been reclaimed from all over the United States. The wood has been aged and seasoned naturally over the years. We build furniture products from reclaimed American Chestnut (a tree/wood species which is now extinct), reclaimed Oak, reclaimed Hickory, and other American hardwoods that were common in the early days of the United States.

When we are producing a piece of furniture, our master craftspeople hand selects each piece of wood based on where it will go in the piece of furniture. More visually interesting pieces of wood will go where it can be seen and enjoyed, such as drawer faces and tops, while less dramatic pieces are used for other areas of the furniture. Some of the factors that make a piece of wood appealing are the overall character, the color, wormholes, old nail holes, and other marks that tell the story of where that piece of wood has been. Additionally, we have determined that there are certain places in the barn where the wood got more weathered, which really make for a stunningly beautiful piece of wood.

While it may sound cliché there is a lot of love that we put into the furniture products we produce. You won’t find this type of romanticism with furniture purchased from large retailers. And you won’t have a customer relationship with the big box sellers the way you will with Unique Custom Furniture.

We have customers who bought furniture from us 20 years ago, and who continue to purchase furniture from us because of the combination of unique, antique woods, master artisans selecting the woods, and the love our craftspeople take into building a piece of unique custom furniture for our customers.

Why Unique Custom Furniture for your Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture?

These days reclaimed barnwood furniture is everywhere—but at Unique Custom Furniture, we’ve been doing it long before it became a trend. Over the years, we’ve refined our approach, blending time-honored techniques with a distinctive style that’s truly our own. Every piece we make starts with aged American barnwood and is transformed into heirloom-quality furniture designed to last for generations.

So, what makes us different? While other brands might cut corners with mass production, synthetic materials, or overseas factories, we take a slower, more thoughtful path. Our furniture is handcrafted right here in the U.S. by skilled artisans using authentic barnwood that’s 100 to 200 years old. Each piece carries a story—and when you bring it into your home, you carry that story forward.

Browse our collection and discover the unmatched character of reclaimed wood brought back to life.

 

What to expect when ordering a piece of barnwood furniture from Unique Custom Furniture

What to expect when ordering a piece of barnwood furniture from Unique Custom Furniture

In today’s fast paced “Amazon” culture, consumers have come to expect to receive their orders the next day, or even the same day! This model works for mass produced items that can be held in inventory by suppliers and fulfilled upon demand. However, when you are ordering a unique piece of reclaimed barnwood furniture from Unique Custom Furniture – the process can take longer. To make furniture the right way, and to deliver it the right way, takes time.

As a small, boutique furniture producer, Unique Custom Furniture doesn’t have large warehouses positioned across the USA with millions of dollars of inventory ready to ship. While we strive to keep some popular items in inventory, the reality is there is a lot that goes into producing a handcrafted, unique piece of reclaimed barnwood furniture. Our process includes sourcing the reclaimed barnwood, kiln drying, and then preparing the wood to be used to build a piece of furniture. Then, the wood is cut for the furniture, sanded, assembled, and finished. Once the final product passes our quality inspection it is ready for shipping and delivery. (Be sure to read our article “The Craftsmanship Behind Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture: A Peek into Our Process”)

At Unique Custom Furniture we strive to offer free blanket wrapped, white glove delivery to our customers. To be able to offer free shipping we work with the delivery companies to get as many orders in one shipment, heading to the same area of the country as possible. We are shipping from our main location in Ohio to all parts of the USA. This process can sometimes add time to a customer’s delivery. But keep in mind, you are receiving a handcrafted, heirloom quality piece of furniture that will last for generations – the furniture is worth waiting a little longer to ensure the highest quality delivery and experience.

Occasionally, blanket wrapped white glove delivery is not available if a customer is in a remote location. Additionally, customers may not always want to wait for the blanket-wrapped delivery. In these cases, we will use standard freight delivery. We work hard to package and protect the furniture when using freight delivery to ensure the furniture arrives to the customer as expected. When an order is ready to ship, we review all delivery options with the customer.

At Unique Custom Furniture, our goal with every order is to receive a 5-star review from the customer who is thrilled with the quality and experience of owning a piece of American history in their home. However, to have that piece of history in your home takes time and understanding from the customer.

unique custom furniture, reclaimed barnwood
unique custom furniture, reclaimed barnwood

The Sustainable Choice of Reclaimed Barnwood

unique custom furniture, reclaimed barnwood

The Sustainable Choice of Reclaimed Barnwood


Highlighting the Environmental Benefits Over Traditional Furniture Production

In an age where sustainability is more than just a buzzword, reclaimed barnwood has emerged as a meaningful solution for eco-conscious furniture buyers. With its rustic charm, rich history, and environmentally responsible story, reclaimed barnwood offers a compelling alternative to traditional furniture materials. More than a design trend, it represents a shift in how we value our resources and the legacy of our landscapes.

