Archive for the ‘Outdoor’ Category

All-A-Flutter with Birds at Sturbridge Yankee Workshop

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

Pretty little birds at Sturbridge Yankee Workshop sing the melody of “Home Sweet Home” when used to decorate your country inspired home. A sure sign of warm weather and abundance in the garden, birds brighten our day and their song echoes through many backyards. In addition to a large selection of bird themed decor, we even have items that are specifically made for your feathered friends; such as: bird feeders, birdbaths and uniquely styled birdhouses for them to call home. Click here to see our entire collection of For the Birds items.

Pictured here to the left is our sweet Bird Jute Rug. New for the Spring Catalog, this round accent rug features the delightful phrase of “Home is where your story begins.” What a welcoming way to greet both the season and guests into your home if displayed in an entryway or mudroom. Decorating with birds is a subtle way to bring the outdoors in and have a nature inspired home. Let the beauty of graceful souring birds, returning home after a long winter, be motivation to update your decor or add fun avian accents to any room. Bird themed decor also lends itself well to an overall theme of Cottage home design as well.

On the left is a five star, customer rated pillow now on sale for $10 off the original price during our Annual Spring Sale. Our Bluebird Needlepoint Pillow is a finely stitched image of a beautiful bluebird perched on a tree, crafted in the form of needlepoint with a soft, velveteen back. Designed by Chad Barrett, this decorative pillow would be be perfectly suited on an entryway bench, your favorite chair in the living room or a pretty focal point on your bedding.

Consider choosing a specific bird species when decorating with this theme. For example here in Maine, our state bird is the Black Capped Chickadee. At Sturbridge Yankee Workshop we have our new, web exclusive Black Capped Chickadee Clock or our Chickadee Night Light by artist John Solomon, that would feel right at home up here.


~A Spring Green Renewal

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

Think Green This Spring

Green is currently a very popular decorating color. Whether it’s a painted green room or green accents throughout your entire home, green is an extremely versatile color as you will see below. Green is a color that comes to mind when “thinking spring” because when plants, flowers and trees begin or continue to grow, spring is a time for that rebirth and rejuvenation to occur. This refreshing feeling can be carried over to the decor in your home with the use of green.

With the beginning of spring just around the corner, having some green accents within your home décor will instill a feeling nature and the outdoors for months to come. Awaken any room with our Potted Rosemary Candle, seen here to the left. Made in the USA, a design of pretty green topiaries is featured on the jar. Rosemary is an aromatic herb that has been used for centuries in teas, cooking, and potpourri; today it is one of the most popular herbal scents for candles.

Green Indoors and Out

Green is said to be one of the easiest colors on the eyes; unique to any other color because our eyes actually rest upon or recognize green to actually interpret the other colors. Therefore green can also improve your vision! We know that green is calming and that is why purposely, before people are brought onto a live television set, they are often put in a green room to relax and calm their nerves.

At Sturbridge Yankee Workshop we have a lot to offer when it comes to green color options throughout our lighting, home accents, furniture and rugs categories. But in honor of spring, add some green decorative accents to the area outside your home as well. Those of you with indoor/outdoor living spaces like  sun rooms, patios, decks or garden areas, will likely be spending a lot of time there this upcoming season as the warmer weather arrives. Our Indoor/Outdoor Pillows are the perfect solution, as seen here to the left in one color option fitting for our green theme: Green Lattice. These pillows are equally suited for your living room sofa or propped on a patio bench for added style and comfort outside. Made of 100% polyester, the fabric is durable and manufactured with a tough weather-resistant material with the look and feel of cotton. Another color choice you might enjoy for a green pillow accent is the Oatmeal Stripe option of this pillow, featuring a green and creamy oatmeal stripe pattern, with the subtle incorporation of a pale pink; perfect for spring decorating!

The many shades and hues of green are what has made this color a widespread, gender neutral color. The lighter and softer greens are correlated with nature and spring as seen above, while the darker and deeper greens are understood more conservatively with a symbolism of wealth. Money is referred to simply as “green” many times and perhaps painting a room or your entire house in this color will bring a serious of good fortune and luck. Consider decorating with green this spring and you’ll be pleased with all the benefits it can offer your both your home decor and your life.

~For more green decorating ideas click Here.


Teak – A Wood Made For the Outdoors

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

In the damp soils of the deep hardwood forests of Indonesia, China, and Myanmar, tall rod-like trees peak their rounded leaves above the canopy; trunks look bundled together as if they are working together and seem bind themselves to reach the nutrient rich sunlight. These stalks of the forest are teak.

Teak is a hardwood like few others, with the silica it contains the wood can dull most sharp ends but luckily isn’t so dense as to make it impossible to work with. The greatest part about teak is it’s oils, they allow the furniture to be exposed to the elements with little to no help from staining or coats of varnish, it also makes the wood pest and termite resistant. It’s an amazingly hard and nature resistant wood – which makes it perfect for outdoor furniture.

We at Sturbridge Yankee Workshop know you don’t want to buy new patio furniture every single year. You want to buy good quality furniture and not have to worry about it getting worn or put new stain on every spring. That is why we’ve added a few fantastically made teak furniture pieces to our website. Don’t spend the first nice days of warm weather shellacking your patio furniture – recline back and enjoy the season with our Teak Steamer Chair. There comes a sheen, an almost gray color that comes over the teak when left untreated but doesn’t change it’s durability or strength. If you wish to keep the honey golden color of the wood a Teak Oil may be applied every 6-12 months and will eventually go to the silver gray if not repeatedly applied.

This teak isn’t pulled from the already squandered forests either but from sustainable plantations. It’s Grade A, so you can rock in peace in the Teak Double Rocking Chair knowing that it’s going to last. Speaking of lasting – this teak furniture is not only made with great hardwood, but is made with great care and craftsman ship. The joints are mortise and tenon creating strong bonds, so you’ll know you’ll have the furniture as long as you have a patio. And you can fill out your entire patio with our teak, from the 48″ Teak Dining Table and matching Teak Folding Chairs (set of 2) you can create an entire outdoor space that will last for many years to come. Have a smaller patio? We also carry a 36″ Square Teak Table. Place the 18″ Teak table next to your Teak Reclining Chair facing your favorite view and come back summer after summer in the same spot – this outdoor furniture will stay with you.

Never worry again about leaving your patio furniture out in the rain, teak has you covered and where else but Sturbridge Yankee Workshop will you find such exquisite furniture to match your style.