Three Design Studios Reinventing One of America’s Most Timeless Furniture Styles
- Sawkille. Since 1994, Rhinebeck, New York–based furniture studio Sawkille has been producing Shaker-style furniture with a radically contemporary austerity and modern farmhouse undertones.
- O&G Studio. Rhode Island–based O&G Studio produces “the most evocative modern Windsor chairs on the market,” according to founder Sara Ossana.
- Phloem Studio. ...
Full Answer
What is Shaker style furniture?
Focused on craftsmanship: furniture thoughtfully designed for functionality, graceful appearance, and a lifetime of use. Shaker Style’s furniture collection of beds, chests, dressers, dining chairs, dining tables, accent table and office furniture are handcrafted with North American hardwood.
What is Shaker-style craftsmanship?
Shaker craftsmanship was based on design principles of truth to materials and form follows function, creating an enduring aesthetic with a long-lasting appeal. What Is Shaker-Style Furniture?
When did Shaker furniture start and end?
Many Shaker specialists consider 1820 to 1865 the "classical era" of Shaker furniture. After that, the pieces began to evolve, growing more colorful and even reflecting contemporary styles that can help to date them. In these later works: Commercially made porcelain knobs replaced wood knobs.
Where are your Shaker dining tables made?
Our Shaker Collection is inspired by classic Shaker forms. All of our Shaker dining tables, Shakerbeds, Shaker Chests and Dressers, and Shaker occasional tables are American made, most of them hand built in Maine.
Is Shaker furniture still made?
Collections of Shaker furniture are maintained by many art and historical museums in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as in numerous private collections including the Shaker tilting chair.
How do I identify my furniture Shaker?
Shaker furniture can be identified by its round wooden knobs, tapered legs and subtle curves. These features give shaker furniture its traditional, gentle look. While maple wood also seemed to be the wood of choice for most shaker pieces, many modern versions include pine, maple, cherry or other American woods.
Is Shaker style Amish?
Shaker-style furniture dates back to 1774 when the Shakers arrived from England and began to influence Amish culture. Shaker furniture is generally unadorned, with unstained wood and a simple taper to the legs of tables and chairs. Furniture has wooden drawer pulls and knobs, hidden joinery, and graduated drawers.
When was Shaker furniture made?
Shaker style furniture originated from the Shaking Quakers in the late 1700's and early 1800's. It wasn't for another few decades that mission style furniture began to emerge. Both styles originated in New England.
What is the difference between Shaker and craftsman?
Shaker cabinets are sometimes painted white, blue, red, yellow or green with natural wood pulls. Mission and Craftsman style kitchens also have squared, unadorned detail but are typically made of red oak or white oak and sometimes contain exposed joinery with pegs or dovetail joints that show off the craftsmanship.
What period is Shaker style?
18th centuryOne of the questions we get asked most often is this – what is 'Shaker'? Historically, Shaker design door & drawer fronts date back to the mid-18th century and are the embodiment of simplicity, combined with fine craftsmanship and functionality.
What is the difference between Shaker and Mission style?
Typically, shaker style furniture includes slightly tapered legs, simple straight lines, and rounded knobs. Think of mission style furniture as the clean-cut, simple-elegance look. Known for its square spindles and plain designs, the mission style still finds its way into the hearts and homes of many shoppers.
Is Shaker furniture made by Amish?
Shaker Bedroom Furniture Sets are pieces are all Amish handmade to order.
What is Shaker style cabinets?
Shaker style kitchen cabinets use rail frame and panel construction with recessed panel doors. This is what gives shaker cabinet doors their classic clean lines. The hinges are usually hidden, so the eye is naturally drawn to other details like paint and finish.
How do you date Shaker furniture?
Many Shaker specialists consider 1820 to 1865 the "classical era" of Shaker furniture. After that, the pieces began to evolve, growing more colorful and even reflecting contemporary styles that can help to date them.
Is Shaker style furniture still in style?
The simple cabinet door style introduced by the Shakers is still a favorite today among those wanting an unpretentious vibe. Modern cabinet makers continue to follow the Shaker principle of five-piece construction—one piece for the flat door panel and four additional boards that form a frame on the face of the door.
What wood is used in Shaker furniture?
While other furniture makers used imported woods such as mahogany and rosewood, Shakers used local American woods such as pine, maple, and cherry. In place of imported brass drawer pulls, Shakers substituted simple turned-wood knobs (66.10.
How do you identify an antique Shaker?
Look for antique specialty wooden chairs with rotating seats, tilting legs or rocking legs that can also indicate an authentic Shaker design.
What does Shaker style look like?
This means the horizontal rails fit between the vertical stiles to form the frame with 90 degree angles. You will often find that they are often finished with light colors and feature basic hardware. This cabinet style is known for its minimalistic look when placed in a kitchen or bathroom.
What is the difference between Shaker and Mission style?
Typically, shaker style furniture includes slightly tapered legs, simple straight lines, and rounded knobs. Think of mission style furniture as the clean-cut, simple-elegance look. Known for its square spindles and plain designs, the mission style still finds its way into the hearts and homes of many shoppers.
What is a Shaker style bed?
Shaker beds are traditional bed frames with a minimalist design. They are usually crafted from light woods such as cherry, maple or pine. The bed frames are then stained or painted in traditional Shaker colours.
Who are the Shaker furniture designers?
Designers such as Gustav Stickley, modernist Charles Eames, and George Nakashima acknowledged the influence of Shaker-style on their work. Read More.
