Unique, recycled-material furniture part of the charm at Walnut Creek Furniture
By Jennifer Kneuss
Dale and Regina Miller are not your typical furniture storeowners. Yes, they provide high quality, Amish-made furniture to their customers in their Walnut Creek shop, but these are not factory-style, mass-produced products. Each one is individually handcrafted, with many pieces made to order.
The Millers also have a ‘secret weapon’ – Dale Miller himself, a master artisan who sees pieces of raw material that others have overlooked or discarded, and sees new dreams for them. Miller travels the Amish countryside, perusing estate auctions, scouring industrial warehouses, and tracking down salvage yard finds, all in his quest to recycle parts and pieces into beautiful works of functional art.
Miller refurbishes old workbenches, worn school desks, weathered barn siding, and other ‘finds’ and creates new furniture. Discarded metals are turned into wood seated, industrial barstools, and barn siding becomes comfortable chairs, artisan wood beds, gorgeous coffee tables and more in the Barnwood Furniture Creations line. A work table top from a school house of long ago is sanded down, stained, and polished with loving care and is transformed into a one-of-a-kind dining room table, rich with character from its many previous users. And customers love the results, coming to Walnut Creek Furniture in droves to obtain these beautiful pieces for their own homes.
“We are also getting a lot of industrial type items in, such as metal shelves with gears, and metal ware décor, all created with actual gears off of machinery that Dale has reappropriated for décor items,” pointed out long time employee Katie Schweitzer.
Ruby Hostetler is the gifted on-staff designer, not only decorating the store’s interior in ever changing seasonal themes, but also working with customers to find the perfect furniture and accessories for their home. Even if you do not have anything specific in mind, a browse through Walnut Creek Furniture is a must for decorating ideas. Every surface and wall area is meticulously arranged with beautiful displays of home décor and framed works of art sure to inspire ideas for your own home.
During an afternoon meandering through room tableaus you are sure to find a piece – or maybe several – that you thought did not exist beyond your own dreaming.
Perhaps a delightful set of nursery of child’s bedroom furniture sparks the perfect gift idea of a pint-sized table and chair set for a grandchild or highchair/rocker combination for a new baby. A gleaming white wood finish for a teenager’s room might be exactly what is needed for a room makeover. Or a massive, four-poster mahogany bed might be a memorable way to mark a special anniversary celebration, an heirloom in the making. That just-right wedding gift may be perched atop a dining room table, or a subtly hued wreath would be the exact touch needed above the front entrance to your home.
Store associates are also well versed in helping customers choose pieces that fit their exact specifications, whether their favorite styles are traditional or contemporary. There are entertainment centers, hutches, dining room sets, bedroom furniture suites, and everything else imaginable within Walnut Creek Furniture’s walls. But even with a 25,000-square-foot showroom, including 3,500 square feet of office furniture alone, it is possible that a customer may not find exactly what they are looking for.
Knowledgeable store employees emphasize that anything can be custom made, exactly to the customer’s specifications. Sizes, hardware, finishes, stains, paints, and wood types can all be custom ordered, with delivery in about 8 to 12 weeks.
Drawers can be moved, storage areas resized, and door styles changed or eliminated in favor of open shelving. Glass may be etched, beveled, or frosted. A cherry wood, or perhaps a wormy chestnut, may be preferred to a standard oak.
Regardless, the highest quality will be maintained, such as dovetail corners on all drawers, and chair joints both glued and screwed for durability. The only limit is the customer’s imagination.
More than two decades of offering quality crafted, locally made furniture has given the Miller family and their Walnut Creek Furniture store a sterling reputation, and developed a loyal customer base that returns time and time again to choose home décor that will endure.
Stop in to Walnut Creek Furniture during a visit to Ohio’s Amish Country or shop the online gallery 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Store hours are Monday through Thursday and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Find the perfect furniture to create your perfect home at Walnut Creek Furniture.
