Our Company
When you choose W.A. Mitchell Fine Furniture, you are buying from a small family-owned Maine company. We design and build all our handmade furniture right here in the small town of Farmington after having relocated from the even smaller town of Temple, home of our founder, Arthur H. Mitchell. We employ local artisans who truly care about the quality of the work they do each day.
Over the years, we have earned an international reputation for outstanding quality and unstinting standards in furniture. Our distinctively elegant Windsor chairs and other products can be found in the pages of prestigious woodworking publications, and in homes and businesses around the world. Mitchell furniture has also been featured in catalogs such as L.L. Bean, Orvis, Sturbridge Yankee Workshop, and several European furniture catalogs.
Our guiding principle is to design furniture that is appealing, and uses sound, time-tested solid-wood construction techniques, which will ensure that it provides lasting reliability and enjoyment for more than a single lifetime of use. To our customers and those who know our products, the W.A. Mitchell name simply implies the highest standards of quality.
Our Furniture
Our original designs, and still the most popular, are solid hardwood sitting pieces originally created by Maine's own Arthur H. Mitchell. Our use of old-world joinery in the construction of these pieces traces directly from Arthur's life-long passion for fine woodworking and his commitment to create truly exceptional handmade furniture.
The distinctive Mitchell chair design draws its inspiration from two styles that are deeply rooted in our country's history; the Windsor design tradition of England, and the classic American Shaker design.
We rely on the strength of the back and seat created by the Windsor design. We build our chairs so that the seat supports the back and arms of the chair through spindles that are firmly planted into the seat and locked top and bottom with hardwood pins. The use of precision mortise and tenon joints locks each chair leg, arm stump and spindle, and king spindle. This construction design transfers lateral and downward pressure from the back and arms of the chair into the seat, where it is absorbed and distributed to give the chair remarkable strength and stability.
From the Shakers we have drawn the inspiration for simple clean lines and ergonomic design. Our chairs feature a gracefully bowed crest that emphasizes the beauty of the wood and accommodates the back and shoulders. The arms are flat on top to provide a functional resting place and are curved to accommodate personal space. The wooden braces under the seat reinforce the legs and are carved to fit the contour of the leg while blending the seat and legs.
These principles guide all our designs from signature chairs, to desks, tables, barstools, benches, and other furniture. The wood we use is a critical part of the lasting beauty and quality that you will enjoy with our furniture. We use only the finest, selectively harvested hardwoods from the forests of Maine and the eastern U.S. – rich woods such as American Black Cherry, Rock Maple, White Ash, and Red Oak, which combined with the exceptional fine tradition of old-world, precision hand artistry, comprises furniture that you will enjoy for a lifetime.
Our home and office collections blend the finest influences of Windsor and Shaker design to create a comfortable elegance that fits any home or office style from contemporary to country, classic to casual. Our craftsmen create every piece by hand with select American hardwoods and lovingly work them to a wonderfully warm, softly smooth finish that matures through the years as the unique patina of the wood develops.
Browse our collection of fine handmade furniture here on our website. To locate a Preferred Dealer near you, call us toll free at 1-877-499-8163, or click our Dealer Finder tab. W.A. Mitchell Fine Furniture designates Preferred Dealers to represent us based upon their years of knowledgeable and continuous service, their commitment to customer service, and their always having in stock a wide variety of our product for you to try for fit and comfort. Enjoy true quality with W.A. Mitchell Fine Furniture of Maine….furniture that lasts from generation to generation.