What is: Shaker Style?
Shaker furniture refers to a style of furniture developed by the religious group known as the Shakers, or the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing. Their furniture emphasized simplicity, function, minimalism and attempted to de-emphasize overly ornamental decorative touches. Our own furniture belongs to the Shaker style of design. Here are some examples of the Shaker style:
Left: Shaker Sewing Table, Right: Doug Coldwell Shaker Bureau
For reference, here are some of our own furniture pieces. Note the similarities and differences between our furniture and actual Shaker pieces:
Left: Lanett Credenza in Sweet Gum, Right: Walker Bookcase
Left: Alasaw Chair, Middle: Spider Console Table, Right: Waverly Table
Shakers tended to avoid using inlays, carvings, or veneers in their furniture since they were seen as overly prideful or deceitful. One big difference between Shaker style and our furniture is the practice of wood staining. Traditional Shakers would never stain furniture to change the color of the wood (unless it was one color used to represent that particular sect) while we at Alabama Sawyer love staining a variety of products for aesthetic reasons. Examples:
Cocktail Cubes with Brass Details
Some of the common wood types used in Shaker furniture include cherry, maple, walnut and oak. Interestingly enough, at the time of me writing this blog post, there are two remaining Shakers in the world. If you're interested, check out their website.
Sources and Further Reading
Doug Coldwell [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
“Shaker Furniture.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Sept. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaker_furniture.
Vermont Woods Studios. “Shaker Furniture 101: Everything You Need to Know.” Shaker Furniture 101: Everything You Need to Know - Vermont Woods Studios, vermontwoodsstudios.com/content/shaker-furniture-101.
