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Fortree Hill Furniture. Authentic and timeless beauty. For the Places You call Home.
My Team
Creative Consultants
"Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and somehow valuable is formed." Wikipedia Well, my phenomenon, without which my creativity would be fast asleep, is anchored to the people who are closest to me in life and believe in me. I couldn't be me without them. They see me and my creativity, always offering unwaivering support and enthusiasm. My team is: Julia, Billy, Anthony, Carolyn, Karen, and Mary. Read more here. Hope you followed the link, I am so very proud and grateful.
Fortree Hill Furniture
Workshop and Atelier circa 2009
Fortree Hill Furniture is uniquely designed and restored fine furniture created to inspire an authentic sense of home. All designs are created with the intention of individual style that yields comfort and connection.
Our mission is to provide our customers with a selection of beautifully restored fine furniture that has already stood the test of time.
Our goal is to intentionally inspire a place of belonging and connecting people to their pasts and forming memories for the future...all that resonates and brings you home.
Read more here and here.
Me, Nancy Wong
Sole Owner and Artisan
Fortree Hill Furniture
From my childhood I vividly remember two specific occurences, "reupholstering furniture time" and "tax time." My father whose day job was as a mailman, owned rental properties and was an active landlord (as was his maternal grandfather, Brady Street neighborhood, Milwaukee, WI) which meant he did a year's worth of accounting in the span of a week to accomplish filing my parent's tax return in April of every year. The dining room table morphed into a pile of receipts and the check register. It was a stressful and chaotic time for the whole family. I have 4 siblings, I know we were miserable and consoled each other while my parents did "taxes."
The other occurence, which was equal in sensory perception and overload, was when my parents would reupholster the living room furniture.... it was more chaos and a mess with a huge black old Singer sewing machine (made in London, England) parked in the center of the room. I hated the mess and could see no immediate purpose in it.
As a child we were not allowed in the living room, neither was our dog, Bridgette. However, it was obviously a different story when we were gone, she would always be waiting for our return in one of the floor to ceiling french windows - in the living room. My point is, I had no idea "why" my parents had to make such a big mess reupholstering the living room furniture, we never really used the room. This "time" push all of us kids to the near brink of emotional breakdowns.
Thinking back now, I know why these two times are emedded into my memory and formed me to become my ever evolving self, it wasn't the chaos, it wasn't the mess, it was the energy created, and the love shared among my parents. My parents did their taxes (albeit there was some bickering) together. The mess in the living room to create a room of shared visual beauty, (aka the upholstering,) was done together. The energy necessary for each endeavor, required (and produced) an abiding love.
Love was the reason, for my parents efforts, and it found its way into the depths of me, I learned from them to care greatly, work hard, and weave it all with Love. That is why, became a corporate tax accountant CPA and later an artisan of upholstered vintage, cast away, fine furniture. It was their love that has and continues to breathe life into me, into the activities of my every day, this love, still gives me life. My days of tax work are over, but I would say, I truly did my work, long hours, with passion and love. Today my workshop, my atelier is where I am found and choose to be. Thank you mom and dad. Read more here.