What Is Reclaimed Barnwood?

Reclaimed barnwood refers to wood salvaged from old barns, typically built in the 1800s or early 1900s, as well as other historic agricultural buildings. These structures were often constructed using old-growth lumber—strong, durable wood that today is no longer available due to forest conservation efforts and changes in logging practices.

Rather than letting this valuable material go to waste when barns fall into disrepair or are dismantled, the artisans at Unique Custom Furniture repurpose the wood into high-quality furniture.

Environmental Benefits of Reclaimed Barnwood

  1. Reduces Deforestation

Traditional furniture production depends heavily on harvesting new timber. This demand contributes to deforestation, habitat destruction, and carbon emissions. Reclaimed barnwood, however, is already harvested—sometimes over a century ago—meaning no new trees need to be cut down. By choosing reclaimed wood, consumers help reduce the pressure on forests and encourage more responsible land management.

  1. Minimizes Waste in Landfills

Every year, millions of tons of wood waste end up in landfills. Much of this wood comes from demolished buildings and barns. By reclaiming and repurposing that wood, we divert it from landfills and extend its useful life. What might otherwise be considered debris becomes a cherished heirloom piece with both character and conscience.

  1. Lower Carbon Footprint

The process of harvesting, milling, drying, and transporting new lumber consumes significant energy and emits greenhouse gases. Reclaimed barnwood has already undergone this lifecycle once. Using it again eliminates the need for energy-intensive processing, thereby significantly lowering the carbon footprint associated with furniture production.

  1. Preserves the Integrity of Old-Growth Timber

Much of the wood from old barns comes from slow-growing trees such as oak, hickory, and American chestnut, harvested before modern forestry practices took hold. This wood is denser, more stable, and often more beautiful than what’s commercially available today. By reclaiming and preserving this material, we honor a quality of resource that may never be seen again—while sparing younger forests from being cut too soon.

  1. Natural, Non-Toxic Aging

Unlike some modern furniture made with composite wood and treated with chemicals, reclaimed barnwood has typically weathered naturally over time. Its patina comes from exposure to the elements, not synthetic finishes. This makes it a healthier choice for homes, particularly for those sensitive to VOCs (volatile organic compounds) often found in new furniture materials.

Beyond Sustainability: A Story in Every Grain

While the environmental advantages are compelling, reclaimed barnwood also brings something deeply personal to the table—character and history. Each board carries the marks of time: nail holes, saw marks, and weathered knots that tell a story. No two pieces are the same, and the uniqueness adds a soulfulness that mass-produced furniture simply can’t replicate.

Conclusion

Choosing reclaimed barnwood furniture isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about making a conscious decision that benefits the environment. From reducing deforestation to lowering emissions and giving new life to historic materials, reclaimed barnwood offers a sustainable and soulful alternative to traditional furniture production. It’s a choice that reflects care—for the planet, for history, and for the generations to come.

Caring for and Maintaining Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture in Your Home

Caring for and Maintaining Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture in Your Home

Reclaimed barnwood furniture from Unique Custom Furniture adds a rustic charm and a sense of history to any home. Whether it’s a tv console, coffee table, or kitchen island, these pieces bring warmth and character with their rich textures and weathered beauty. However, maintaining reclaimed barnwood requires special care to ensure its longevity. Here are some essential tips to keep your barnwood furniture looking its best for years to come.

Regular Cleaning

To preserve the natural beauty of reclaimed barnwood, regular cleaning is essential. Dust the surface frequently with a soft, dry cloth to prevent buildup. For deeper cleaning, use a slightly damp cloth with a mild wood-safe cleaner. Avoid harsh chemicals, as they can strip the wood’s natural patina and damage the finish.

Protecting the Surface

Reclaimed wood is naturally porous and can be prone to stains and scratches. Use coasters, placemats, and trivets to protect the surface from moisture, heat, and spills. If a spill does occur, blot it immediately with a dry or slightly damp cloth—never rub, as this can push the liquid deeper into the wood.

