Saranac: Honoring a Sustainable Ideal

In the earliest days of Stickley furniture design and manufacturing, respect for nature was a bedrock principle, and that belief holds true today. We’re excited to bring customers a new whole-home collection that puts sustainability front and center. Saranac, a single-finish, modern interpretation of rustic style, combines smart manufacturing practices with beautiful, considered design: a win-win for your home!

Creating a rustic collection was an opportunity to find new use for wood that may otherwise have been wasted. We gathered offcuts of American black walnut with natural imperfections that were undesirable for use in other collections like Walnut Grove. In Saranac, these characteristics are beautiful features rather than flaws! Unpredictable grain patterns and color, knots and burls, splits, worm holes, and even ruts left by a hollow stem (“pith”) are among the qualities that are unique from one Saranac piece to the next, and a transparent walnut finish ensures that these features shine through.

The Stickley design team didn’t opt for a wholly traditional rustic look, though. The goal was a modern style that would feel perfectly at home in the 21^st century. “I consider Saranac a casual, youthful take on rustic style,” said Stickley Director of Design Marissa Brown. “It has a slightly smaller scale that makes it quite versatile, and we designed several pieces with completely open backs to create a pure geometry that lets the wood take center stage.” These open-back designs let ample light pass through, balancing the thickness of the rustic wood to keep pieces from feeling heavy. Deep bevels and chamfers serve as the only unifying embellishment across the collection, as the wood’s exciting natural features are the true decorative focus.

Naturally, Saranac is durably built with time-honored construction features that have been Stickley’s signature for 125 years, including pinned mortise-and-tenon joinery, mitered corners, exposed spline joints, and side-hung, center-guided drawers with dovetailed boxes (drawer hardware has been eliminated in favor of finger pulls, another decision aimed at making rustic walnut the star). 


In the living room, a 90-inch Sofa and matching Chair both feature a modern low profile, sewn-in arm pillows, family-friendly stain-resistant fabric, and an exposed base of rustic black walnut, with square rear legs extending upward to meet and reinforce the seating’s subtly angled backs. It’s an eye-catching detail that allows these pieces to float in a room beautifully.

Important details have been anticipated to make living with Saranac easy. An ingenious, built-in 16-inch butterfly leaf lets you expand the Saranac 46-inch Round Dining Table for guests. With virtually no effort, your table goes from seating four to seating six, and the leaf disappears inside when the meal is finished and it’s no longer needed!

And while we love the imperfections that give Saranac’s walnut its character, they can present some difficulties if they appear haphazardly. When building our Saranac dining chairs, bar stools, and counter stools, we’re careful to eliminate any knots and cracks that could snag and damage your clothes.

Without a doubt, the Saranac Collection’s modern rustic style will be welcomed into many homes. But just as impressive is the way it was achieved. We hope this sustainable, smartly made furniture brings you as much pride as it brings us!