About Our Process

It all starts with an idea

All of our products are designed by company founder Mark Valone, and benefit from his decades of experience. His ideas and designs are transformed into functional furniture by partners around the world, each specializing in a different area of furniture manufacturing. All pieces are then shipped back to AFI’s warehouse in Deerfield, Massachusetts where they are thoroughly inspected for quality before being shipped directly to your home.

Safety By Design

Safety is a core tenet of our designs. All AFI products include exclusive safety features that increase strength and durability while reducing risk of injury. We’re proud to use solid hardwood construction and steel reinforcements to extend product life and increase our customers’ satisfaction.

Eco-Friendly Hardwood

AFI is proud to manufacture its products using eco-friendly, plantation-grown hardwood. Most of our furniture products use timber from the Pará rubber tree, more commonly known as rubberwood or Hevea. We also make use of plantation-grown mahogany, white birch, and Italian poplar. Using these types of hardwood is both economically practical and environmentally responsible.

Five-Step Finishing Process

The finishing process begins with a thorough sanding of each and every component, followed by the application of a wiping filler to microscopically seal the wood pores. This filler is thoroughly hand rubbed into the surface of the furniture, and, once dried, a wood stain is applied to even the grain and alter the color of the wood. The process of building the protective coating continues with a lightly tinted primary sealer that is absorbed into the outer surface of the wood. After curing, a fine abrasive polishing is performed. A secondary sealer, which produces smooth surfaces and uniform wood tone, is applied and finished with a final topcoat.