Posts Tagged ‘Furniture’

A Brief History of the Front Porch, Porticos, Piazzas, Terraces and Gazebos (part 1)

Monday, May 18th, 2009

 Patio furniture has been popular for hundreds of years. As trendy as outdoor rooms are today they were possibly even more elegant a few hundred years ago. Porticos, porches, piazzas, terraces and gazebos were the rage in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
A portico is a porch or walkway with a roof supported by [...]

Thomas Sheraton: Legendary Journeyman Cabinet-Maker or Author?

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

Traditional furniture, like the designs crafted by Amish wood workers of today, would not seem what it is if not for the name Sheraton. Englishman Thomas Sheraton authored and published the most important trade catalogue, “The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Drawing Book”, in the latter eighteenth century. For better or for worse this book was so [...]

A Brief History of Victorian Designer’s Influence on Modern Contemporary Design

Monday, May 11th, 2009

 Since all movements are contemporary to the time they were began the term Modern furniture may seem confusing, especially when its roots go back over one hundreds. A child spawned from the functional designs and philosophies of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Modern furniture designs was as influenced by the revolution against Victorianism as it [...]

Much Ado About Creating a Room With Personality

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

  
Really great rooms begin with thoughtfully developed plans springing forth from good ideas and furniture like the Amish present. A truly great room should have an almost anthropomorphic character; décor that is memorable because it seems to actually have its own personality. When you walk in to it all of your senses can perceive the [...]

A Brief History of Heywood-Wakefield: Why Going Blonde Wasn’t a Dumb Idea

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

 The Amish craft solid wood designs that often replicate the popular look of Heywood-Wakefield. Unless you have a love for solid wood furniture from the golden era of Modern design (circa 1936-1966) you may be unfamiliar with the name Heywood-Wakefield and the furniture associated. Among admirers and collectors of this company’s designs it is wildly [...]

Collecting Wallace Nutting: Congregational Minister, Great American Photographer and Furniture Entrepreneur

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

Long bike rides in the country with a camera in tow provided Dr. Wallace Nutting the opportunity and desire to become one of America’s most famous photographers. As a young student, Nutting entered Phillips Exeter Academy and in 1883 finished his studies at Harvard University, Hartford Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary. In 1893 the [...]

Money Saving Tips For Summer Vacations: Use Amish Patio Furniture To Create a Home Retreat

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Why worry about travel safety and soaring transportation prices this year when you can plan for a vacation to paradise in your own backyard? For less money than you would spend on a cruise for two you can convert your patio into a private resort setting using handcrafted custom patio furniture from the Amish. These [...]

The Americanization of the Arts and Crafts Movement : How William Morris Inspired Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Design

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

Born into a working class German-American family, Gustav (born Gustave) Stickley was born poor enough that he was put to work by his father at age 12. While William Morris was born into a posh English family and later philosophically rejected it for his utopian socialistic ideals, Gustav and his brothers were not so privileged. [...]

A Brief History of Mechanical Furniture and the Morris Recliner Chair

Monday, October 20th, 2008

Mechanical furniture like the Morris reclining chair have a long, interesting and well documented history thanks to great designers like William Morris and Gustav Stickley and important design authors like Sigfried Giedion. In these icon’s footsteps dedicated Amish craftsmen still produce mechanical furniture and recreate solid wood Morris chairs. The Amish Morris Chair recliners are [...]

How To Create a Mini Home Office in a Small Space (part 2 ~ Cedar Chests & Trunks)

Thursday, October 16th, 2008

 
A charming idea for a home office that could also double as a coffee table or a bench at the foot of the bed is found inside a chest or trunk. With some imagination any vacant spot in your home big enough for a cedar chest can be converted to a home office. With little [...]