Shaker Furniture
Authentic antique Shaker furniture is hard to come by, but not exceedingly rare. “Shaker style” describes furnishings and interiors that are both warm and simple, centered on unpretentious wooden chairs, tables and cabinets without ornament or embellishment.
The term derives from the popular name for an all-but-vanished American religious sect, whose members crafted modest household furniture and objects as part of their belief in purposeful living and simplicity in all things.
Members of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing — called Shakers, derisively, because they writhed and danced in religious ecstasy during worship — arrived in the United States from England in 1774. Within 50 years, the sect had established 19 self-sufficient communities from Maine to Kentucky, where they lived pure, humble and industrious lives.
The furniture and objects the Shakers made reflected their strict rules of behavior. Pieces such as ladder- and slat-back chairs and trestle tables were painstakingly crafted from native woods like maple and cherry, using traditional methods such as mortise-and-tenon and dovetail joinery and lathe turning. They employed strong, straight lines and symmetrical proportions, and decoration of any kind — carving, veneers, inlays — was prohibited, as it would encourage the sins of pride and vanity.
The Shakers movement included some 6,000 members at its peak in the 1860s, but the group practiced celibacy and could attempt to sustain their flock only by recruiting new adherents. Modernity proved too alluring. Today only one tiny Shaker community, in Maine, still exists, though the sect’s heritage is preserved at several historical sites.
To support their communities, the Shakers sold furniture to outsiders, who appreciated its superb quality. While the “Shaker style” label is today given to many plain, simple wooden pieces, it should also denote superior construction and solid materials. As elements in interior design, Shaker furnishings work best in a quiet decor. Modest pieces such as these can become lost among more ornate works. The style is most suitable to a country home — although a Shaker chair or cabinet can make a striking counterpoint in a modernist, urban setting.
Shaker furniture and objects have a deep appeal for their warmth, honesty and graceful simplicity, which make them welcome almost anywhere.
Find antique Shaker furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Late 19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary American Shaker Furniture
Steel
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Maple, Walnut
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century British Shaker Furniture
Wood
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Steel
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Steel
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Steel
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Shaker Furniture
Wood
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Hardwood
2010s North American Shaker Furniture
Pine
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Maple, Walnut
1970s Swedish Vintage Shaker Furniture
Seagrass, Pine
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Maple, Walnut
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Oak, Walnut
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Oak
Late 20th Century Shaker Furniture
Rush, Birdseye Maple
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Shaker Furniture
Rush, Hardwood
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Oak, Walnut
Early 19th Century Unknown Antique Shaker Furniture
Wood
1950s French Vintage Shaker Furniture
Oak
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Walnut
2010s North American Shaker Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Hardwood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary American Shaker Furniture
Wood, Oak
Early 2000s American Shaker Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Shaker Furniture
Wood, Cherry
Early 20th Century Dutch Shaker Furniture
Wicker, Wood
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Cherry, Oak, Walnut
2010s North American Shaker Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Antique Shaker Furniture
Maple
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Oak
Mid-20th Century American Shaker Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Shaker Furniture
Walnut
Early 1900s American Antique Shaker Furniture
Bentwood
Late 20th Century American Shaker Furniture
Glass, Cherry
19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Pine
Early 2000s American Shaker Furniture
Steel
Early 20th Century Shaker Furniture
Rush, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Shaker Furniture
Wood, Walnut
2010s Spanish Shaker Furniture
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Shaker Furniture
Wood, Walnut
1990s American Shaker Furniture
Steel
Mid-19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Hardwood, Oak
2010s North American Shaker Furniture
Papercord, Walnut
Late 20th Century Italian Shaker Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Oak, Walnut
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Linen, Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Shaker Furniture
Metal
20th Century American Shaker Furniture
Cherry
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Maple, Oak
2010s American Shaker Furniture
Maple, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary North American Shaker Furniture
Walnut
1990s American Shaker Furniture
Steel