The years surrounding Civil War was not just a separation of tastes politically but one in interior décor. The last part of the 19^th century in North America saw the blending of many very strong interior design tastes within one home. Many consider this to be the Eclectic period in American history. This eclectic collecting may have resulted from the easier access to more thanks to the Industrial Revolution. Machine made products kept products flowing at a much less expensive rate. Large scale manufacturers in Grand Rapids, Michigan were pumping out furniture to the common man at easy to pay for levels.

BRIEF INTERESTING FACTS FROM THE LATTER 19TH CENTURY ECLECTIC ERA-

• In rapid sequence designers birthed first Gothic then Elizabethan and finally rococo. While these co-existed in popularity in the mid-century they did not co-exist under the same roof. All three were used and admired but not blended.  
• The latter half of this century saw even more design styles, like the Renaissance style, emerge but none truly retire.
• This was the era of the kings; from France to England and from Louis to Henri.
• The big English furniture designers Chippendale, Sheraton and Hepplewhite shined brightly in the Victorian days. Colonial, Centennial Revival and Empire became common by the turn of the century.
• In large part thanks to William Morris and his Arts and Crafts philosophy and followers furniture was being influenced by far away lands like Turkey, Japan and Persia.
• Charles Eastlake agreed with Morris and Lewis Day on their discrimination against mass produced furniture and wrote a book touting the belief that home furnishings should be made by hand or machine workers that truly took artisan pride in their work.
• During these decades many felt a prejudice towards keeping it American and a cry went out to create a style distinctly American.
• Very distinct designs and designers emerged during this time and many published books that became hard and fast bibles used by designers, cabinetmakers and other furniture builders.
• Almost always if a design style became popular the wallpapers, rugs and accessories  appropriate to that style became available.
• No matter how modest the home it was believed that there should be a library, a sort of retreat for the family.

The 20^th century saw less desire for homes to be so eclectic. A yearning for something more simple in American homes was emerging. The birth of styles like Modernism had brought a sense of more efficient and less cluttered designs like the contemporary designs found from Amish-Furniture-Home.com.

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

Sparse, clean, oversimplified, organic and often based on geometric shapes many people, especially those who really do not understand or prefer Modern designs, would find it surprising how much of their lives are touched by contemporary Modern design or how much thinkers like William Morris, Louis Sullivan and others of their era, actually inspired the movement.

Morris engaged in the practice of warm and fuzzy, if not always practical, ideals and dreams for society. He felt it not just a wish but an essential of civilized society to insure that it provide its citizens, one and all, with aesthetically pleasing and functional things to look at and use. He however was convinced that the quality he sought could not be accomplished by machines but only by craftsmen and women by hand. He set his goal beyond reason, since the amount of artisans it would take to create the massive amounts needed to furnish the world’s homes was not possible – without machines, that is. Morris also developed this school of thought just as we were entering into the great Industrial Revolution and once entered in to there was no going back completely.

Early modern designers grasped the philosophy that the great orator Morris taught but felt that machines could be manipulated to be as artistic as any man and that mass production would accomplish Morris’ goals. Henri van de Velde was one of his peers who believed that the machines could be guided to create beauty.  They all agreed in the principles but not how to get there. They also agreed in the simplicity of design seen in the Arts and Crafts and Mission designs. The American architect Louis Sullivan, who once influenced the father of organic design, young Frank Lloyd Wright, believed that form indeed followed function and went so far as to suggest that we should purge ourselves of ornamentation for a few years so we could enjoy the structure in its original concept.

While it seems a stretch from the heavy oak Mission type Morris reclining chair to the Barcelona chair of the 1920’s once you trace the roots of both philosophy in design concepts, they are indeed closely related. Today the Amish present Modern contemporary furniture that represents these designers’ ideals as well as the elegantly designed home, in custom stained and conceived design collections like the Brookline, Caledonia, Escalade and Kenwood and more.

