Located on a beautiful property outside Boston, the homeowners had done extensive renovations to their Victorian home, saving the kitchen for last. The homeowners wanted a design that was mindful of the home’s origins but felt fresh, modern, and functional for this busy family; that’s when they turned to designer Karen Swanson.
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From Debate Room to Dining Room:
How a Moser Legacy Spans Three Generations
In the early 1970s, high school students Evelyn and Elaine Miller attended a summer debate program at Bates College with Professor Thomas Moser. At the end of the summer, they enjoyed the class so much that they vowed to take it again the following year and formed a connection with the Moser family, even visiting their home in New Gloucester. Tom’s home wasn’t just a residence; it was a work in progress—an old house he and his wife, Mary, were restoring while he worked full-time at Bates. During the class, they recall hearing about Tom’s dream of leaving academia to pursue furniture-making—a dream that would become a reality after their second year in the debate program.
When Evelyn married in 1977, she and her husband received one of Tom’s early interpretations of a classic Shaker-style chair as a wedding gift. Evelyn’s son, Adam, recalls, “It was a sturdy, beautiful piece of furniture that quietly became part of our family’s everyday life.”
“It’s a commitment, buying a piece of Moser furniture. But we saved for it because it felt like something worth investing in—something that would become part of our family’s story.”
Adam later met his future wife, Rachel, at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. They often visited Freeport, stopping by the Thos. Moser showroom to admire the designs, especially the curved-arm chairs. While visiting Rachel’s grandmother in California, Adam was stunned to see a set of four curved-arm chairs. “That’s when I realized how special the furniture was—and that people outside New England knew Thomas Moser,” Adam says. It was a surreal and fateful connection.
In the 1970s, Rachel’s grandparents designed and built their dream home in Northern California. Her grandmother carefully selected each piece of furniture, blending classic Californian style with mid-century modern touches to create an intimate, timeless space. To furnish their daily dining table, Rachel’s grandparents chose four Continuous Arm Chairs. Their condition today is a testament to their sturdiness and timelessness, having withstood the wear and tear of seven grandchildren. However, it is her grandmother’s Continuous Arm Rocker that Rachel remembers most fondly. “As a child, it was so nice to climb into that chair, sit on her lap, and rock back and forth,” she says. “The chair is beautiful, but the memory of my grandmother in that chair is particularly meaningful to me.”
Celebrating the holidays at Rachel’s grandparent’s house with the heirloom Thos. Moser Continuous Arm Chairs.
Today, Adam and Rachel have a home of their own in California, and like Rachel’s grandmother, they are putting great thought into choosing furniture for their space. “We talked for ages about getting a Thos. Moser Wishbone Table, not just because it’s beautiful but because it’s functional—expanding for big gatherings yet compact for everyday use,” they say.
“We’ve dreamed of hosting big family dinners, gathering people we love around a table we could someday pass down. Buying a piece of Moser furniture is a commitment, but we saved for it because it felt like something worth investing in—something that would become part of our family’s story,” they share. Rachel adds, “It’s so special to have my grandmother’s chairs alongside the furniture we’ve chosen for our home. We look forward to creating new memories.”
“It’s not just about having nice furniture; it’s about carrying forward the love and memories of those who enjoyed it before us.”
“We love how Thomas Moser furniture has followed both our families in unexpected ways, almost as if it was meant to be,” Adam says. “One day, we hope our kids will feel the same way about these pieces. And perhaps, when they sit at that same table for Christmas Eve dinners or everyday meals, they’ll appreciate the stories in every scratch, every worn armrest, and every ding. Those imperfections tell the stories of the lives they’ve touched, linking us across generations.”
Adam and Rachel’s Wishbone Table and Eastward Bench paired with her grandmother’s Thos. Moser Continuous Arm Chairs.
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The Thos. Moser Continuous Arm Chair, An Icon of Evolutionary Design
When our founder, Tom Moser, began his journey of becoming a full-time furniture maker, the Windsor style had fallen out of favor. Nevertheless, he set out to design his modern iteration of the Windsor chair, a design that would go on to become synonymous with the Thos. Moser name.
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