shaker furniture style
What Is Shaker-Style Furniture?
Known for its austere, clean lines, Shaker furniture is an American style that emerged from a religious movement known as the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, commonly referred to as the Shakers, in the 18th century. 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 Furniture in the Shaker Style?
Shaker-style furniture, which is mostly made of wood and is basic, clean-lined, and austere, was first made in the United States in the 1800s by the Shaker religious sect.
The Shaker-style chair, both the original ladder-back design and 20th-century modernist versions that continue to be a fixture of Scandi style interiors today, is arguably the most identifiable and iconic piece of Shaker furniture.
Shaker-style furniture's history.
The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, also known as the Shakers, was a religious sect that was founded in England in 1747 and later migrated to the United States in the 1780s. The Shakers were Protestant celibate women who built their own homes, furniture, and other domestic items. They also had a feminist view of religious authority. They viewed the act of creation as a thoughtful act of prayer and a sacred endeavor.
The Shakers were innovators in their own right, responsible for innovations like the broom, clothespin, and circular saw, despite basing their life and profession on Christian ideals, honesty, hard work, and a love of the small and simple rituals of daily life. They developed a reputation for excellence that made it possible for them to sell their art to outsiders and support their unconventional way of life.
The Shakers have all but disappeared in the twenty-first century, yet their most enduring legacy may be the classic, understated furniture that continues to influence modern interior designers. In reality, the modernist movement that would arise in the 20th century, which similarly valued basic shapes, was motivated by the natural world, and believed in form following function, was inspired by and in many respects influenced by the Shaker aesthetic. The Shaker movement as a religion ultimately failed to endure, yet the furniture has remained in style and continues to serve as inspiration to contemporary designers.
Important Features of Shaker-Style Furniture.
Despite having a straightforward appearance, the early Shaker crafts and furniture had great attention to detail and were renowned for their high caliber.
Authentic Shaker-style furniture is the epitome of simplicity; it is unadorned, spare of flourish or ornamentation, and made to survive. Like Shaker-style architecture, Shaker-style furniture has timeless forms and a hand-crafted, well-made appearance. This includes chairs, tables, rocking chairs, dressers, wicker baskets, and oval decorative boxes.
Shaker furniture was initially made of low-cost, readily available, light-weight natural materials like pine, maple, and cherry woods as well as wicker. It was inspired by natural materials. Originally, Shaker-style wooden chairs were designed to be light enough to hang from pegs on the walls. In the past, hanging chairs from walls served more practical purposes than whimsical style: they made cleaning the floors easier and provided storage for extra seating that didn't take up valuable floor space while not in use.
How to Style Your Home Using Shaker Furniture
Shaker-style furniture is simple to incorporate into a variety of interior design schemes, from modern minimalist interiors to farmhouses decorated in a rustic style.
Popular Shaker pieces like the ladder-back rocking chair are eye-catchers and go in well on almost any front porch.
The extensive usage of Shaker-style bathroom and kitchen cabinetry is one of the most well-liked methods of Shaker-style decorating. Shaker-type cabinet doors include recessed panel detailing that makes them slightly more attractive than flat-front cabinetry, but their timeless and understated look makes them suitable for both more transitional and modern design schemes.
Original Shaker turned wood knobs on cabinet pulls are more frequently replaced by contemporary hardware with a brass or gold finish. Additionally, modern Shaker-style cabinets painted in dark matte colours like deep blue, slate gray, or soft black will produce an on-trend aesthetic based in centuries of American style. Shaker furniture has usually been stained or painted in neutral colors.
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