• Create unity by grouping like items with like items. By grouping items by theme, color, shape, texture or material you get the biggest visual bang. You can create the illusion of hiring a curator who has organized your shelves to feel like treasures. You can create a visual pop by grouping like colors, such as white pottery, together. Placed against the dark wood of your custom stained shelving these items stand out. Grouping boxes, spheres, etc. create instant emphasis that cannot be duplicated when spread apart.
• Instead of placing a few smaller knick-knacks on the shelf try to choose big, bold accessories. Select items that you can see it from across the room. Smaller items achieve more visual presence when you gather them containers. An old jar filled with vintage marbles, seashells collected at the beach or even a basket of loose family photos create interest.
• Go for asymmetrical arrangements of three, five or seven objects. Also remember not to center them but place them off-center. Odd numbers are visually most interesting in interior design. Balance is good but if not done right can be boring. Use combinations of short, medium and tall objects to make the eye fall at various levels.
• A very powerful statement can be created when there is nothing but art or photos on display. Try leaning your collection or overlapping edges. Mix up frame sizes, shapes and styles.
• Shiny items add interest, too. Add glass, crystal and silver objects to make shelf arrangements literally twinkle. A mirror placed at the back or bottom of a shelf will also impact the visual effect of the objects placed in front or on it.
• In modern or contemporary settings always keep it simple. A more streamlined approach is the best fit for contemporary and modern spaces. Minimalism does not mean any decorations of collections, just well thought out ones. Modern contemporary is based on form following function and it is best to go with shelves decorated in an uncluttered look. 
• A little light on the subject is good. Illuminate your shelves by spotlighting the arrangements. If you did not opt for pre-installed lighting with your custom solid wood Amish bookcases or shelves, then add track lighting in the ceiling. A professional touch can be gained by discreetly tucking tiny up-lights behind a vase or other items, creating a backlight to the arrangement.

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.

Heywood-Wakefield had over 100 illustrious years of creating top quality furniture before it introduced its “Heywood-Wakefield Modern” furniture line in the 1930’s. In about 1826, when John Quincy Adams was the nation’s president, a group of five brothers in Gardner, Massachusetts, Walter, Levi, Seth, William, and Benjamin Heywood began crafting simple, handmade, wood chairs in a small barn. Originally the majority of the brothers were store proprietors but helped Walter part-time in the wood shop. The boys did well and by the late 1800’s the Heywood Brothers Company was producing a much larger variety of furniture than seating.

Along the way the brothers absorbed its biggest acquisition, Cyrus Wakefield’s Wakefield Rattan Company. Initially they ran it as a joint operation, and the two firms became known as The Heywood Brothers and Wakefield. Fortunately they shortened that to Heywood-Wakefield Co.

Within five years, Levi Heywood moved to Boston. Here he established an outlet store for the family to sell the Heywood brother’s chairs. Benjamin and younger brother William stayed behind in Gardner to manufacture. Tragically, in 1834 a fire destroyed the Heywood’s chair shop, causing Levi’s return to Gardner a year later. The shop was never to be rebuilt. Initially comprised of Benjamin, Walter and William Heywood, Moses Wood and James W. Gates, a definitive partnership-B. F. Heywood & Company was formed in 1835. It was then that Levi Heywood persuaded the company to move to the shores of Crystal Lake in Gardner. The company factory would remain here until the business closed its doors more than 140 years later.

As the Industrial Revolution moved forward in the Victorian age, Levi’s insisted on the installation of new machinery, much to the dismay his wary partners. By 1844 a second partnership-Heywood & Wood had been formed, with Levi and Moses Wood only. By 1849 Wood’s name had disappeared from the company’s title. Then in 1851 Heywood Chair Manufacturing Company was born.

In contemporary times the furniture company became famous for its Modern Line. The company was able to partner with a stellar group of designers such as Russell Wright, Gilbert Rhode, W. Joseph Carr and Alexis J. Saknoffsky.  This progressive group of designers created modern furniture from what many misidentify as maple. Instead the company used solid birch that was steam bent and left blonde. The “The Heywood-Wakefield Modern Line,” with its 50’s blonde or modern blonde birch, was unprecedented. Various lines were introduced with names like “Sculptura”, “Crescendo” or “Kohinoor”.  These were aesthetically appealing, high quality and creativity.

