Today’s Amish communities are as entrepreneurial as the Shakers, helping to support and build their communities using their gifts as honest artisans. The world appreciates the unique custom designs that contrast so obviously from the mass produced disposable furniture offered in most showrooms today. These solid wood designs are premium heirlooms that showcase the integrity of a community very much like their brothers and sisters in the Shaker villages.

Like the Shakers the Amish live every part of their life based on religious principles. This includes the quality of their work, whether at home or in the workshop. Today the Amish wood worker in Northern Indiana crafts the same designs with the same quality of materials and skill as their ancestors. The same principles and beliefs held by the earliest Shaker furniture designer and builder are still honored by the Amish woodworker. With traditional designs like the traditional Burlington table or the neatly lined Bungalow chifferobe, chest, bed, dresser and nightstand you can bring the same warm style to your home.

The Shakers were always a small group whose self-imposed abstinence insured their demise. At their zenith the group held about 4000 members spread among nineteen self-sustaining communities. The Shakers lived the example set forth in the Holy Bible about living in the world without being a part of it. The community’s business sense was astonishing, especially for a small nineteenth century religious organization.

Although not part of the world it is obvious that Ann Lee, the group’s founder who had arrived the New World pre-American Revolution, was influenced by the Federal design style of that era. The Shakers had taken the Federal template and created a less formal and more rural design based on the needs and ideals of the farming communities they settled in. The influence of their religious beliefs and their country settings brought forth functional furniture with clean and simple lines. This was especially appealing to those who were suffocating under the opulence and gilding that was the Victorians.

The Shakers not only opened the door for the Arts and Crafts Movement in America but actually inspired some of its founders. The cousin of Arts and Crafts, American Mission and its father, Gustav Stickley, were quite possibly more warmly welcomed because of the influence of the Shaker ideals and products.

 

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.        

 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.

Easter is celebrated by many Christian denominations in the spring of each year and the Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch are no exception. In fact, in many Amish communities a second day is even added to celebrations such as Christmas, Easter, or Pentecost. The Amish do celebrate these holidays as a sacred time, but adding a second day allows for religious observations on one day and quiet family activities the next. The additional days are called Second Christmas, Easter Monday, and Pentecost Monday. Good Friday and Whit Monday (the day after Pentecost) are also kept. This extra day may be allotted to visiting friends or relations, shopping or various recreational activities.

The day prior to Pentecost, is called Ascension Day and it is a holiday for families to go visiting, or perhaps go fishing together. While most homes in American have fallen into a commercialized celebration of Easter, Easter festivities in an Amish home are spared from commercial trimmings. The European tradition of decorating or painting eggs may still be seen in some Amish households. Like many other children the Amish may receive a basket of candy. The Easter Bunny does not visit Amish homes and the Easter season is considered a sacred holiday. This is a time to observe religious customs such as fasting and to meditate on scriptures. The extra day is a time to enjoy a day from work and participate in family gatherings or quiet celebrations.

Shrove Tuesday is known as “Fasnacht Day,” or “Fastnacht.” Shrove Tuesday falls the day before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the season of fasting known as Lent; a Catholic custom that lingered on into some Protestant churches. While Lent was not allowed to be observed in many of the Anabaptist churches because the Anabaptists rejected all the Christian holy days believing that these holy days were created by the Romans, some of the other Pennsylvania Dutch or, more accurately, the Pennsylvania Germans did keep with their European Lutheran backgrounds.

The Pennsylvania Dutch prepared for Lent on the Monday before Ash Wednesday. Dough was put out in straw baskets to rise and later be cut into squares and deep-fried in fat. These deep fried dough squares and served with hot coffee at breakfast, where they are split in half and spread with honey or coated with confectioners’ sugar. The Pennsylvania Dutch knew that 40 days of sacrifice lay ahead and thought it wise to use up all the fats and sugars in the house and gorge themselves on delicacies prior to the fast.

“Gruna Dunaschdawk,” or Green Thursday, is the day before Good Friday. This was the day to eat something green with the belief that this act would insure good health for the next year. “Kaofreidawk,” or Good Friday, immediately follows Green Thursday. On Good Friday the family would attend church services and the “haus frau”, or housewife, would begin the boiling and decorating of the eggs. There was also a traditional meal to break the Lenten fast on Easter morning.

The famous New York Easter Parade began in the 1870‘s as a religious recognition walk to carry Easter flowers from St. Thomas Church to St. Luke’s Church. The parade route then extended from Madison Square to Central Park. The one block floral parade became a traditional rite of spring and also a venue to show off new spring fashions. No self respecting Victorian would have been seen without their hats and these Easter Bonnets grew larger and larger with more and more flowers, lace, ribbons, and even whimsical novelties like bird’s nests.

There is an assumption that Amish women have worn bonnets since the birth of the descendants of Anabaptists formed a old religious sect. The fact is that the famous Amish bonnet is relatively new. While living in Europe and working the fields the women often wore protective flat hats, straw in summer and felt in winter, instead of fabric bonnets. These hats could even be tied down with strings. Some believe that the Amish womenfolk actually adopted the Quaker bonnet, which was introduced into Pennsylvania from England around 1800.

There seems to have been some controversy in the Amish church over whether a Plain woman should be allowed to wear a bonnet. The more stylish bonnet caused some recorded disagreements in public as well as private. The most conservative group of Old Order Amish known as the Nebraska Amish, still do not allow the bonnet as headdress. The women in this order wear black kerchiefs and the flat straw hats because like early church members, they believe that the fancier bonnets are worldly and vain. However the wearing came to be accepted among most Amish communities. It is quite obvious to note that it would have never taken place except through the gentle persuasion and perhaps persistence of Amish women.