Making Authentic Shaker Furniture: With Measured Drawings of Museum Classics

On 04.30.10, In Shaker, By admin

  • ISBN13: 9780486270036
  • Condition: NEW
  • Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
Thoroughly analyzes, explains and illustrates the criteria and techniques used by the Shakers to design, construct and finish the furniture and crafts for which they have long been admired—in authoritative text, over 250 photographs and measured drawings for over 80 classic designs, ranging from a sugar scoop to a peg-leg footstool to a Harvard trestle table. 262 halftones. 140 black-and-white line illustrations. Index.
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Making Authentic Shaker Furniture: With Measured Drawings of Museum Classics

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Amish Handcrafted Furniture – a Modern Heirloom

On 01.14.10, In Shaker, By admin

When you say the word Amish, for a lot of people what first comes to mind is the old fashioned, horse drawn buggy. There are a lot of concepts associated with the Amish people and their way of life such as living a simple, technologically unaided life, living a traditional life engaging in professions such as farming, craft making and others which involve working by hand and which do not involve modern conveniences such as the telephone, electricity, the television and automated vehicles etc. The Amish are known for living in their own self-reliant communities which have limited contact with main stream society.

Because of their old fashioned, traditional style of making crafts by hand and usually without help of modern machinery, Amish Furniture has come to mean furniture that is handcrafted, made of 100% natural materials, durable, with great attention to detail. In short Amish made furniture has almost come to mean furniture that is a work of art in itself!

The unique quality about Amish handcrafted furniture is that is has a heirloom quality, I timeless look that never goes out of fashion and designs that are not held hostage by fickle trends which are here today and gone tomorrow. This kind of furniture is built to last, so that reinforces its heirloom like quality. Most pieces of Amish furniture are handcrafted from solid oak, cherry, and maple. When crafting Amish furniture solid wood boards are used in an arrangement that enhances the look and durability of each furniture piece.

The Amish people live by a set of beliefs that prevent the use of modern conveniences such as electricity, so it follows that the tools used for Amish handcrafted furniture usually do not use electricity. They are often powered by hydraulic and pneumatic power. While the aid of some mechanization may sometimes be used, most often the detailing and finishing is done by hand. This ensures the finest quality of workmanship.

There are certain distinctive styles of Amish made furniture. For instance there is the Mission style which has uncluttered, even lines and exposed joinery. Then there is the Shaker style which is recognized for its simplicity, innovative joinery, quality, and functionality. A more ornate style for Amish furniture is the Queen Anne style which is very different from the earlier mentioned styles which are plain and functional in nature. By contrast the Queen Anne style is more traditional, often rendered with ornate carving and detailing.

With few Amish children obtaining higher education, Amish woodcraft skills are often passed on from generation to generation, with father teaching son the tricks of the trade.

Since their beliefs usually preclude modern marketing and selling practices there are other non-Amish people who commission and purchase the furniture pieces from the Amish themselves and then make them available to the public at large. Increasingly now, online sites offer people the option of buying Amish made handcrafted furniture which is known for its superior quality, traditional methods of making and a timeless beauty. Now anyone can take the advantage of buying Amish furniture, which is beautiful, will last for generations to come in styles and designs that go beyond both time and personal style preferences.

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How To Buy Amish Furniture Online

On 01.12.10, In Shaker, By admin

With the kind of self contained and isolated communities that the Amish master craftsmen live in, earlier it was not possible for a lot of people to actually buy Amish furniture. The Amish, due their beliefs and practices, limit their interaction and contact with mainstream communities and have only the barest minimum business dealings with them. However, now with online buying of all kinds of merchandise becoming a common practice and a convenient option, the possibility of selling Amish handcrafted furniture online was explored. Generally a non Amish dealer or facilitator who would procure the furniture, run and maintain the website which sells it online and deal with the wholesale buying and retail selling of the furniture.

So this makes available the benefit of being able to purchase Amish made furniture online, which makes it so much more accessible to so many more people than ever before. There are many websites that deal exclusively with Amish made furniture; which one can browse by different items of furniture, by the room that you want furnished (say bedroom, dining room, living room etc.), by the style (Shaker style, Mission style, Queen Anne style etc.) or by the kind of wood that is used (oak, maple, cherry, pine, etc.) What these websites are able to do is offer you exclusive, solid, hard wearing, extremely durable furniture that has the sort of classic and timeless design style that never goes out of fashion. You can browse and buy top quality furniture from the comfort of your computer chair!

Since selling Amish furniture online reduces the cost of having a bricks and mortar outlet for the retailer, that cost saving can be passed on to the ultimate consumer or purchaser, which is you! You also have the option of browsing literally thousands of individual pieces of furniture so that you can find exactly what you want. And in the rare event that you cannot find exactly what you want, you can customize your order as per your particular requirement. Many online Amish stores offer the option of having the Amish furniture customized to the purchaser’s requirement.

