Amish Mission Furniture Keeps Old-World Traditions Alive

By the 19th century, the British aesthetic Arts & Crafts movement made its way to the United States. The movement was at its height in Britain between 1880 and 1910, then traveled and became popular in the United States between 1910 and 1920. The ideals that fueled the movement revolved around the denunciation of the Industrial Revolution and all the mundane and repetitive production to come out of it. The Arts & Crafts movement sought to return to handcraft, where items like furniture were simple and authentic. The lifestyle and the crafts of the Amish are based around similar ideals.

The Amish lead very unique lives with strict rules and regulations that prevent them from consuming many of the innovations presented by the Industrial Revolution, therefore Amish furniture is all hand-crafted. Amish Mission furniture features all the aesthetic qualities inspired by the Arts & Crafts movement including the clean, even lines and exposed joinery. While mass production manufacturers may be able to reproduce some of these characteristics, a true Mission inspired piece is handcrafted as the pioneers of the Arts & Crafts movement intended it to be.

Amish built furniture does not contain any toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, flame-retardants, or composite woods that will off-gas (release substances) into the air in your home. Their items contain no adhesives or synthetic bonding materials that could be harmful to your health. Relying on traditional methods, master Amish craftsmen create timeless furniture out of raw material without the aid of the energy-draining factories or machines. The solid wood used is hand-selected, making each unit a unique heirloom-quality piece.
Inspired by their beliefs, Amish craftsmen are keeping the old-world traditions of furniture making alive. Their work is all done by hand and the only tools involved are powered hydraulically and pneumatically. The detailing and staining of Amish furniture is also done by hand. Much like the Mission style furniture created during the Arts & Crafts movement, there is much patience and attention given to each piece of furniture and this is something that cannot be replicated by a factory.

Amish Mission furniture is inspired by the same organic elements of nature that sparked the Arts & Crafts movement. Arts & Crafts pioneers William Morris and Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes and furnishings that were based on the fundamental principals of honesty, simplicity and usefulness. Their designs were a drastic shift from the excess of the Victorian Age and by the time the Arts & Crafts movement made its way to America, when cities were thriving and farm-life was diminishing, the simple designs of these innovators were a breath of fresh air.

Lately, people are feeling the effects of excess once more and instead of adding to the destruction of our environment are looking for eco-friendly alternatives. Amish Mission Furniture is the perfect alternative to polluting, dangerous mass-produced furniture and is becoming more easily obtainable through retailers. Amish solid wood furniture is created for all rooms of the house and will remain valuable, cherished additions to your home

The Advantages of Amish Furniture

Amish made furniture offer several advantages not available from furniture that is mass-produced. With Amish made furniture becoming more accessible through furniture retailers, you can own your very own Amish crafted pieces tailored to your needs.

The most unique feature about Amish furniture is its heirloom quality construction. Amish craftsmen use traditional methods for construction, which means that their products are handcrafted, durable, and feature great attention to detail. The Amish follow a set of beliefs that does not allow them the use of electricity; therefore most of their furniture-building techniques involve tools that are powered hydraulically and pneumatically.

Amish oak furniture features hand-selected pieces of lumber, ensuring that your piece will contain only the most beautiful parts of the tree that are the most durable and that it will be one of a kind. Besides solid oak, Amish crafted furniture is also available in cherry and maple. Detailing and staining of furniture is most often done by hand as well. Mass-produced furniture is often disposable and made with dangerous materials including particleboard and even formaldehyde. This type of manufacturing often results in nicked veneers and unsteady construction.

While energy-consuming, polluting furniture manufacturing plants harm our environment, the Amish people rely on eco-friendly methods of producing furniture that reduce energy consumption, does not lead to deforestation, and reduces the toxic off-gassing typical of mass-produced furniture. Using only man-power, Amish craftsmen create lasting wood furniture created from sustainably harvested forests. Amish built furniture does not contain any toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, flame-retardants, composite woods, or adhesive and synthetic bonding materials that will off-gas (release substances) into the air in your home. Because Amish furniture is so durable, it will last your family years or can be passed down or sold to members of your family or community instead of ending up as garbage in a landfill.

While mass-produced furniture often represents ever-changing trendy styles that are here today, gone tomorrow, Amish crafted furniture is created in timeless looks that will always be cherished. These styles include Mission style, which has clean, even lines and exposed joinery. Their Shaker style is known for its simplicity, innovative joinery, and functionality. The most ornate of Amish styles is the Queen Anne style, which features ornate carvings and detailing. The Amish are inspired by nature and so are many of their designs. They also incorporate many geometric patterns like circles and triangles. The Amish create furniture for all rooms in the home including bedroom sets, dining room sets and living room furniture that includes occasional tables and TV stands. Several of these units can be custom-built to perfectly suit your home.

The Amish people live in various states of the United States with the largest groups residing in Ohio and Pennsylvania. They lead very unique lives with strict rules and regulations that prevent them from consuming many modern conveniences like electricity, cars and telephones that so many people take for granted. Their lifestyle gives way to their creativity and hard work that allows them to create such stunning products that leave many people in awe. Because the Amish are not concerned with leading frugal lives, most of their furniture is sold at very low prices. It is their furniture selling that provides the financial stability for many Amish communities.

