Furniture makers, meet furniture buyers. Furniture buyers, meet furniture makers.

One of my main goals for Furnitude is to make it a bridge between the furniture making world and the furniture buying world. One of the best ways to introduce them to each other is let them know ways to find each other.

For designers, here are some resources for finding furniture makers. National organizations and local guilds often have directories in which you can find tons of furniture makers. Another way I find out about them is the participant lists of the various woodworking fairs and shows. This is by no means comprehensive – just a few places where you can find lots of information.

Furniture Society -- Members Information – an international membership organization that includes professionals and novices alike.

San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association -- Craftsman List – I’m not sure why, but San Diego has an incredibly vibrant woodworking community.

International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) -- Exhibitor List – the show the design world seems to take very seriously.

Handmade in America -- Craft Registry – an organization that focuses on North Carolina’s craftspeople who happen to be some of the best craftspeople anywhere.

Guild of Vermont Furniture Makers -- Member List -- small organization, lots of talent.

New Hampshire Furniture Masters Assocation -- Masters List -- select group of off-the-charts craftspeople.

Cumberland Furniture Guild -- Directory -- my own furniture guild here in Nashville, TN.

That should keep you clicking for a while!

For furniture makers, here are some popular design blogs. These can be inspiring but can also connect you to interior designers and fans of interior design. And talk about traffic, if you get your stuff posted on one of them, you'll get hundreds of people looking at your website.

Design*sponge -- one of the best and most popular design blogs out there, design*sponge covers furniture, accessories, textiles and more.

Design-Milk -- covers home decor and has a decidely modern slant.

Cribcandy -- a totally addictive site that features dozens of new items daily and ranges from the very cool to the very out-there.

Shelterrific -- covers home decorating and design but also home life in general.

Decor8 -- very well-written site on home design with a modern style.

Blue Ant Studio -- covers minimalist modern design.

Check out their blog rolls to find even more design blogs.