Making furniture with geography in mind.

As Richardson Bros. Co. approaches its sesquicentennial year, the sixth-generation company pays homage to its home state, Wisconsin.

There are places I remember all my life, though some have changed. Some forever, not for better, some have gone and some remain. All these places have their moments... - John Lennon and Paul McCartney, "In My Life"

In 1845, when Wisconsin was still a territory, Joseph and Carolyn Richardson arrived in what is now Sheboygan Falls, where they had purchased 200 acres to farm. This land near the western shore of Lake Michigan was covered with virgin timber and crossed by a river, which prompted Richardson to divert the river and establish a water-powered mill to saw and market the logs from the trees he cut.

In 1848, the year that Wisconsin became the 30th state, Richardson's sawmill opened for business. Some 20 years later, he added a planning mill and manufacturing division to the sawmill and lumber yard, and in 1876, three of Richardson's sons bought the business and he returned to farming.

In 1881, Richardson Bros. manufactured its first chairs. Made for a local saloon, the chairs were heavy, roundbacked and reinforced with iron rods to withstand the inevitable brawls that broke out among customers.

NATURAL BEAUTY

Nearly a century and a half later, Wisconsin geography continues to inspire Richardson Bros. The company has christened its newest and most ambitious line (65 pieces) "Door County," in honor of the popular northern Wisconsin vacation destination.

Nearby Door County is a scenic 75-mile-long peninsula in northeastern Wisconsin that juts into the waters between Green Bay and Lake Michigan and offers rocky coasts, sandy beaches, acres of birch, pine and cedar trees and spectacular sunsets. The names of favorite Door County locations, such as Washington Island, Jacksonport, Ephraim and Sister Bay, add emotional appeal to individual pieces of the solid black cherry furniture Richardson Bros. introduced in April 1996.

Designer Mark Polich described the Door County Collection as "transitional country," an in-between style that resembles traditional antiques - a relaxed country look that fits nicely with the "casual elegance" trend of the '90s. Carved headboards, split turnings, a mirror with drawers and a triple mirror add Victorian flavor. Aged pewter finish hardware bears reproductions of original etchings from Keeler Brass company's archives.

'BIG IS BETTER'

In general, Door County beds and bedroom cases are more massive than Richardson's traditional oak furniture, and fall in line with the industry's current "big is better" direction. To satisfy preferences for larger bedroom furnishings, Richardson Bros. introduced the Mansion bed with scroll-carved head and footboards 83 inches wide by 72 inches high, heavy octagonal posts and turned finals; the Iverson bedside chest (30 inches by 18 inches by 31 inches high); and two extra tall dressers with deep drawers - the signature Cornerstone mule chest and the Grand triple dresser.

The new group has both paddle-bow back and sheaf-back chair styles, including bar stool and tilt-swivel armchair; a 44-inch-round dining table, a 44-inch by 62-inch by 84-inch table with turned legs and a 90-inch-long trestle table with two 11-inch apron leaves; buffets and chinas; night table, night stand and bedside chest; chests, dressers and entertainment deck; and four beveled mirrors. Additional beds are the Washington Island carved panel style, Eden spindle headboard and turned post footboard and the Scofield sleigh bed with carved and raised panel head and footboards.

AN IMMEDIATE WINNER

The Door County Collection became a best seller straightaway, according to Gary Kane, vice president of operations. The first cutting was sold at the April Market in High Point, and the line captured several million dollars in first-year sales.

Typically, April introductions are used to judge retailer reactions and are followed up with design or material changes. New spring lines are not usually available for consumers to purchase until fall. But Richardson Bros. gambled on the success of the new line.

Kane said, "We were confident we had what the consumer wanted in the Door County Collection, our biggest introduction ever. We were manufacturing the line while the April market was going on. That could have been risky business. But we shipped the first cutting four weeks after market."

Another potentially tricky complication ensued when Richardson closed its Winona, MS, bedroom plant last year and moved all operations to the Wisconsin plant which had never manufactured bedroom furniture, Kane said. "It was a quick study. The production staff - all 300 of them - responded well and after 60 days we were in the bedroom business."

JUMP-STARTING THE LEARNING CURVE

The company geared up for the Door County Collection months before it was introduced, by building inventory in other lines to allow time for the learning curve that typically accompanies a new product. But no problems occurred with the new line, Kane said, because of the smooth hand-off between engineering and production departments. Jim Voigt, manager of engineering, David Nagode, plant manager, and Bill Butzen, manager of manufacturing engineering, worked hand in hand to have all jigs and fixture engineering completed before production started.

However, the switch in production from exclusively solid oak furniture to cherry required some adjustments, Kane said. Being a softer wood, cherry requires more sanding. In addition, the material handling process was modified.

STRENGTH AND DURABILITY

By now, just about everyone in the furniture industry is familiar with Richardson's legendary chairs that last and last, and the company's eye-catching advertising campaign depicting a member of the family or a customer standing on top of a tipped-over chair to illustrate its strength. Several unique processes are used to achieve this benchmark quality.

Steam bending makes chairs both durable and attractive. At Richardson Bros., bowbacks are hand bent from a solid piece of heated and pressurized wood. Fingerjoints are eliminated in continuous compound bent armchairs to create the strongest arm possible. Chair backs have doweled chuck joinery with reinforced screw plates. Legs and stretchers are double glued with compressed dowel construction.

Tables, chests, beds and mirrors are manufactured with the same exacting care. Tabletops are solid wood with geared equalizing slides and self-storing leaves, and are protected with Envirolac UV coating that resists marring, abrasion and stains from most household chemicals. Solid wood drawers and slides, dovetailed front drawer joints and back box joints are assembled with hotmelt glue.

Aged Rum, a waterborne finish, is a warm, medium brown with light distressing. It appears to be an elaborate multi-step finish but consists of a simple four-step process: pre-stain, stain, sealer and topcoat. Naturally occurring gum pockets, worm holes and small knots heighten the Door County Collection's informal look.