A surprising number of the wood pieces in stores are fakes disguised as the real thing. Amish furniture, especially, is often copied in non-wood materials. It is then sold at the higher price that sturdy, real wood pieces command.

The consumer is stuck with a piece that is of sub-quality material that will break or wear much faster than real wood. Fortunately, there is a way to spot a real piece of furniture.

8 Ways to Spot the Real Deal

1. Turn it upside down. Real wood furniture has unfinished wood “studs” that are a part of the piece’s construction. Look under tables. Pull out drawers and look at the back of furniture. If there are no studs, chances are this is not real wood.
2. Try to pick it up. Real wood furniture is very heavy, much heavier than the faux wood materials. If the dining table takes two men to heft, or that dresser must be moved with a dolly and an extra hand, you may have real wood on your hands.
3. Feel it. The wood grain texture is very difficult to fake. Run your fingers over the piece to feel the ridges. There should be peaks and valleys. Sometimes the finish fills in the grain, so don’t dismiss the piece if you can’t feel the grain.
4. Smell it. Furniture made of evergreens (pine and cedar) have a very strong and distinct smell. Other hardwoods like hickory, maple, and oak will also have a smell of earth and wood. Point your nose toward the unfinished portions underneath and inside of wood furniture pieces. The cherry wood often used by Amish Tables will also give off a wood-like smell.
5. Look for patterns. Planks form quarter sawn oak furniture. White oak has a tiger stripping effect, while red oak is characterized by it ring-like pattern (see the Charleston Chest by Amish Tables for an example).
6. Pay attention to the coloring. Cherry wood furniture should have light and dark pieces that aren’t uniform, as the wood’s color varies from the middle of a log to the wood located near the bark. See the Belmont Bed. Hickory wood color varies in a greater degree than cherry wood as does black walnut and cedar. The Heritage 4 Drawer Chest has this light and dark color pattern. Another trick is to trace the grain lines to the end of the board. The line should be continuous; forming a half ring where the wood was saw off to make the table edge.
7. Get a closer look at the detail. Real wood pieces have intricate detail that is obviously hand carved. You can see the imperfections with a magnifying glass.
8. Search for planks or pieces. Particleboard and veneers can be made in one long sheet. Thus Planking can be a sign of real wood. For an example, see the BonBelle Armoire by Amish Tables.

Up Close and Personal

The only way to know if the piece that caught your eye is real wood is to get a good look at it. Bring a flashlight and magnifying glass to help you get up close and personal with the pieces. Look beyond the beautiful surface and you may just save yourself the cost and headache of buying a fake disguised as the real deal.

 

Hardwood as a natural resource that has helped shaped not just communities but the evolution of societies in to countries such as the United States. Natural resources have always been a major factor in determining how well an environment can sustain people but wood has an influence that runs deeper than everything but food and water. Wood supplies shelter, furniture, wheels, toys, fencing, tools, weapons, a heating resource and even medicines and foods. How America was settled would have been drastically altered if hardwoods were not readily available.

Early settlers realized that wood at different stages of dryness could be used for different things more effectively. Whether choosing green wood or seasoned or cured wood was dependent on what it was being used for. When wood is fresh cut it is still green and full of moisture but as it dries it shrinks. Tool handles, for instance would have to be tightly fit for serviceability, so dry or seasoned woods would be the best choice. Rough hewn furniture or fence posts could be green because shrinkage and tightness of joinery may not be an issue. 

Woods were cured in several ways. From kiln dried to boil cured the early settlers learned to tame their natural surroundings. Wood could be placed by a fire, tending them to prevent burning and warping. This was especially good for small pieces like tool handles. Small pieces of wood may also be boiled for hours, drawing out the woods sap. Once the wood dried out the wood pieces were cured and ready to use. A more industrious way to dry wood is to build a kiln. A platform was built a few feet off the ground with small fires underneath. There may even be a covering or roof over the top and even walls. Wood is laid on the platform to allow plenty of air circulation. The fires must be tended to constantly. The other, less practical way that wood could be dried was simply time. By carefully bundling and storing wood workers could avoid the dreaded warping when stored in a dry place.