And Amish made furniture is not just about basic pieces of traditional furniture. Now you can buy entertainment centers, billiard and pool tables, office furniture, children’s furniture, bar stools, and all manner of home accents for the home and garden as well. In Amish furniture is now available a diversity like never before! And often you can take advantage of online sales as well

Amish online stores also often offer the option of purchasing other traditional items made the old fashioned way, such as quilts, baskets, toys etc. Amish quilts are a thing of beauty which can be a joy forever, made the painstaking way with no short cuts. Amish toys again are a delight in this day and age where children’s toys chests are overrun by Chinese plastic and battery operated noise makers. These Amish made toys are a throwback to more relaxed times when people had the time to create beauty for children.

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Bring Strength and Beauty to your Home with Amish Mission Furniture

On 01.07.10, In Shaker, By admin

One of the longest-known forms of furniture styles, Amish mission furniture has a historic background and a fairly romantic history. The origins of the style lay within the well-known Arts and Crafts Movement in England during the mid-nineteenth century, which showcased a long list of sturdy furniture that is known for its straight lines and simple feel.

The Arts and Crafts Movement is reputed to have been influenced by the simple designs used by the Japanese during the same time period. Focusing on the functionality of the furniture first brought the focus away from the design and allowed the crafters to apply their efforts to the durability of the pieces.

It’s also said that the style was used most in furnishing the missions that were cropping up during the time period to spread the word about the growing Catholic faith. The churches needed simple furniture that would be reliable for their parishioners, and this clean style was the perfect answer for their needs. It is said that the style became an image of simplicity, strength and beauty and that any home furnished with this type of furniture could use it as a backdrop for the theme of the home.

Since the time of Amish mission furniture, Amish furniture in general has been known as much for its long-lasting quality as it is for its beauty. When selecting your pieces, keep in mind that each facet from the table and dresser top, legs, beds, seats and spindles are all handcrafted, carved and sanded by a skilled and detailed Amish craftsman to ensure not only some of the most beautiful furniture on the market, but a durable and furniture sets that will last for generations.

Some types of Amish Mission Furniture:

Shaker West Village Brooklyn Landmark

Each delineation in the mission furniture style offers clean lines and little decoration, but can be found in different angles, sizes, and stain colors to enhance the decor in any room of your home with the simple beauty it is known for.

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Furniture with Purpose: Amish Mission Furniture

On 01.03.10, In Shaker, By admin

You’re looking for a timeless and simple style to decorate your home, but don’t necessarily want to tie into one design or wood color. You want simple lines but a nice variety of shapes and angles to add character to each of your rooms, and the answer is Amish Mission Furniture. This variation of Amish furniture has a long history of beauty and strength finding its origins during the mid 1800’s, as part of the Arts and Crafts Movement era of furniture design.

The idea behind the Arts and Crafts Movement lies in hand-crafted products being made with integrity to combine both utility and a simplistic style, all concepts which encompass the theories behind the Amish way of life.  Amish wood craftsman easily adopted these skills at the time.

Each piece of Amish Mission Furniture is built 100% by hand, with each chair, bed and tables made with wood slats of only the highest quality and durable hardwoods like cherry, maple and oak. Each piece is chosen carefully to ensure the most even coloring and texture, then hand sanded until smooth and ready to take any of the multiple stain colors of your choice.

One of the theories behind the name “Mission” furniture lies in the idea that each piece of this uniquely handcrafted furniture has a mission to serve in your home. Some of the types of Amish Mission Furniture include:

Arts and Crafts: Considered to be the original Mission Style furniture, the simplistic style of this furniture is characterized by a use of straight edges at the tops of the pieces and rounded edges at the bottom. Drawers and cabinets are straight in their angles with no real decoration other than their pewter handles, which is traditional for all Mission Furniture. Shaker:  90 degree angles and straight lines best characterize Shaker furniture, but these simple lines are enhanced by carved wood décor within the headboard or drawers of each piece. Royal Mission: One of the most decorative styles within the set, beveling decorative angles is used to create beautiful but durable pieces for your home.

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Different Styles of Amish Furniture

On 12.30.09, In Shaker, By admin

That Amish made furniture is of the highest quality and built to last generations and not just years is a well known fact; almost a given. The Amish are master craftsmen who are so skilled as to be artists of the pieces of furniture that they produce. Made the old fashioned way, using a minimum of mechanization, Amish handcrafted furniture has the dual qualities of stylish good looks as well as durability. Many of the pieces are able to be customized as per the particular requirements of a buyer, so Amish furniture is the sort that you just cannot throw away. Amish made furniture follows several different and fairly distinctive styles.

