Decorating with Amish Furniture – Quality Hand-made Products

Amish Furniture

You don’t have to be Amish to appreciate Amish furniture. In fact, the high-quality, beautifully crafted modern Amish furniture coming from contemporary workshops today is more likely to be found in the homes of discerning non-Amish Canadians and Americans than in the traditionally simple houses of the very craftsmen who make it.

Ironically, many people seeing Amish furniture today might not even recognize its origins. However, they will certainly recognize the caliber of craftsmanship that went into making it.

Unlike Shaker furniture, which has a distinctive minimalist style, Amish craftsmen don’t adhere to any one specific style. Instead, their focus is on quality and a level of excellence that mass-produced furniture can never match. Their work is also about pride, perfection, and a love for handcrafting beautiful solid wood furniture.

So, if you’re considering decorating with Amish furniture, rest assured you won’t be tied to a particular look. While you’ll be furnishing your space with carefully handcrafted items, there’s such a wide range of Amish styles available today that you’ll need to decide on a look that suits you before you begin shopping.

When you explore Amish furniture, you’ll find everything from Shaker and Mission styles to modern designs that will complement any contemporary home. These pieces can blend seamlessly with other top-quality furniture you may already own. However, if your current furniture is the typical mass-produced variety, be warned—new or antique Amish pieces will quickly outshine them!

The Amish Tradition

Traditionally, Amish communities have shunned modern conveniences, including electrically powered tools that most conventional furniture factories use. Instead, they’ve focused on the craft of carpentry. Most of their furniture is made from solid wood, with each piece lovingly crafted from start to finish.

Authentic Amish furniture is still typically made in small workshops on family-owned farms. However, gone are the days when customers had to travel to the country to find Amish craftsmen. Many now use modern distribution channels to bring their products to the cities, where a broader audience can appreciate them. Despite this, many still produce furniture to order, adding to the appeal of decorating with Amish pieces.

For generations, Amish woodworkers have learned their craft from their fathers and grandfathers. They’ve been taught how to select the best materials for different types of furniture, considering grain and hue. They’ve also learned how to cut the wood to make the most of its natural beauty and how to carefully craft furniture so that every detail is perfect. For example, a solid wood chest of drawers will be meticulously sanded and sealed inside and out, while the underside of tables will be as smooth and beautiful as the top. Best of all, they’ve mastered the art of creating furniture that will last for generations—imperfections in the wood are eliminated, and the joinery is built to stand the test of time.

Recognizing Amish Furniture
While not all high-quality furniture is Amish-made, all Amish furniture is top-quality. When it comes to identifying Amish furniture, it’s more about what it isn’t than what it is. Unlike mass-produced items from most high street and online stores, Amish furniture doesn’t bear a company stamp or label. Instead, it is signed by the craftsman who made it, much like any work of art. This way, you can identify both the craftsman and the workshop where each piece of Amish furniture was made. Some suppliers even offer a lifetime guarantee and, if necessary, will send the furniture back to the original workshop for repairs—because they can.

Historic Styles of Amish Furniture
Although Amish craftsmen don’t follow any one style, some specialize in creating handmade pieces that follow traditional forms. For example, the furniture produced by Simply Amish (simplyamish.com) is made by a network of small, traditional Amish workshops. The company has identified a “rustic” look that tells the story of early American carpentry. These beautifully made pieces echo the designs favored by the pioneers who traveled the country seeking their fortunes in the gold rush.

Examples from the Simply Amish range include furniture that incorporates steam-bent branches with the bark left on, and pieces featuring polished, milled logs.

Custom-Made Furniture
Even though some suppliers (including Simply Amish) produce specific furniture ranges, many Amish workshops are known for their custom-made furniture.

The beauty of custom-made Amish furniture is that you can decide exactly what you want. You can choose the style, the wood, and in some cases, even the craftsman who will create it for you.

At Simply Amish, seven types of wood are used to make their furniture, giving you an enormous range of choices for your home decor. These woods include:

  • Red oak: Exceptionally strong and durable, perfect for everyday furniture.
  • White oak: Strong and hard-wearing.
  • Soft maple: Attractive in a variety of colors, though less durable than other woods.
  • Hard maple: Tougher than soft maple, often with a red tinge.
  • Cherry: One of the most beautiful woods used for custom furniture.
  • Hickory: Used for rustic bentwood furniture, and one of the hardest and strongest woods available.
  • Walnut: Ideal for cabinet making.

In conclusion, if you choose Amish furniture, you’re getting the best of all worlds—beautiful, handcrafted pieces made to last a lifetime, with a style that’s as unique as you are.

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