North American hardwoods are not only highly sought after for their beauty but for their durability. Some of the hardwoods enjoyed by the Amish woodworkers today are:

 CHERRY –

Cherry is fairly hard, with a deep richness in its color and a slightly wavy grain. The bark was used for cough syrup and the wood for fine furniture.

MAPLE –

Maple is light in color with a wavy grain that is great for carving and lathe work. Kitchen tools were often crafted of maple. Musical instruments use maple since it can be thinned without splintering. Baby furniture is often made of maple.

 OAK –

Easily worked, oak is a very hard wood. White oak is a used in basketry. Oak is used for everything from flooring to whiskey barrels. Once considered a poor man’s furniture wood it had a resurgence in popularity and in value in the last century. Green, unseasoned oak, is famous for its ability to hold a hot fire.

 WALNUT –

An easy wood to work and is considered very warm and beautiful. While it was used for fences and even paneling it is highly prized in fine furniture.

 HICKORY –

Slightly wavy grains are characteristic of hickory. Hickory is notoriously hard to work with but is desired because is flexible and durable. Like oak, hickory burns well and is often used for smoking meats. The ash from hickory is used to make lye soaps. The bark could be chewed like gum. Hickory was highly favored for wagon parts because it could take the stress.

 Each of these North American woods is used for their special characteristics. Few craftsmen remain who know and understand the personalities of each wood like the Amish. The survival of this skill is dependent on the trade being passed down to young Amish crafters in each community who will create heirloom custom designs for your home that you can enjoy for a lifetime and pass to your next generation.        

                                                                         

Federal is a very classical design style that also saw the designer Duncan Phyfe and his earliest works. Mahogany was the wood of choice used in presenting the best Federal pieces, although some are found in curly maple, rosewood, cherry and other fruitwoods. While some glass and china knobs were used the ornamentation best suited for such formal pieces was brass and to represent the new mascot of the nation, eagles were popular accessories. Another symbol of a strong, dominant young nation was the lion and lion’s paws and heads were proudly displayed. To suggest the bounty found in the new world object such as cornucopias were applied or carved. The welcoming sign of the times was the pineapple, often seen in Williamsburg and known as the Williamsburg pineapple, was also used.

Many connoisseurs of fine furniture see many design influences in Federal furniture. Obvious influences include Hepplewhite, Sheraton, Duncan Phyfe (the big three designers of the time, still popular today), Adam, English Regency, French Directoire and Louis XIV and finally the heavier Empire, the furniture that finally succeeded Federal in popularity by the 1830s.

An interesting, yet debated, piece of trivia about case goods such the Federal secretaries and cabinets is the presence of thirteen panes of glass. Many of these pieces have doors in which each door is composed of 13 pieces of glass with a mahogany lattice work or frames surround them. While no one can substantiate this theory, especially since most English secretaries from other makers comprise the same 13 pieces of glass, it does make for a good tale when showing your Federal desk to friends.

Like the designers and builders of the ever popular Federal furniture, the Amish craft heirloom pieces in solid wood to pass down to the next generation. Bookcases, desks, and many other fine pieces can be built and stained to fit your home and compliment the fine Federal antiques you have painstakingly collected.

 

There may not be a better known or more duplicated wooden chair in the world than the Windsor. The Windsor is well recognized for its bentwood back frame and its pegged legs going directly in to its wooden seat. The Windsor is differentiated from other styles of chairs because of this styling that normally are framed with an apron. 

Somewhere around the beginning of the 18th century, not surprisingly around Windsor Castle in England, this chair was conceived. Although it was the custom that chairs were crafted by cabinetmakers, this chair seems to have been crafted by turners and wheelwrights. This may indeed explain the spoke-like design of the Windsor. 