The chief styles of Amish Furniture are the Mission style, Shaker style, Queen Anne style, Southwestern, Rustic, Cottage, and Beachfront. Of these, the first three mentioned are the most popular:

Mission Style Furniture: This is one of the most popular styles of Amish Furniture. Mission Furniture is characterized by straight lines and exposed joinery. It has clean, uncluttered lines and is considered to be more modern and spare in design. The design elements of the American Arts and Crafts movement are also often referred to as the Mission style which also forms the inspiration for this style of furniture.

Shaker furniture: The Shaker style of furniture is quite distinctive and was initiated by the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing (or the Shakers). This was a religious sect from Manchester England and founded by Jane and James Wardley. They came to America in 1774 led by Mother Ann Lee. Shaker furniture is widely admired for its simplicity, innovative joinery, quality, and functionality. Shaker designs were inspired by the ascetic religious beliefs of the Society. Shakers crafted furniture for their own utilization, and also for sale to the general public.

Now the Shaker tradition of furniture has been carried on by the Amish who are known for making such popular items as Shaker tables, chairs, rocking chairs, cabinets, and bedsteads. Pieces of this furniture have become collector’s items and grace many private and public collections as well. This old fashioned style of furniture, because of its aesthetic appeal is very popular even in modern times and provides the inspiration for much of the modern pieces of Amish handcrafted furniture.

Queen Anne Style: This style of Amish made furniture is more ornate and less Spartan in design than the Shaker and Mission styles. This style of furniture sports a more traditional look rather than a contemporary or modern look and this style is characterized by elaborate moldings, distinctive foot details, and carved ornamentation. This kind of furniture creates a more ornate look and so that gives a wider choice and more design and stylistic options when you want to buy high quality Amish Furniture.

The skill to make Amish handcrafted furniture is a legacy that is handed down from generation to generation; from one master craftsman to the next. Similarly, pieces of Amish Furniture that you buy, whatever be the style, can become almost a family heirloom for reasons of both the timeless and classic aesthetics of the pieces of furniture as also for their remarkable durability and longevity.

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Five Hottest Contemporary Modern Furniture Concepts

On 12.24.09, In Shaker, By admin

Congratulations on finally getting that shiny new house you’ve always dreamt of having, sporting the most modern innovations of architecture and ultra high-tech fittings and fixtures. However, if you don’t have an equally stunning collection of furniture to go with it, won’t it seem rather incomplete? Furniture have evolved in terms of appearance as well as utility and uniqueness over the ages, and some of them have long evolved past their original looks and purposes, and are now on a steady path to becoming more and more radical. Let’s take a closer peek at five of the most stunning and critically acclaimed concepts of contemporary modern furniture which are causing waves in the furniture market of the world.

1. LunaBlocks: People who have spent many hours playing with Lego bricks in their childhood and are aware of the many hours of fun which they can provide will be able to fully appreciate the unique do-it-yourself approach of LunaBlocks. LunaBlocks allow you to be creative and participate in the creation of your own furniture, as long as you have plenty of imagination, time and funds to do it. As the name of LunaBlocks suggests, they are basically gigantic Lego-style building blocks which can be combined and joined to make any type of furniture one may need – coffee tables, sofas, desks, chairs – the list can go on and on. The best part is, these pieces of furniture look very different from their ordinary counterparts because of their fashionable designs and very different means of construction, and they are perfectly suited for use in any modern home. However, LunaBlocks can be a bit pricey for many people, since a single LunaBlocks brick can cost between $20 and $55, and you’re going to need several if you want to make something that you can use.

2. Ghost Lounge: Cedri Martini’s designed this unusual chair while keeping high-end sports cars in mind, and its ultra-ergonomic streamlined appearance is a solid testament to that. It is fashioned completely from fiberglass, and sports a glossy finish which makes sure that your eyes will love it as much as your body does.

3. Sonic Chair: The spherical Sonic Chair integrates style and technology by incorporating a high-quality surround sound system into its structure, which lets its user enjoy their favourite music while relaxing in its cozy interior. It is available in a staggering 35 different shades of colour, and lets you play tunes from your portable music player through a docking port.

4. Untitled Chair: Designer Alessandro Bêda couldn’t find a name good enough for this seat which takes ergonomics to entirely new levels, and he ended up naming it the Untitled Chair. From a distance, it looks like a 10 by 10 horizontal grid of tall blocks placed on gas-based shock absorbers, but when someone sits on it, the pressurized blocks become depressed until it smoothly shapes itself precisely to accommodate your posterior.

5. Kenchikukagu: Compared to their Western counterparts, Japanese households are somewhat smaller, and putting extra kitchens, studies or guestrooms into them is usually out of the question -until the Kenchikukagu made its appearance. Designer Toshihiko Suzuki came up with the revolutionary concept of “collapsible” furniture, which can be packed into compact forms and stowed away when not in use, yet can be opened up to expose a fully usable, if somewhat small, fully furnished room.

