John Lomas,  Cotswold Furniture designer & owner,  attended the London College of Furniture over two decades ago and, fortunately for Vermont, settled here to launch Costwold Furniture, today including a three story restored barn production facility in Whiting & a gallery in the heart of Stowe two minutes north of Main Street on the Mountain Road.

From lumber selection to finishing, Cotswold is striving for perfection in every detail of the furniture making process. The finest American hardwoods--American Black Cherry, Quartersawn Northern White Oak, Black Walnut, and others--are used to provide balance and symmetry in the completed piece. These are joined by time-tested techniques--Mortise and tenon, dovetail, bridle, and cross-halving joints--that guarantee integrity for many life times over.  Oils are hand-applied to create silky soft surfaces. Finally, each piece is signed and dated by one of the five craftsman, and inlaid with a pewter squirrel medallion with a motif  taken from a 1904 Ernest Gimson design for a pair of andirons.

Cotswold's designs are inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement in the Cotswolds in England, the Shakers in America and John Lomas' understanding of classical proportion.  Cotswold work is known as Transitional Furniture Design that combines traditional as well as contemporary elements resulting in furniture that fits well into both worlds. Cotswold strives for designs that will be as pleasing and relevant 50 or 100 years from now as they are today.

Collections include: Pinnacle with an Asian flair, decorative Fountainbrook, arts & crafts Gloucester & Chalford, robust Farmhouse & Chalford,  antique inspired Regency, & the elegant Sapperton.

The Stowe gallery features heirloom quality Cotswold Furniture and accepts special commissions including cabinet design. The gallery also includes transitional Tibetan and Arts and Crafts hand knitted wool rugs,  and home decor offerings include lighting, hand-blown glass, pottery, metal, stainless steel and fine art.