In 1948, a small company started in Stamford, New York, producing kitchen furnishings and housewares entirely out of wood. The name of the company, Catskill Craftsmen, was chosen due to its location in the Catskill Mountains of New York and the company's approach to creating fine quality furnishings in the tradition of skilled wood craftsmen.

Since its founding, Catskill Craftsmen has become the largest manufacturer of ready to assemble kitchen furnishings in North America. Many of the company's kitchen furniture models arrive in pieces, which cuts down on manufacturing and shipping prices to make them very economical. The brand is beloved due to its fine quality, and its easy to assemble products.

If you're looking for a well-made kitchen island, kitchen cart or other home furnishing that is available for an affordable price, Catskill Craftsmen likely has a style that you'll love. To help you explore the collection of furnishings produced by the brand, we have created this Buyers' Guide to Catskill Craftsmen Kitchen Islands and Kitchen Carts. The guide is arranged around common questions that we receive from customers about the brand's kitchen furnishing collection.

Is Catskill Craftsmen an environmentally friendly company?

Yes, Catskill Craftsmen has a long tradition of adopting environmentally responsible manufacturing techniques that protect the environment. All of the woods used in the brand's furnishings are hardwoods that are not endangered and that have a relatively short growing period, allowing them to be self-sustaining. The wood is purchased from local lumber mills and all of its drying and preparation is performed at the Catskill Craftsmen manufacturing facility.

For many wood manufacturing companies, wood waste is a large concern. To mitigate this problem, Catskill Craftsmen developed a special power plant on site at their facility. This power plant allows the entire factory to run on the burning of pellets made of sawdust and other wood waste that is produced during the manufacturing process. Because of this unique approach to powering their factories, Catskill Craftsmen has no wood waste that requires dispoal. The power plant was also built to the strict guidelines of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, so it has minimal emissions and does not contaminate the air.

The location of Catskill Craftsmen's manufacturing facility is in a key spot in the watershed that supplies drinking water to New York City. In order to preserve the purity of the water, the company has had a strong commitment to preventing the contamination of groundwater and nearby rivers from its start. As a result, the water sourced from the area is able to be used by residents of New York City and four New York counties without having to be filtered or cleaned first.

Catskill Craftsmen goes to great lengths to protect the environment, so you can feel good about purchasing their products and can use them to create a "greener" environment in your home.

What materials are Catskill Craftsmen kitchen islands and kitchen carts made from?

The majority of the kitchen islands and kitchen carts produced by Catskill Craftsmen are made of yellow birch. The wood comes from the Betula alleghaniensis tree, which is plentiful throughout the Catskill Mountains and much of the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. Yellow birch wood has an attractive golden color, which is neutral enough to coordinate with a variety of color palettes in home kitchens.

A small number of the kitchen islands and kitchen carts made by the brand feature rock maple wood. This wood type is sourced from the Acer glabrum, which is also an abundant tree in the area surrounding the Catskill Craftsmen facility and the rest of the region. Like yellow birch, rock maple has a neutral color, but is slightly paler and less golden. Its beige color is traditionally what people envision when they think of "natural" wood.

In terms of strength, both yellow birch and rock maple are durable woods. Both varieties are harder than red and white oak, American walnut and American cherry woods. Rock maple is slightly harder than yellow birch, but both types of hardwood are capable of standing up to regular, heavy use when featured in a kitchen island or kitchen cart.

Most of the styles of kitchen islands and kitchen carts made by Catskill Craftsmen have natural wood finishes, but a small number have natural wood tops and either red or white lacquered bases.

What are the styles of kitchen islands that are available from Catskill Craftsmen?

All of the kitchen islands made by Catskill Craftsmen have included rolling casters that can be mounted on the bases when the pieces are assembled. The addition of the casters allows you to shift the island whenever you need to clean the floors or make extra space in your kitchen.

The smallest kitchen islands made by Catskill Craftsmen have one drawer and two cupboards, and the largest styles have four drawers and four cupboards. The brand produces special deep drawer islands with extra space to store tall items. There are also island styles that include open shelves between the drawers and cabinets, giving you a place to keep items that you need to reach for quickly while you work.

The islands made by Catskill Craftsmen feature many different special storage options, including towel racks, knife racks and side shelves. The brand also makes islands with drop leaves and special styles that have rolling pull-out leaves, which are great for serving or performing additional food preparation tasks. Some styles have folding cutting boards mounted to their sides, which can be raised to have a cutting surface available on demand.

What are the styles of kitchen carts that are available from Catskill Craftsmen?

The kitchen cart lineup from Catskill Craftsmen is very diverse and includes everything from open, square-shaped traditional carts to more rectangular shaped carts that resemble tables with under-shelves mounted on wheels. The brand also produces cabinet carts, which look like small, compact islands with closed-in storage rather than open shelves. Specialty styles found in the cart range include a model with drop leaves and one that has wire baskets instead of drawers.

Catskill Craftsmen also builds hutch style microwave carts, which are designed to hold any large tabletop kitchen appliance or even a television. The wheels on the carts make them easy to shift the pieces to access the appliances’ plugs. The microwave carts typically feature one drawer and two cabinets.

What types of tables does Catskill Craftsmen make?

Catskill Craftsmen produces sturdy work tables that are stationery and meant to serve as large working areas in home kitchens. Styles include a basic tabletop with four legs. These tables are attractive in appearance and can also be used for seating, thanks to their open designs.

In addition to the basic work table, Catskill Craftsmen produces a work table that is slightly taller and has two shelves for storage underneath the tabletop. This table, the French Country Harvest Table, is convenient for use in kitchens where storage space is limited and you need your work table to free up some room in your cabinets and pantry. The table's shelves make it less practical for seating; however the attractive appearance of the piece makes it excellent to function as a serving station when you're having a cocktail party or serving a very large meal.

What other products does Catskill Craftsmen produce?

In addition to kitchen islands, kitchen carts and work tables, Catskill Craftsmen also produces a variety of other products. The brand makes a standing butcher block, called the French Country Butcher Block. This block features a thick, square-shaped top mounted on four legs. The natural oil finish on this piece allows you to use the top as a cutting surface with no need for a cutting board.

Catskill Craftsmen also produces wine storage solutions. These islands have special areas that are intended for storing bottles on their sides. This preserves the cork and prevents it from breaking off and contaminating the wine when it is opened. The wine storage options made by the brand typically feature additional storage like drawers and cabinets, where other types of alcohol, glasses and wine tools can be kept. The wine cabinets are generally mounted on casters, so that you can roll them into a room when you are having a formal dinner party or a cocktail party and then roll them away to keep in an out of the way area when you are not serving drinks.

To help you prepare food, Catskill Craftsmen produces a full line of cutting boards. One popular line from the cutting board collection is the end grain range. These cutting boards are made by piecing together the ends of hardwood rails to create one butcher block board. This style of cutting board is very durable and sturdy, but still incredibly gentle on knife blades. The end grain collection features both round and square boards. Some of the styles are reversible, so that you can work on both sides, while others have feet to keep them in place while you chop and slice. Finger grooves, indentations on the sides of boards that make them easier to carry, are found in some of the end grain styles as well.