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Woodcrafts and Shaker Style Furniture for the Uniqueness of your Home

On 12.18.09, In Shaker, By admin

Many people are nostalgic when it comes to times gone by, and some of them choose to show their nostalgia by decorating their homes in a rustic or primitive style. The country theme for homes is very popular nowadays, but nostalgia is not the only reason why people choose primitive furniture for their homes. Aside from rendering a comfortable and natural look, primitive furniture in particular and the rustic style in general are very relaxed and relaxing. When we think of rustic furniture, we think mostly of old looking wood. However, there is a notable tendency for this type of furniture to become more and more modernized. But there doesn’t have to be anything modern in décor of your home, if you don’t want it to be. And while you’re making it anything but modern, you can also have some very unique pieces of furniture or woodcrafts in your home, adding to its special touch.

Shaker style furniture is definitely one of those unique types of furniture. It originates some three hundred years ago, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, and much of this shaker furniture has been successfully preserved to this day. If you are interested in purchasing shaker furniture, you can imagine that it certainly costs a lot, given the fact that it dates back to the eighteenth century. If you like the style but you cannot afford the originals, you still have the option of decorating your home with shaker style furniture, which is widely available, and a lot more affordable.

Many companies or craftsmen have started producing shaker style furniture, and the most common pieces that you can find are chairs, tables, cabinets and rocking chairs. Aside from the fact that it is very basic looking, which makes it fit perfectly among more modernized pieces of furniture, the shaker style furniture is also preferred for two important features: it lasts, and it is designed to serve its function.

And since simplicity and uniqueness is what you have in mind for your home, why not try adding yet another unique touch with woodcrafts. Woodcrafts fit perfectly into your rustic décor, as these fine pieces of decorative art go very well with primitive furniture or shaker style furniture.

In this technological age that we live in, the practice of working with natural materials, such as wood, seems long gone. However, this practice is still common among quite a few artisans, who have made it their job to preserve these old skills of working with wood. Since these woodcrafts are hand-crafted, there should be no suspicion of possible mass production, which would simply be impossible. This means that you can rest assured that the item you have purchased and decorated your home with is unique.

Decorating your home is a complex process, to which we should give a lot of thought, since this is not something that you do every day. Everyone wants their home to be special and unique, and what better way to do that than by decorating it with unique woodcrafts and shaker style furniture?

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Shaker Furniture Manufacturer

On 12.09.09, In Shaker, By admin

If you want to buy authentic and beautiful Shaker furniture, a web search will provide many examples of modern day Shaker furniture manufacturers, most of whom will produce this much-appreciated and surprisingly modern-looking furniture using tried and tested traditional methods.

The Shakers were a religious sect who arrived in America from England 250 years ago, and through their basic ideals they developed the beautifully basic, clean and stylish handmade Shaker furniture that is still desired today.

Shaker handmade furniture of today is made from the same traditional woods that the craftsmen of old used – Maple and Cherry – and the same glorious colours those woods provide are a mark of quality, handmade shaker furniture.

With an emphasis on straight lines and symmetry, Shaker furniture is as contemporary in the modern world as it was two hundred years ago, and the fact that many of those ancient pieces remain intact is testament to the quality and durability of this ancient design and method of manufacture.

A read of websites will tell you which offer the traditional method of Shaker furniture manufacture, and these are the ones you should concentrate on if it is Shaker quality and tradition you are looking for.

The simplicity of the furniture is the key, with tables featuring few adornments, chairs made in a practical but stylish manner, and tables built simply and beautifully to last, and handmade Shaker furniture will be built to outlast many future generations of your family.

As Shaker handmade furniture is constantly very popular, it is advisable to check with your chosen suppliers as to availability. Small workshops producing bespoke goods have limited capacity, hence you may have to wait for your shaker furniture to be produced, by hand, and in the time it takes.

Some Shaker furniture manufacturers may be willing to incorporate your ideas and possible designs into unique pieces, while keeping the Shaker ethic still, and an email to the maker should give you a guide as to what they will need to do so. Correspondence when buying a valuable and special piece of furniture is vital in order to secure the best.

You will find many websites offering Shaker handmade furniture, and it is important to make sure you choose a reputable supplier who will manufacture to traditional standards of design and quality – that way you can be sure that your Shaker handmade furniture will be treasured by future generations of your family.

It is also recommended that, as with any website purchase, you pay attention to the relevant security and safety measures, and take note of the manufacturers reputation from either online testimonials or from others who may have recommended them to you.

Shaker handmade furniture is built to last and built to be used, and will prove to be a worthwhile purchase once you decide on your preferred supplier. With a little research and some sensible web searches you will be able to find the right Shaker furniture manufacturer for your needs, and you will soon own a chair, table, bed or other than will be the envy of all for years to come.

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