Amish Furniture & Craftsmanship

The Amish name is synonymous with beautiful and high-quality solid wood furniture. Amish creations are made exclusively of solid wood and thus are strong and durable, built to last for many generations. This quality wood is rendered beautiful by superior workmanship that is unequaled in a modern world where nearly every product on the market is mass-produced. Furniture making has become an art form in Amish culture, crafted not so much due to personal pride but as a special form of worshipping their God through action.

Always Amish craftsmen take great care in selecting the right wood for their project. Oak and quartersawn oak are the predominant woods used in the construction of most pieces, but sometimes projects call for other woods such as cherry, maple, hickory, black walnut, cedar, and even pine. Prized for its beautiful grain lines and honey coloration, oak is widely distributed in the United States and Canada. But other types of wood fit other styles, such as cherry for Queen Anne pieces. Cedar makes a great wood for storage chests, in that its lovely scent is perfect for storing clothing and other linens. Another popular choice is either hickory or maple, which are both light colored and extremely hard.

The most recognizable styles of Amish furniture are Mission, Shaker, and Queen Anne, but designs range from artfully simple to ornately curved. Pieces come in a variety of other styles, including Traditional/Heritage, Contemporary, Bavarian, Bunker Hill, Carlisle, Hampton, McCoy, Modesto, Slat Mission, Shaker Hill, Spring Hill, Rio Grande, Royal Mission, West Lake, Southwestern, Rustic, Cottage, and Beachfront. Mission and Shaker designs feature simple square designs; other styles have much more curve and ornamentation, such as Queen Anne and Bunker Hill. Most Amish furniture available today is made by Amish woodworkers from the Lancaster and Indiana communities, but styles can vary from area to area. Each woodworker adds his own individual touch to his work, so any Amish piece you acquire will be unlike any other.

Whether you are looking to furnish your bedroom, living room, kitchen, dining room, or home
wood office furniture, there are Amish pieces available. It seems that the most popular pieces, however, are beds, dressers, and oak dining sets. Acquiring a matching set for any room will help create a distinctive room décor. There are also heirloom-quality baby cribs and rocking chairs available if you’re looking for a more distinctive piece. For the newest trend in Amish furniture, look for outdoor pieces for your patio or deck. No matter what you have in mind, there is definitely something for everyone.

To this day the Amish remain free from electricity. However, they do take advantage of diesel generators to power pneumatic or hydraulic tools to mill and construct their fine furniture pieces. The use of these generators doesn’t contradict Amish belief systems, because they remain in Amish control whereas electricity is supplied and controlled by the outside world. The generators are nice, because they allow more time for the final finish detail work to still be done by hand. The craftsman also spends time carefully selecting each piece of wood, so that the colors and wood grains work together to create a harmonious effect. Once an older son completes his formal schooling, his father will then train him in all the particulars of woodworking, passing his expertise on to the next generation.

In years past, you could only find Amish furniture in antique shops and local stores. But today a large number of these local shops offer online shopping and Amish furniture has become accessible to the world. Online availability is set up by “English” intermediate businessmen who either buy directly from the Amish or work with them to establish and manage an online storefront.