The chair in fashion at the time was the fine Queen Anne and it is likely the wheelwrights tried to fashion a chair but because of more rustic tools and skills they used the round backs and splats of the Queen Anne but incidentally created the Windsor. The English Windsor is in fact well known for its pierced slatted back. A Windsor chairs legs are invariably splayed outward and some even had the fancier cabriole leg rather than the turned. Throughout the 19th century the legs stuck into wood instead of framed with an apron. In the U.S. especially, the style began to be the front two legs only were joined in this way.  

It took no time at all for the Windsor to make its way to the New World; first appearing in Philadelphia after 1725 and within a half a century they were the most popular chair in use. The lightweight Windsor had everything a good chair required – strength, beauty, easy to construct, and highly comfortable. The variations they were created in were various and included fan, hoop, comb back, and bow back.

The chairs were usually marriages of different woods; each known for its strengths in the area it was chosen for. The turned parts worked best with maples, oaks, ash, birch or beech. The seats, shaped in a saddle were easier to carve out in pine and birch, or in England elm. The bentwood frames were best suited for birch, beech, hickory or ash. An interesting note about the recognizable saddle seat design – if you find one with a flat seat, especially with tack marks, authorities believe these were originally upholstered.

Today Amish craftsman bring sturdy and exceptionally handsome and functional Windsor chairs to grace any room in your home of office. Built from the finest American hardwoods and stained in your choice of colors, these chairs can be an heirloom treasured for generations.   

THEMES- Some themed rooms do attempt to draft all the Disney characters in the attempt to get the flavor of the theme park all in one room. While this can work beautifully if thought out and not too cluttered with over a half a century of characters, more impact can be created by narrowing it to one character or movie.  There are inspirational themes for even the pickiest pre-teens, such as Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers.

WALL COLORS -Wall colors create a canvas to build your world on. For instance, the Disney princess world is in pastels such as  pale blue, yellow or pink. Most of the male oriented Disney themes are in bright primary colors such as the reds and oranges for pirates, Toy Story, CARS, etc. Painting each wall a different color can add interest or create a bold statement with one wall differing as a focal point.  

FURNITURE – The largest piece of furniture in a room is usually the bed and the Amish have crafted beds from twin to king, along with the amazing flexibility of the convertible cribs that will last a childhood or more. Themed bedding with pirate ships or race cars are available in every major store and will tie together any theme. Creating a mysterious tent by suspending gauze or fabric above the bed for a canopy is an inexpensive way to create the mood.  Solid wood cedar chests can be treasure chests while bookcases and shelving, custom stained to match your Amish heirloom furnishings, will hold all of your Disney collectibles.

FLOOR COVERS – Use oriental rugs as magic carpets from Aladdin or a canvas rug, painted with a race track for CARS and including Matchbox or Hot Wheels for interactive play. Princess Pocohantas loves faux animal skin rugs and a Mulan themed room is easily enhanced by choosing Bamboo rugs.

WINDOWS – Window treatments should be playful but functional. Think theatrical when cutting foam board to create portals on a pirate ship or placing shutters inside the windows to recreate the Old World styling of Beauty and the Beast. Alladdin themes are beautified by hanging an Indian inspired candle lantern, with its intricate cut-outs that silhouette in the dark in a window. This same simple candle lantern can just as easily become Tinkerbell’s home. A painted on Arabic arch or a deep sea theme surrounding the window frame is simple enough for even those artistically challenged parents.

Along with your child develop and an idea of what you want the room to be. Use that vision to trigger your inner child’s imagination. Use resources to inspire you and include your child in the creative process. Before you know it you will transport your child’s room into their own happiest place on earth.

You just have to believe!

 Renting furniture seems like a viable option in a bad economy that is suffering from a credit crisis. In fact renting home furnishings is usually a losing investment in most circumstances and not an answer to no or bad credit. Investing in high end, solidly built heirloom quality furniture, if only a piece at a time, is a more stable financial decision. In some short term cases renting furniture instead of investing in permanent goods may make sense. Keep in mind this is renting with the intention of it being short term and not rent-to-own. For instance, your company has moved you to a job for a year. Even renting for home staging to sell or events can be financially sound. Instead of buying furniture that expensive movers will haul away in a few months, it very well might make more sense to rent. Mass produced furniture depreciates, while moving, packing and storage expenses keep going up. These situations are not common but do exist so here are a few tips to help educate you on renting vs. owning.

