The 1869 collection started as a collaboration between Urban Barnwood Furniture, a seasoned Amish furniture builder in Ohio, and Chase Ryan, a Texas based furniture designer.  After Urban Barnwood experienced explosive growth over a few year period, they began to feel the need for more original designs that would continue to separate them from their competition.  After finding Chase Ryan through his Instagram account, the Urban Barnwood management team met Chase Ryan at market and decided to take the next steps and have Chase come out to the factory and experience the Amish culture and the factory he would be working with.  Chase went to visit the factory and after a few short days realized the Amish were exceptional at their craft. It wasn’t the “hand tool” operation he expected, and quality shortcuts were never taken. As Chase says, “If I can walk into a showroom and feel the underside of a piece or a tight corner and find that it’s not perfect, I know there is no point in working with that company.  They won’t understand my detail level and they won’t be able to execute it in production”.  

Part of Chase’s initial trip was a visit to a 150+ year old barn right there in Ohio.  Barns like this are where ALL the wood comes from in EVERY Urban Barnwood piece. Hence the name behind the collection 1869.  Every piece of oak used in Urban Barnwood builds, including the new Chase Ryan collection is from 1800-1869! The oak in these barns that are being salvaged experienced colonization just after independence from England all the way through the civil war.  Oh, if the barns could talk.  

After visiting the barn, Chase found a unique appreciation for the beams.  The size, quality, and integrity of the wood after almost two centuries outside was astounding.  The beams were a showcase of the crafters that built the structure in the 1800’s and yet were too large to be used in most of the furniture being produced in their solid form, untouched from modern saws.  Hence the concept behind the initial table sketch.  

Initial sketch

The Looking Glass table came from the concept of wanting to be able to experience history, while enjoying a meal with family and friends.  The reclaimed oak table surround features a “looking glass” in the middle to be able to enjoy the character of the beam no matter where you sit at the table.  The beam is picture framed inside a metal pedestal so that there are no distractions from the beam itself. While every piece of oak on the table is that old, the beam is left in its natural state with NO finish of any kind on it.  The way it was reclaimed from the barn it supported is the way it comes to your home.