Amish made furniture are so unique that it is impossible to replicate in any factory. The patience and attention paid to each piece of furniture makes every piece they create a special and unique item that will stand out in any room. The time and effort that goes into their work is ensures that their products will last a lifetime.

The Amish People & Culture

The history of the Amish people can be traced back hundreds of years and unlike most cultures that evolve to adapt to the ever-changing world, the Amish have stayed true to their roots. The Amish religion originated from the Mennonite religion, which encourages nonviolence, nonviolent resistance, and pacifism. The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations whose roots began in central Europe. When Swiss-German Mennonite leader, Jacob Amman insisted on the practice of Meidung, which is the strict shunning of excluded members, this brought about a division in the Swiss Mennonite movement in 1693 and led to the establishment of the Amish. Amman felt the Mennonites were drifting away from their beliefs. Nevertheless, the two groups are still very closely related and many times may live right next to each other. Their roots and standards for a simple life and diligent work are very closely aligned and have remained much the same throughout the centuries past.

The Amish separate themselves into as many as eight different orders, but the majority are affiliated with one of five religious orders: Old Order Amish, New Order Amish, Andy Weaver Amish, Beachy Amish, and Swartzentruber Amish. Of these groups, the Old Order Amish are the largest group and the Swartzentruber Amish are considered the most conservative.

The Amish follow the Christian faith as any other person of the Christian faith. The Bible is the main study book. The Ordnung, a list of rules dictates all aspects of their life from their way of dress and hair length to buggy style and farming techniques. This list of rules varies from among the different orders and communities. Some of their beliefs do not allow them to pose for photographs because they feel it violates the biblical teaching against making graven images. They also don’t believe in photographs for fear that it will promote self-pride. Many will put their hands or hats over their faces, look away or take evasive action to avoid having their picture taken.

There are approximately 150,000 Amish in North America, with the largest group residing in Ohio and other large populations in Pennsylvania, northern Indiana and Iowa. They are known as the plain people because of the plain colored clothing they wear. As a symbol of their faith, Amish clothing styles encourage humility and disconnection from the world. Their clothing is homemade of plain, dark fabrics. Amish men are not allowed to wear belts, sweaters, neckties and gloves, while Amish women are not allowed patterned clothing or jewelry. The Ordnung of the specific Amish order may also provide other strict orders regarding dress, even dictating the length of a skirt or the width of a seam. The Amish speak Pennsylvania Dutch among themselves and live within highly personalized relationships, and avoid anything more than casual contact with strangers. They are happy living without the conveniences of the 21st century such as electricity, cars and telephones.

The Amish are disapproving of technology because they feel it weakens the family structure. Modern conveniences such as television, automobiles, and even tractors are considered to be a temptation that causes vanity, inequality and can create a disbanding of their close-knit communities. Most Amish rely on horse-drawn machinery and get around on horse-drawn buggies. While the Amish aren’t allowed a phone in the home, many still have access to one that is usually kept in a wooden shanty between farms. Electricity is sometimes utilized, usually for the use of electric cattle fences, flashing lights on buggies or heating home. Nevertheless, they rely on windmills as their source of naturally generated electric power. Other modern devices such as disposable diapers and barbecue grills may also be allowed because the Ordnung does not specifically prohibit them.

The Amish do not believe in education beyond the eighth grade because they believe that the knowledge offered up to that point is sufficient to prepare for the Amish lifestyle. Amish schools are usually one-room schoolhouses with young unmarried women from the Amish community as teachers. These schools educate children in many crafts and can be considered vocational education.

Among the crafts that the Amish specialize in, their quilts have become very popular and profitable. Their quilts also reflect the Amish way of life in the way that they mirror their religious philosophy that forbids them from being too “flashy” or “worldly.” Only solid colors are used and sometimes the church may restrict the use of certain colors that are considered too flashy. Like their clothing, quilts usually use a lot of dark colors like black and blue with most of the attention being paid to the stitching forms and patterns.

Among their lasting traditions, their dedication to the production of heirloom quality furniture has remained true. Amish furniture making is mostly known for being constructed from solid wood, using no particle board or laminate, and the great attention paid to the details of the wood. Each piece of wood is hand selected and special attention is paid to the grain. Amish furniture is valued for its heirloom quality that can be passed down and valued by different generations. It first gained attention in the 1920’s when early folk art was becoming popularized.

The techniques used by Amish woodworkers do not require electricity; their tools are hydraulically and pneumatically powered by running on diesel generators. However, the detail and finish are applied by hand, therefore ensuring the finest quality. A common characteristic of Amish furniture is the five-piece English dovetail joints on drawers and steel ball bearing drawer glides. Amish craftsmen acquire their skills from generations before them. Starting early in their life, many Amish dedicate their lives to helping in the family shop where if they are woodworkers, they pick up specific design details.

Among many other styles, the Amish create Mission and Shaker styles. The Mission style features classic, straight lines, exposed joinery and features a clean design; similarly, the Shaker style is very simple and is designed with functionality and durability in mind.