Conditioning the Wood

Over time, reclaimed barnwood may dry out, leading to cracks or splitting. Applying a natural wood conditioner or beeswax polish periodically can help keep the wood hydrated and maintain its luster. Be sure to use products specifically designed for raw or unfinished wood.

Managing Humidity Levels

Wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity, and reclaimed barnwood is no exception. To prevent warping or cracking, try to maintain a stable indoor humidity level, ideally between 40-60%. Using a humidifier in dry seasons and a dehumidifier in humid conditions can help regulate moisture levels.

Avoiding Direct Sunlight and Heat Sources

Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can fade and dry out reclaimed wood, causing it to lose its rich tones. Position furniture away from windows or use curtains and UV-protective films to minimize sun exposure. Similarly, avoid placing furniture too close to heat sources like radiators or fireplaces to prevent drying and cracking.

Handling Scratches and Marks

Minor scratches and dents are part of the charm of reclaimed wood, but if you want to minimize them, you can use a blend of walnut oil or a wood stain marker that closely matches the wood’s color.

Final Thoughts

Reclaimed barnwood furniture is a timeless investment that brings warmth and history into your home. With proper care and maintenance, your furniture will continue to age gracefully, becoming even more beautiful with time. By following these simple guidelines, you can enjoy the charm and durability of reclaimed wood for generations to come.

There are plenty of places selling reclaimed barnwood furniture these days, but at Unique Custom Furniture, we’ve been at it for a long time. Our pieces have a distinct character, shaped by years of craftsmanship and a refined process that ensures each one is both beautiful and built to last.

What we do here isn’t like the mass-produced, over-marketed furniture you’ll find elsewhere. Many so-called “reclaimed” pieces aren’t even made from real hardwood, let alone authentic barnwood. Our furniture is handcrafted by skilled artisans using genuine American barnwood, aged 100 to 200 years. When you bring one of our pieces into your home, you’re not just getting furniture—you’re getting a piece of American history.

Visit our online furniture store and browse our unique reclaimed barnwood furniture products.

 

 

unique custom furniture, reclaimed barnwood

Unique Custom Barnwood Furniture

Crafting Unique Custom Barnwood Furniture

At Unique Custom Furniture we specialize in designing and building unique furniture pieces from 100–200-year-old reclaimed barnwood. While we maintain several popular pieces, we also receive many customer requests for a unique, custom piece of furniture. For these types of requests, we ask customers for the overall dimensions (width, depth, and height) as well as the layout. We also ask customers for a photo of the piece of furniture to which they are referring. If a photo is not available, we can even work from a rough sketch of the customers’ ideas!

With this information in hand, we can generate a quote based on the customer’s idea. Once the customer decides to order, we will create a detailed drawing of the furniture piece with all dimensions and can send this back to the customer. Upon approval from the customer, we process to the next phase which is prep and production.

We like to keep the process simple to make it as easy as possible for customers to submit custom furniture requests. Many times, customers will see a piece of furniture on our website and would like to customize that particular piece with different dimensions or features.

While some people associate the word “custom” with “this is going to take a long time” as long as we are working from a piece of furniture that we routinely make such as a barnwood TV console or barnwood kitchen island, it really doesn’t take much more time to craft.

There are not a lot of custom furniture options available in the USA anymore, especially options that are hand crafted, heirloom quality pieces of furniture. At Unique Custom Furniture, we are delighted to design and craft unique custom pieces for our customers.

Reach out to us today to discuss your custom barnwood furniture piece.

Most Popular Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture Pieces

Most Popular Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture Pieces

At Unique Custom Furniture we make a lot of reclaimed barnwood furniture pieces for our customers. We receive a lot of custom furniture requests, and we also observe what the latest trends are that customers are inquiring about.

An interesting trend recently that we have observed is that a lot of customers are requesting reclaimed barnwood kitchen islands with seating instead of using their dining room tables. Families are so busy these days that the traditional sit-down family dinner has become less and less viable – so a barnwood kitchen island with seating is a great option for busy families on the go. We have built many different types of barnwood kitchen islands in different sizes and styles, with multiple seating options, pull out trash cans, and more. Visit our online store for kitchen island ideas!

Another popular item that is often requested is reclaimed barnwood TV consoles and media/entertainment centers. These furniture pieces are highly customizable as many people have different needs when it comes to their entertainment. A big market for us is customizing barnwood TV consoles to the exact specifications that a customer needs, for example specific TV sizes, accommodation for stereo equipment and other storage needs. If you would like ideas for barnwood TV consoles, look at what we offer in our online store. Many customers start there and then contact us to inquire about customizing a particular console to their specific needs and sizes.

