King Hickory Furniture

Solid hardwood construction — primarily quarter-sawn white oak and cherry — with mortise-and-tenon joinery. No particleboard, no veneers on their Mission/Craftsman lines. The hand-applied catalyzed lacquer finish is baked on and cured harder than standard furniture finishes. Stickley has been building furniture in Manlius, New York since 1900, and original Gustav Stickley pieces from the early 1900s sell for thousands at auction because they're still structurally perfect.

Die-cast aluminum frame with a polished finish that doesn't peel, chip, or corrode. The seat and back cushions are segmented leather pads that distribute weight independently — if one pad wears out, you replace that pad, not the whole chair. The tilt mechanism and gas cylinder are standard office-chair parts that any technician can swap. Herman Miller (the authorized manufacturer) offers a 12-year warranty covering everything. Original Eames Aluminum Group chairs from the 1960s are still in daily office use.

Pottery Barn's higher-end desks (Bedford, Livingston, Benchwright lines) use kiln-dried hardwood frames with dovetail drawer construction — a joint method that resists pulling apart under the weight of loaded drawers. The wood finishes are multi-step catalyzed lacquer that's more durable than typical furniture stain. The hardware (drawer pulls, hinges) is solid metal rather than plastic. While not heirloom-quality like Stickley, Pottery Barn occupies a reasonable middle ground between Ikea particleboard and custom furniture maker pricing.