At one time the company created and delivered items ranging from chairs, to baby furnishings, railroad car seating, rattan designs, and even toy vehicles. While the company did use many types of wood, the birch was its signature. Sadly it seems all good things must come to an end and the Heywood-Wakefield Company retired itself into the legend only a blonde could live up to in 1966.

 Art Deco-

Art Deco was born in 1925 at the Paris International Exposition and lived and evolved over a quarter of a century. Evoking images of nude nymphs, geometry-centric lines curves and shapes, early chrome and glass and caricatures of greyhound dogs, Art Deco has often been misunderstood.

Within the genre of Deco there were several sub-categories. French Deco was opulent; using exotic inlaid woods along with leather and fur. American designers adopted the symmetrical curves of French deco and included in every detail of their designs in that era, from furniture to jewelry. Modernism was hot and vinyl coverings and chrome-plated brass was in vogue.

By 1950 Deco included black wrought iron and pink accent pieces and was so massively produced it is still easily found by collectors today. Blue tinted glass top tables and “Chase” chrome were hot décor items.

Art Nouveau-

Literally translated Art Nouveau means “New Art”. This often whimsical New Art appeared in every facet of decorative arts at the end of the ostentatious Rococo period of the 1800s. There was a famous shop on the Rue de Provence called “L’Art Nouveau”. This gallery was opened in 1895 by the German art dealer Siegfried Bing in Paris and its core focus was on modern art. After the “1900 Exposition Universelle” the shop was popularized because of the displays of Bing’s modern furniture, tapestries and objets d’art. So strong was the connection between these modern decorative displays and the store that the name of Bing’s gallery became a commonly-used term for the décor itself.

Just as William Morris’s Arts and Crafts Movement did, Art Nouveau maked art part of everyday life. Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who used Art Nouveau designs to create an empire. Tiffany worked in the decorative arts but is best known for his stained glass and lamps in the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements.

Art Nouveau held a fifteen-year peak in the decorative arts world. It fell out of favor with the arrival of 20th-century modernist styles.

Arts and Crafts-

The final quarter of the Victorian era, the late 1800’s, saw the entrance of machines in the field of manufacturing. It also saw the revolution against in the way of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Born in Britain it soon spread to the United States via designers like Elbert Hubbard and Gustav Stickley. The Arts and Crafts Movement itself gave birth to Craftsman and Mission designs.The Arts and Crafts Philosophy subscribed to the idea of purifying art. These artisans and philosophers believed that designs should follow the function. Simplicity and craftsmanship were highly held virtues.

Expert metalworkers like Albert Berry and Dirk van Erp found a name for themselves in this genus. Their work is still sought after and collected by Arts and Crafts devotees today. Furniture in this style is usually heavy, squared, highly functional and usually made of a sturdy hardwood like oak.

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.

Some of the most expensive pieces of furniture ever made or sold have had veneer. The master craftsmen of the 18^th century all used veneer in some fashion or form. So, if it was good enough for high end antiquities and even modern furniture makers, why have artisan and craftsman-centric communities like the Shakers and the Amish forsaken using veneer in their heirloom quality pieces? One simple word explains it – that word is integrity.

Not only is there an appearance and a temptation of possible deception when applying veneers but, after a period of time even the best furniture veneers and glues begin to degrade. Expansion and contraction in varying environments can cause peeling and shrinkage. When a veneer layer pulls away from it’s under frame, it causes peeling, chipping and breakage; that may not be easily repaired.

Some of the issue with this has been avoiding by using new technology in the manufacturer of synthetic glues, a great improvement over animal glues. This has led to today’s mass furniture producers to use veneers in greater and greater quantity. Admittedly some designs, such as Modern Contemporary, require the flexibility of veneers to bring more imaginative designs. Of course the beautiful designs done with marquetry and parquetry would be impossible without veneers.

The fact remains solid wood is an unbeatable investment. Many engineered woods simply disintegrate if they are exposed to moisture, unlike solid woods. While its durability and reliability are without question, the honest fact remains that perhaps the greatest appeal of solid wood is its naturally exquisite appearance. Most people consider solid wood furniture more attractive and desirable, especially when designed and crafted by today‘s Amish craftsmen.