Shaker Furniture 101: Everything You Need to Know

Shaker furniture is characterized by clean lines, tapered legs, and minimalist designs. It’s known for being practical and simple down to the very last detail. Originally designed in the late 1700’s by followers of the religious group the Shaking Quakers, shaker furniture has become a staple in interior design known for being timeless and elegant.

Who Were the Shakers?
The Shaking Quakers were a small, radical group of religious settlers following the teachings of prophet Ann Lee. Officially, the Shakers were followers of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing. The group originated from England and settled in the colonial Northeast. The groups were known for their simple living, intense work-ethic, and original crafts.

Early shaker furniture craftsmen focused on simplicity and integrity in their designs because they believed that excessive ornamentation or decoration was a sin of pride. As such, shaker furniture is as much minimalist as any other style.

Unlike the Amish, the Shakers embraced technology that increased efficiency, believing that they were saving time that belonged to God. They were among the first in America to try mass production.

Today there is only one known community of Shakers. They have inhabited the surrounding area of Sabbathday Lake in Maine.

Common Woods Used in Shaker Style Furniture
Back in the 19th century, the original Shakers built their furniture with woods harvested from their own land. This often included pine, maple, ash, birch, cherry, hickory, butternut, beech, walnut, oak, and poplar.

Shaker furniture is our top-selling style and customers are customizing it in their choice of cherry, walnut, maple and oak woods. Sometimes customers will choose two contrasting wood colors like cherry and walnut or maple and walnut to trick it out– if there could be such a thing for shaker style furniture.

Shaker vs. Mission Style Furniture
Shaker and mission style furniture are often associated because both styles have been adopted by traditional furniture craftsmen. The Amish are often cited as the source of both design philosophies, although that’s not true in either case.

Shaker style furniture originated from the Shaking Quakers in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. It wasn’t for another few decades that mission style furniture began to emerge. Both styles originated in New England.