While on a recent trip to Vermilion, Ohio I stumbled upon a quaint little shop that stole my heart. Something about the warm wooden furniture and the subtle colors of the plaid woolens at The Chairmaker and Friends made me feel right at home.

The owner, Garrett Aston creates amazing hand crafted Windsor chairs, tables and other finely detailed furniture and accessories. The kind of pieces that stop you in your tracks and make you want to run your fingers across their glass-like surfaces. The quality and beauty of his works of art make my heart ache with appreciation.

Wouldn’t you just love to have this cubby cabinet? I can think of a million things that I could use it for.

Katie Allman also offers a variety of reasonably priced rug hooking classes at the store. They keep a stock of gorgeous woolens that can be purchased for the classes or other uses.

On the way back through the store I spotted these adorable patchwork cats. Since we recently said goodbye to our favorite cat, I decided I could “adopt” one of these for our home. The navy one now greets us when we walk in the family room.

Take a look at this wood working shop. A carpenter’s dream, I’d say. I love the smell of sawdust in a place like this. It reminds me that furniture is being lovingly created one unique piece at a time. Garrett also mentions that he holds wood-working classes. How cool would that be! He also offers refinishing and various types of furniture repair and restoration for your cherished heirlooms.

I only wish I lived closer to this shop. It’s 2000 miles away from my home, so I won’t be able to get there very often. If you live in northern Ohio I hope you take advantage of your proximity to this wonderful shop and maybe take a class or two. It’s a gem!