For all our barnwood furniture pieces we offer 100-200 years old reclaimed chestnut barnwood or reclaimed oak barnwood. These woods are harvested from trusted sources we have partnerships with who provide us with barnwood from Ohio, the Appalachia area, as well as North Carolina and Tennessee. We also offer a standard white oak which is a new piece of wood but with a rustic appearance with saw marks and other elements. If a customer has a specific wood species they are interested in, we can accommodate their request. We have a wide network of resources available for different woods.

Why Unique Custom Furniture?

These days, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to reclaimed barnwood furniture. But here at Unique Custom Furniture, we’ve been crafting it for years, honing our skills and perfecting a one-of-a-kind aesthetic. Our process turns aged wood into stunning, heirloom-quality pieces you’ll treasure for generations.

What sets us apart? While many furniture brands rely on flashy marketing, mass production, or overseas manufacturing—often skimping on authentic materials—we do things differently. Our furniture is handcrafted by skilled artisans using genuine 100-200-year-old reclaimed American barnwood. Every piece tells a story, making it more than just furniture—it’s a slice of American history.

Take a look around our online store and explore the unique character of our reclaimed barnwood creations.

The Craftsmanship Behind Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture: A Peek into our Process

The Craftsmanship Behind Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture: A Peek into our Process

Based in Fredericktown, in Knox County Ohio – Unique Custom Furniture has been designing and building unique custom furniture products from reclaimed barnwood since the mid 1990’s. As a family-owned business we began collecting barnwood from the many old barns located in Knox County and surrounding areas in Ohio. We started to refine and finish the wood, and we were amazed at how beautiful and unique the old barnwood could look when finished. This was long before there was a barnwood furniture industry. Our initial efforts in selling reclaimed barnwood furniture revolved around attending furniture shows and building up an interest in the products. With every furniture show we would attend we almost always would end up selling all of the furniture in our booth. We used the capital from these furniture shows to continually reinvest in the business and grow our capabilities to where we are today.

Finding Barnwood to Make Unique Custom Furniture

In the early days of Unique Custom Furniture, we would travel around Knox County and surrounding areas of Ohio and look for old barns from which we would be able to salvage the wood. As our retail business grew we realized we had to expand beyond harvesting the wood ourselves. We now use several trusted sources who provide us with barnwood. We still have a resource locally for Ohio barnwood, but we now also have resources in the Appalachia area as well as North Carolina and Tennessee where we source chestnut barnwood.

At Unique Custom Furniture we specialize in building furniture with 100 – 200 year old reclaimed chestnut and oak barnwood. We can also source other wood species if a customer has a special request.

The Process of Building Furniture from Reclaimed Barnwood

There is an involved process in the building of unique custom furniture from barnwood. After we source the wood, it is sent to a kiln for drying for between 2 and 4 weeks. After kiln drying the wood needs to be processed. We have a trusted partnership with an Ohio Amish wood specialist who processes the kiln dried wood. They will plane the wood, straight line it, clean the wood by removing the dust and nails and gets the wood ready for our craftsmen to build furniture. Once the processed wood is in our shop we clean the wood a little more and then cut the pieces for the furniture. When the pieces are ready, we take them into the sanding room to sand everything down. From here, we’ll take the pieces into our finishing room where we finish all of the pieces and assemble them into the final product. Once the final product passes our quality inspection it is ready for blanket wrap, white glove delivery to the customer.

Custom Designed or Stock Furniture

At Unique Custom Furniture we have been building furniture for many years. We have produced many custom designed pieces for customers, and this continues to be a big part of what we do. However, we also have learned what our “best sellers” are, and we strive to keep those top 10 to 15 furniture products in inventory for quick turnaround to customers.

Why You Should Buy from Unique Custom Furniture

There are many choices now from which you can purchase reclaimed barnwood furniture. At Unique Custom Furniture we have been doing it for a long time. We have a unique aesthetic look to our furniture, and we have refined our furniture making process to produce beautiful, heirloom furniture pieces.

There are not a lot of businesses who are doing what we are doing here at Unique Custom Furniture. A lot of furniture products are over marketed, over sold, made overseas and often don’t even use real reclaimed hardwood. Our furniture is hand crafted by skilled artisans from genuine 100 – 200 year old reclaimed American barnwood. In many ways, you are buying a piece of American history.

Visit our online furniture store and browse our unique reclaimed barnwood furniture products.