Tucked away in the back roads of Shirley, Massachusetts, you can find the staff at L&M Home busy at work in the historic 1849 old mill building once built by the Shirley Shaker religious community.   It was built along the banks of the Catacunemaug River for the purpose of manufacturing  cotton roping.   Large quantities were produced in this location  until  the introduction of synthetics in 1945.    Many decades, tales, and renovations later, the solar powered mill building is now home to 72 small businesses.  Lake and Mountain Home occupies the separate post and beam building in the mill complex that was used for the raw cotton storage, prior to being blown over (literally)  in tubes to the main building for production.   Owner, Jane Longden, first saw this property in the winter of 2011 when looking to move her business.   The building was “condemned” for safety and was headed for an eventual tear down.   Of course, Jane being Jane, thought it was the “perfect” spot for  her business.   Despite the rotten floor boards and broken windows,  she  saw how outstanding the building was with its massive brick walls and post and beam structure.

Specializing in Reclaimed Wood Custom Furniture

Being eco-friendly is not a new concept for Lake and Mountain home. The company has been in operation since 2003 specializing in the building and finishing of custom reclaimed wood furniture. “Using water based products is not a new thing for us nor is using old wood to create beautiful furniture” claims owner, Jane Longden. “Instead, time has been spent refining our finishes and creative designs that are casually elegant, very functional, and extremely low maintenance. We are amongst the first pioneers when it comes to working with eco-friendly products and reclaimed wood furniture”.

Having grown up in old homes for most of her life and being very “hand’s-on”, Jane has spent the last 16  years developing the skills, hunting for domestic resources and finding talent that would lead her to the creation of New England’s foremost reclaimed wood furniture companies in the North East. Fortunate to have found a highly talented and committed group of artists and craftsmen, Lake and Mountain Home operates like a well-oiled machine. Regardless of the order, custom or otherwise  your order  will be completed in 6-11 weeks from the date the  order is placed depending on the time of year.

A far stretch from her 21 year career in human services,  Jane frequently gets asked how she ended up doing this sort of business.   You will often hear her say she has been one of the luckier people in the world having loved both her first and second careers and made the leap without a great deal of reservation.  Jane segued into her new career after an opportunity (she reluctantly agreed to) to sell old wood furniture. What was most notable to Jane was the interest people had in the reclaimed old barn wood tables, occasional tables and simple, hand crafted old wood furniture. “People couldn’t get enough of it” according to Jane. Regardless of what was going on in the economy people keep gravitating to simple lines and old wood furniture for their homes. Years later demand is still strong. ”It’s like the classic black dress that never goes out of style.” Quite simply there is no other furniture line that offers such “sustainable” long lasting value .  Each and every piece we make is a way to bring  American History into your home.”