QUALITY VS. AFFORDABLE –

Even in temporary situations you don’t want to buy anything that falls apart. Rental centers are not apt to carry a handcrafted heavy duty finely built maple dining room set but are sure to have press board with photo-finish. Test out the furniture before you rent it. If it feels weak or uncomfortable in the store it will in your home.

BE A SMART CONSUMER -

When renting furniture you are entering in to a contract that is binding. Quite simply, you need to read it and understand it BEFORE you sign it. The details can haunt you and your check book for many months. How much do they require down? What is the agreed upon conditions of returning the furniture? Is there a hidden delivery fee? What is normal wear and tear? Are the items you are receiving pre-rented or new?

Even at a rental store you should be asking what the country of origin the furniture maker is located. Also ask for guarantees and return policies.

WHAT IS THE ACTUAL COSTS? –

Doe sit make more sense to buy used furniture for your short term use than to invest in renting? How many months are you staying in this situation? How much to buy a couch or dining room set? Divide it by the months you are staying and if renting is more then buy. This of course is under the condition that you can pay cash and not have to finance furniture, adding on interest. Consider even buying one good investment piece and supplementing with rental items. You will have something that is yours that makes you feel like your home.

Whatever you decide, whether it is to go all rental, all used or to supplement with one or two pieces of quality furnishings like the Amish create, stay away from rent-to-own centers. The interest rates are exorbitant but are hidden in months of payments that cause the final price to be triple its value. By the time you are done paying these mass produced items are no longer in existence. Also, if you are an apartment or house renter remember that you will be spending a great deal of income on a home and its furnishings that will not be yours. Renting may not be the answer to credit when it comes to furniture

Your mother deserves something for Mother’s Day that is not only worthy of her but useful. Life is stressful and mom’s never take time to relax and care for themselves. While swings are not usually associated with adults and are usually found in the backyard or playgrounds, exclusively for children. In fact, swinging for adults can be very therapuetic and relaxing. A swing that is set in motion will oscillate like a pendulem, gently rocking and comforting the person seated in or on the hanging seat.

Swinging may seem a minimal way to actually work through stress but medical professionals have proven that children and adults with Sensory Integration issues, ADHD, and Autism all benefit from daily movement and stimulation. Occupational therapists often use different types of swings and swinging techniques to help regulate patient’s bodies. Swinging therapy helps them to focus while increasing body awareness. Besides that, the Amish swings are attractive, whimsical, nostalgic and just plain fun!

The Amish craftsmen create swings with or without independent frames for suspension. Whether you want to suspend your solid wood swing from the ceiling of your porch or from a strong wooden frame, a hand-crafted hickory, red oak, cherry, walnut and quarter sawn white oak swing will last a lifetime.

The generous 5-foot swing seating allows for more than one adult or child to swing at a time. These swings come in a variety of sizes, shapes and styles. The Deacons Bench Swing is a vertically slatted design with interesting architecture. It also can be custom ordered in separated rocker seating. The Adirondack style (available in a smaller 4 foot concept) swing sets are made from aromatic red cedar which has a natural resistance to rot.

If you are looking for a set in the yard or on a porch but do not wish to suspend it from a structure why not try an arbor? These sturdy and stunning arbors are available with sunrise designs on the side; making a beautiful impression when walking through any garden. You can then add a custom built five-foot swing in several wood options for relaxing and entertaining. The Sunrise Arbor walkway is a full 78″ wide.

The tripod settee is just what you would expect in a traditional swing set frame. Three legs on each end of the trestle support the swinging action with a stable foundation for carefree swinging. Now mom can enjoy the feel of a traditional porch swing even if she doesn’t have a porch, or doesn’t want to have suspension applied to her porch roof.

