• Other styles include Southwestern, Rustic, Cottage, Beachfront, Contemporary, Old World and Traditional.
Classic Designs: The styles and designs used for making Amish furniture are timeless classics. They are not the kind that follow the ‘here today – gone tomorrow’ trends. If a piece of Amish handcrafted furniture looks stylish to you now, it will also look as stylish 10 or even 20 years down the road, simply because it is the sort that never goes out of style. Some of the designs and styles employed by the Amish date back not just decades but even perhaps a century or two!
When you begin the process of choosing your next piece of Amish-made furniture, the amount of options available can be at times overwhelming — Especially when you consider that you can choose from literally dozens of wood types, such as: White Oak, Red Oak, Hard Maple, Soft Maple, Cherry, Hickory, Ash, as well as many other classic American hard and soft woods. Your choices of finish colors and/or stains, as well as furniture type, are also somewhat limitless when coupled with the wood choices. So, as you can see, a piece of Amish Furniture is not just something you place in your home to serve a purpose, even though it will. Rather, it is a piece of the craftsman’s heart and integrity that custom-built it for you.
Some artisans will create pieces for people outside of the community. These are usually custom made orders. In fact, the craftsman will frequently be aware of the customer’s name and specifications for the order. The order will then be completed by the craftsman and shipped to the customer with the assistance of a third party.
Simply Amish and Stickley Furniture
Throughout the country, there are several wholesale Amish furniture retailers where you can shop through literally hundreds of pieces that would have a place in your home. Originating in the Amish regions on Pennsylvania near Lancaster, Amish furniture comes in a variety of designs and stains, as well as multiple types of hardwood. Made from red oak, cherry, maple, quarter sawn white oak, hickory and brown maple, these pieces are not only beautiful additions to your home but will become family heirlooms for generations to come.
Stickley uses traditional oak and American cherry woods for their mission style furniture. The company offers 5 oak finishes and 12 cherry finishes, providing you with such a large selection that you are sure to find a wood finish to blend or contrast with your current home décor.
No Short Cuts: Because this furniture, be it Amish outdoor furniture or Amish bedroom sets, is made the old fashioned way it is also built to last. There is none of the assembly line kind of furniture here. Instead each piece is made by hand using old fashioned methods that include time honored traditional methods. Amish custom furniture is known for its special, subtle joinery that gives it the distinctive look as well as imparts its strength and durability. This is furniture made one piece at a time, and the unhurried attention to detail shows through in the finished product.
This article is all based on a conversation and speculation based on what I know of the Amish people and their traditions. Nonetheless, I thought it would be interesting to write about. It is funny that a culture having as little to do with the outside world as possible would become so much a part (if not spiritually, at least stylistically) of our world. Considering that we are outsiders to their tradition, lifestyle and the nature of their entire society.
• Shaker: This style is premised on being durable and functional. While elegant, it is often a very basic and simple design.