What is Shaker style furniture?
Some of the most enduringly popular American antique furniture, known as Shaker style, was made not by a single designer, but by a group of people who shared a set of beliefs and an aesthetic.
What are the characteristics of a shaker chair?
Characteristic features include long "finger joints," large, plain, button-like or "mushroom" knobs; and wide slats across chair backs.
How many members of the Shaker movement were there?
At its height, the Shaker movement included some 6,000 members living in 19 villages stretching from Maine to Indiana—yet this tiny group ...
What is the Shakers chair?
Along with their finger-jointed boxes and baskets, the Shakers are best known for their numerous chairs. They were probably the first people in the country to use and produce the rocking chair on a large scale, according to Clarence Hornung's Treasury of American Design and Antiques .
What era was Shaker furniture?
Many Shaker specialists consider 1820 to 1865 the "classical era" of Shaker furniture. After that, the pieces began to evolve, growing more colorful and even reflecting contemporary styles that can help to date them. In these later works: Commercially made porcelain knobs replaced wood knobs.
What is the Shaking Quakers movement?
About the Shakers. The Shakers were a religious sect that flourished for most of the 19th century. One of the most durable of American Utopian experiments, their movement originated with a small band of English emigrants who arrived in New York in 1774. Known derisively as the "Shaking Quakers" for their frenzied dances ...
What is shaker furniture made of?
Hardwood Shaker furniture may be made from oak, cherry, maple or other solid woods.
Why were the Shakers in America?
The Shakers, formally known as the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, were a religious group that first came to America in the 18 th century in order to escape persecution in their native England.
Why were the Shakers important?
The Shakers, formally known as the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, were a religious group that first came to America in the 18th century in order to escape persecution in their native England. The Shakers were known for their communal lifestyle that included adhering to values such as humility and hard work.
History of Shaker-Style Furniture
The history of Shaker furniture dates back to the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing (known as the Shakers), a religious movement founded in England in 1747 before spreading to the U.S. in the 1780s.
Key Characteristics of Shaker-Style Furniture
Despite having a simple appearance, original Shaker furniture and crafts showed extraordinary attention to detail and were known for a high standard of quality.
How to Decorate With Shaker-Style Furniture
Shaker-style furniture is easy to incorporate in a range of home decor schemes, from country style farmhouses to modern minimalists interiors.
Summary
Shaker furniture is a distinctive style of furniture developed by the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, commonly known as Shakers, a religious sect that had guiding principles of simplicity, utility and honesty. Their beliefs were reflected in the well-made furniture of minimalist designs.
History
Shaker communities were largely self-sufficient: in their attempt to separate themselves from the outside world and to create a heaven-on-earth, members grew their own food, constructed their own buildings, and manufactured their own tools and household furnishings. —Metropolitan Museum of Art
Overview
Furniture was made thoughtfully, with functional form and proportion. Rather than using ornamentation—such as inlays, carvings, metal pulls, or veneers—which was seen as prideful or deceitful, they developed "creative solutions such as asymmetrical drawer arrangements and multipurpose forms to add visual interest." Furniture was made of cherry, maple or pine lumber, which was generally stained or painted with one of the colors which were dictated by the sect, ty…
Notable people
• Tabitha Babbitt, Shaker toolmaker and inventor
• Ken Hakuta, Shaker furniture collector
• John Kassay, author and expert on Shaker furniture
• Isaac N. Youngs, Shaker furniture and clock maker
See also
• Amish furniture
• Daniel Cragin Mill
• Shaker Shed
Further reading
• Andrews, Edward Deming and Faith Andrews. Masterpieces of Shaker Furniture. Courier Dover Publications; June 1999. ISBN 978-0-486-40724-1.
• Andrews, Edward Deming and Faith Andrews. Shaker Furniture: The Craftsmanship of an American Communal Sect Dover Publications. 1964.
• Becksvoort, Christian. The Shaker Legacy: Perspectives on an Enduring Furniture Style. Taunton Press; 2000. ISBN 978-1-56158-357-7.
External links
• Shaker Museum and Library, Chatham, NY
• Shaker furniture at the Art Complex Museum
About The Shakers
The Three P's of Shaker Craftsmanship
- The three P's characterizing the Shaker values—plainness, practicality, and pride—are reflected in their furniture. 1. Woods varied by region since craftsmen used inexpensive local timber readily available. Common woods included maple, pine, cherry, walnut, and hickory (especially for items that required bent pieces) and poplar (especially for interiors). 2. Legs are delicate and straight; t…
About Shaker Chairs
- Along with their finger-jointed boxes and baskets, the Shakers are best known for their numerous chairs. They were probably the first people in the country to use and produce the rocking chair on a large scale, according to Clarence Hornung's Treasury of American Design and Antiques. Another invention was the "tilting" chair, a ladder-back side cha...
Changing Styles and Times
- Architecture and furniture designs were dictated by the sect's Mother Colony in New York, and those designs remained constant over time. However, regional differences did develop. For example, despite Shaker Millennial Laws mandating "beadings, mouldings and cornices which are merely for fancy may not be made by Believers," furniture made by the South Union, Kentucky col…
Prices and Popularity
- In the 1980s, even as the final Shaker villages closed (one active community still exists, Sabbathday Lake in Maine with only two members as of 2017), interest in their arts and architecture began to grow. Large pieces in good condition can fetch prices in the five and six figures. At a Willis Henry auction in October 2009 at Harvard, Massachusetts (once the site of a …