Shelley Bateman, vice-president of Bateman House Furniture in Tweed, with the popular Springton Futon.

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Shelley Bateman knows the most popular kind of furniture contains plenty of storage.
"People love coffee tables that open up, bunkbeds with drawers in them, and footstools with secret compartments," said the co-owner of Bateman House Furniture in this village north of Belleville.
And this company has made the most of that trend by designing and building everything from coffee tables, bathroom organizers and jam cupboards to rocking chairs, bedroom and living room suites - all with plenty of storage.
Bateman and her father Ross are partners in the company, which he formed with wife Margaret in 1989.
A charming 1870s house on Tweed's Main Street, next to the head office, is filled with furniture groupings, including bedroom and living rooms.
Trundle beds, dressers, futons, entertainment centres, benches, birdhouses, clocks, stools, blanket boxes, rocking chairs and coat racks are just a few of the many items available at the Tweed showroom and its five Ontario locations: Place d'Orleans Shopping Centre, Pickering Town Centre, Cloverdale Mall in Etobicoke, Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket, and the Oshawa Centre.
Lumber for the larger pieces, such as beds, sofas and futons, is manufactured in North Carolina and shipped to the Tweed factory, where they are assembled and upholstered.
But all smaller items - 150 different types - are made from scratch at the Tweed factory, including mantle clocks, wall cabinets, rocking horses, washstands, toy boxes, mirrors, spice racks, and jelly cupboards.
Nine full-time employees work at the Tweed office and factory, and another 19 full-time people are employed at the company's five retail stores, said Bateman.
White, yellow and red pine are the woods used to make local products, which are sanded and lightly finished, said Bateman.
"They're not heavily varnished, but the finish can withstand regular wear. We tell customers if the furniture is marked, all they have to do is sand it down and reapply our finish, and it looks like new again."
Much of Bateman House's furniture is sold to cottage and vacation home owners, but other big sellers include the sturdy children's furnishings, including standard bunkbeds, single over double bunkbeds, and single over futon bunkbeds.
Bateman House's "Springton" futon is also a popular item, she said.
"The mattress we make for the Springton is very comfortable and gives lots of support. It's a double mattress, and taller people say they like sleeping on it because it's a good size.

Excerpt and photograph by Jennifer Bell, The Intelligencer, Saturday May 8, 1999.