Because the Amish crafters design in either a free hanging, tripod or arbor base, their swings can be set up anywhere. Thinking of everything the woodworkers applied shelves on each side for snacks or beverages – or the Mother’s Day brunch you’re going to make her.

If you consider the disposability of inexpensive mattresses you will realize that you are not actually saving by having to replace inferior bedding over and over. Saggy and lumpy are not the words you want to use to describe your bed. With a lower quality and less well constructed bed you will get less comfort and definitely less support, inevitably causing physical discomfort.

Carefully measuring your bedroom before selecting your bed or bedroom suite will insure a good fit with room to actually move about. Understanding your own personal size needs will also help you determine what your needs are. A good rule of thumb is 38 inches of width per person is wise. Add 10 inches for height. A double bed is actually not truly a double when you consider that it only allows for 27 inches of sleeping space per person.

The National Association of Bedding Manufacturers has a set standard for sizes:

SMALL STANDARD TWIN:

38″-39″ X 75″

EXTRA LONG TWIN OR LONG BOY TWIN:

38″-39″ X 80″

OLD STANDARD, FULL, DOUBLE:

53″ – 54″ X 75″

QUEEN:

60″X 80″

KING:

76″X 80″

KING EXTRA LONG:

76″X 84″

CALIFORNIA KING:

72″X 84″

Queens have raised to the top of the popularity polls because it does not consume as much floor footprint but gives 20% more sleeping room than the old most popular double bed.

Another tip is to buy a mattress based on your firmness needs. A bed should support all pressure points on your body properly. It should also keep the spine, when in a reclining position, straight.

Remember to lie on any mattress before buying it, especially a foam mattress or topper. Foam should not have enough give that it is a struggle to escape from its grasp to roll over.

The Amish craftsmen have stunning pieces that shine in both craftsmanship and design. The stylings include details like mitered panels, turned bun feet, square posts and decorative adornments that only the Amish can do well.

George Hepplewhite (abt. 1727 – June 21, 1786)

The late 1700s saw England and France changing, causing a drastic change in American furniture tastes. George Hepplewhite, a London cabinetmaker and chair maker, began designing pieces that became very popular in not only Europe but in America. Hepplewhite style is characterized by straight leg forms, refined curves and painting and high quality inlay work. While the richness of mahogany woods is most associated with Hepplewhite designs he also used rosewood, satinwood, and tulipwood on the inlays. Dining room furniture began seeing sideboards and is associated with Hepplewhite furniture. Hepplewhite chairs often sport a shield shaped back. Pieces that were upholstered featured fabrics in designs like small birds and floral that carried down over the entire frame. The upholstery fabric was then finished with ornamental upholstery tacks.

Featuring many similarities, it is often hard to quickly discern Hepplewhite from Sheraton styles. To make matters more complicated there were no exclusive copyrights or patents in America at that time so wood workers could freely use each other’s design ideas, especially if they were marketable. There are no pieces of furniture made by Hepplewhite or his firm known to exist and some critiques and historians question the existence of George Hepplewhite. His style took hold posthumously, and not until after his wife Alice published design books she insisted were drafted by her late husband.

Thomas Sheraton (1750-1806)

British born Sheraton, like most furniture makers of his time was another cabinetmaker. Thomas Sheraton also stood out because he was a publisher and preacher. His furniture designs were widely popular and greatly influenced American furniture. Sheraton was well thought of as a superb draftsman and many of the designs are based on classical architecture. Sadly, although he wore many hats, was overworked and highly acclaimed he was barely able to earn a living, dying destitute.

Sheraton style is square, straight lined, solidly constructed furniture with slender legs that were either round or square and tapered toward the foot. His chair backs were square and often had a central panel above the top rail with high “S” shaped arms. Like other designers of his time, Sheraton used mahogany as the preferred wood. As Sheraton’s career was winding down the French Empire style became popular in Europe and he tried his hand in it. Sheraton found God was in the details and usually decorated his furniture wherever possible. His heavy embellishments of carving, inlay, and painting left few plain surfaces. A piece designed in the style of Sheraton will be adorned with urns, fan shapes, leaves, stars along with brass hardware and round glass knobs.

