Briar Hill Rustic Furniture may sound like a tiny, unassuming, down-home company based in northwestern Pennsylvania. However, this once small, local, hometown factory has grown into a large, thriving business that sells not only locally, but nationwide, via its website, http://www.briarhillfurniture.com/.
Run by the Berlin family of Leeper, PA, and located near the Allegheny State Forest and Cook Forest State Park, Briar Hill Rustic Furniture handcrafts all of its outdoor furniture using Michigan white cedar and Pennsylvania white pine. Its eight full-time and additional seasonal employees take pride in the furniture they craft from these durable woods.
White cedar is a very strong wood, according to the Berlins. Because Briar Hill Rustic Furniture’s wide variety of outdoor pieces are made from white cedar, they are guaranteed to last. Outdoor furniture products sold at Briar Hill Rustic Furniture include swings, benches, arched bridges, loveseats, outdoor coffee tables, rockers, tables, chair, and porch and deck railing. Table tops and benches are crafted of Pennsylvania white pine.
Being made of white cedar makes the patio furniture crafted at Briar Hill Rustic Furniture ideal for being used outdoors. Because of its resistance to rot, and to termites, white cedar will withstand the elements. Although white cedar is resistant to rot and insects, it will weather when exposed to the outdoor elements, naturally turning a silvery-gray color. This can be avoided by applying a finish containing sunscreen. Some people find cracks and splits in the wood and see them as defects. The artisans of Briar Hill Rustic Furniture assure that they are not defects, but rather part of the expanding and closing that happens during the natural drying process of the wood. These cracks will continue to expand and close when exposed to various types of weather.
Because Briar Hill guarantees its furniture to last a lifetime, it is not cheap. The company looks at its furniture as a once-in-a-lifetime investment. A four foot long swing, for example, retails for $413.00. A 28 inch diameter round table sells for $141.00.
If you are in the area of Leeper, PA, be sure to visit the factory outlet at Briar Hill Rustic Furniture, where you will no doubt take notice of the famous “big swing.” If you are not in the vicinity of Leeper but still want to take a look at the wide variety of outdoor patio, deck, lawn and garden furniture available at Briar Hill Rustic Furniture, visit http://www.briarhillfurniture.com. You can purchase the company’s exclusive pieces online and pay securely through Paypal.
