Founded in 2012: Based in Shelburne, Vermont
Told by Britt Witt of Red House VT.
Red House is a brand that was born out of necessity. This life comes before the brand. The brand is a result of a life being lived. The products we make and sell were created first, as tools for our red house.
Matt and I are both Arizona natives, having met their when we were just teens. After much traveling, and living in other places both together and separately, we both yearned for a simple life. Out in the woods.
We found ourselves madly in love, married, with two kids, and settled back in the Sonoran Desert. It was in our late night talks about what it would be like to give it all up, to start anew, that the manifestation of what we are now really began. The dream was to move to Vermont, to raise our kids slowly, with simplicity and intention.
We talked about this for years, while Matt worked a job in sales and I raised the babies full time. It wasn’t until a unique moment in time that we came to realize a truth, together. We remembered that we in our own right as human beings are capable of acting as the architects of our own reality. That the dreams we were having each night were much more then fleeting visuals of what could be, but rather our true lives calling for us to wake up.
Red House VT’s Book Bag
“We headed for the mountains. We left our belongings behind.”
It wasn’t until two years into our epic journey from Arizona to Vermont that we were reminded of our original desire for finding a small red cottage. It just so happened that one went up for sale just 1/4 mile from where we were living. We bought the house. It was after that when my ability to sew really came into play. We found the most waterproof, industrious fabric we could find (being waxed canvas of course) and simply made what we needed. Starting with a wood fetcher, then a lunch bag, then a satchel, and on and on… Everything we hold in the shop now has been made and remade and redesigned, as they have all been used here in our day to day. I guess you could call it an organic field-testing of sorts.
The opening of the shop was only a natural progression in our endeavor as a whole. From the start, we hoped to arrive, put down roots, and seek sovereignty. Currently Mister Witt still holds a full time gig out of the house. But with the growth of this small business, we are beginning to experience the freedom we so desperately seek. We are just. so. close. to truly living by our own efforts, and Red House, the business, is now the vehicle by which we plan to bring this into reality.
We feel incredibly fortunate to have organically grown with and become apart of this movement, where people are returning to the renaissance of a made by hand mentality, and where customers are returning to placing value on supporting handmade, and also supporting the makers in return. The community building that we see, and the support we give one another is truly inspiring.
Looking ahead is more exciting then ever. We have plans to bring Matt on full time very soon now, this being huge for us. We hope to solely work together, here in our home studio, for at least a year. This is the time where we will begin to work on slow, intentional growth. To build on the relationships we already have and seek to meet new folks who are interested in what we are doing and who are interesting to us. Down the road, in 5 years perhaps, we see a house out on some land where house and studio are close, but separate. We look forward to adding to our two-person team as demand hopefully grows.
What we both agree on is the continuation of hands-on making. That we will always be present in the space where our goods are being crafted, and that we will always take part in fulfilling the work that started so long ago.
Their lunch tote is made with a Waxed Canvas Shell, French Ticking Liner, Genuine Latigo Leather, Antique Brass D-Ring, Antique Brass Rivets, Antique Brass Zipper.
More about the brand
Red House VT has been in our radar for quite some time since we were introduced to them. They have a clean design and aesthetic and their products showcase a juxtaposition of masculine and feminine, the delicate and the industrial, and the modern mixed with classic. There is something about having their pieces in your home that not only gives it a warm feeling, but it makes your interior feel clean all while utilizing products that will last for generations. Here are a few other products that Red House VT Create:
The Wood Fetcher The Field Satchel