Thomas Chippendale (June 5 1718 – November 1779)

Chippendale was the first style of furniture in England that was named after the designer and not after a ruling monarch. Chippendale had something in his background that the other two great British designers did not. Thomas Chippendale was much more than just a cabinet maker, he was an interior designer. Like the other two, Chippendale was a published and popular author of furniture design. Working with the upholsterer James Rannie and later with Rannie’s assistant, Thomas Haig, Chippendale maintained artistic control of his well-appointed furnishings.

Not to veer from the popular, the finest Chippendale style pieces were usually crafted from mahogany but walnut, cherry and maple were used for less expensive versions. Many Chippendale pieces have cabriole legs and have a shell motif. American cabinetmakers often incorporated the claw-and-ball foot into their versions of Chippendale designs. The style of claw-and-ball feet was already passé with English furniture craftsmen but in America the feet were still being used.

Unlike Hepplewhite who has no surviving pieces, Chippendale has twenty-six documented commissions in estates, castles and in the original aristocratic houses for which they were created. The workshop the elder began was continued by his son, Thomas Chippendale, the younger (1749-1822). Young Chippendale was fond of working in the later Neoclassical and Regency styles.

The first step to organizing a closet or armoire is deciding what stays and what goes. Starting with a clean slate is a benefit few acquire, but if it is possible to empty the closet and then begin elimination, it will optimize your efforts. If your discards are truly reusable then there are two benefits. Parting with gently but seldom worn clothing and shoes is made easier when the items go to a charity. You get your needed space and organization and someone else benefits. Remember to add a basket in the closet to collect clothing discards regularly.

Reassess your storage space regularly. To keep your closets functioning optimally you really need to look at them closely every six months.

BE PREPARED

Clothes, coats and accessories stored for the season need to be protected from light, moisture, and insects. Keep a supply of acid-free tissue paper to wrap textiles in and cedar inserts to stave off insects. Dried lavender is also another great smelling option to include.

STORE IT RIGHT

Simple swatches of ultra suede fabric can be glued to wooden hangers using a bit of craft glue. These swatches will provide just enough friction to keep your delicates and hard-to-hang items from giving you the slip.

Purses are a great example of why having acid-free tissue on hand is important. You can stuff your favorite bags with acid-free tissue paper, helping to keep their shape when not in use. You can either purchase shoe bags or simply stitch two panels of flannel along three sides. Slip your shoes inside with a sachet of cedar shavings inside them to protect your shoes from light and dust.

Purchase bulk, low cost, twenty-inch cloth napkins or cut fabric squares to size. These squares can be used to protective coats, vests, jackets, etc. that you don’t or can’t store in garment bags. Make a slit in the center of each one to slip over the hanger.

Computer printers can help you create ID tags from digital pictures that you can hang attached to card-stock tags to identify the contents inside of your garment bags. This will save you many frustrating minutes trying to remember which bag holds your tux and which one your winter coat.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR CLOSET

When deciding on an armoire or closet try to opt for one made from solid woods and houses adjustable shelves rather than fixed ones. The Amish craftsmen have designed many styles in many varieties of woods and stains. Shelves that move will allow you to change the arrangement of the closet as your storage needs evolve. By opting for a cabinet with shelves you can use open containers or baskets for things like shoes or small items. Organizing like things together in bins, baskets, or boxes is the best way to minimize chaos.

THINK PRACTICALLY

Remember to place heavy items below waist level and rarely used items on the higher, harder to reach, shelves. Stash a step stool beside the closet, and you can even store things in closed containers or boxes on top, maximizing your storage space.

PUT THE LIGHTS ON

If a closet is dark inside, it will be difficult to find what you need. Consider adding a battery-operated light if your closet has no power source. Note that incandescent light can also help prevent mildew.