Amish furniture can be traced back to the late 18th century in Pennsylvania and gained much prominence in the 1920s with the early American folk art revival. Many historians and dealers placed great value on the quality and beauty of this type of furniture. Early on many of the pieces being produced, such as blanket chests which were brightly painted along with tables and chairs. As time progessed many of the furniute makers in Pennsylvania abandoned the Germanic Style and began producing very simple unadorned products which represent the Amish furniture of today.
What sets Amish furniture apart from other manufactures today is the dedication to each piece that is produced. When a new piece is chosen to be built, great attention is paid to hand selecting the wood to be used including the grain of the wood to match the piece to be made. When gluing pieces together much attention to align the grains for a natural flow and beauty of the piece. For in amish furniture, it is not just a piece of furniture that is being built, but also a piece of art.
Amish furniture is made in many styles including Mission and Shaker. Mission is often characterized by clean lines and exposed joints. Often it is designed in a clean modern design for todays shoppers. The Shaker style is more traditional with a simple yet elegant design. If you are looking for something more ornate, the Queen Anne style gives you many unique features such as foot details, carved ornamentations and bold moldings. These are just a few of the styles of workmanship to be found with Amish furniture.
For the woods used in Amish furniture, you will find northern red oak, quarter sawn white oak, cherry, ample, beech, elm mahogany, walnut, hickory cedar and pine. Each wood brings its own unique grains and shades and can be stained any of the many colors available to give you that individual look for your home.
And when you add in that most Amish furniture companies are family owned and operated for generations you are always assured that the quality will be of the finest and you will have something to hand down for generations.