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.
Shaker Style Ebonized Maple Sideboard Buffet Server or Console Table
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous Early American or Shaker style ebonized maple sideboard, buffet server, or console table USA, Late 20th Century Measures: 55.75"W x 17....
Maple, Lacquer
Black Walnut "Lewis" Console Table - Shaker Style Meets Japanese Minimalism
Located in Salvisa, KY
Shaker Style meets the sleek lines and narrow proportions of the Japanese Minimalist design aesthetic - The Lewis Collection strikes the perfect balance between elegance and simplici...
Walnut
Vaughan Benz Style Ebonized Console Table with Silver Trim
Located in North York, ON
Vaughan Benz Style Ebonized Console Table with Silver Trim. America, circa 1960’s. Sleek modern styling with silver trim accents. Newly restored in a high gloss polished black lacque...
Wood
Walnut and Black Lacquer Chin Hua Console Table with Ming Style Legs
Located in Pasadena, TX
A beautiful Ming style console table, supporting a walnut top. Classic elegant silhouette with a touch of flair at the top and at the feet. Sides have a very dark brown lacquer that...
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
Lacquered Parchment Console or Cocktail Table by Sally Sirkin Lewis
By J. Robert Scott 1, Sally Sirkin Lewis
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Sculptural lacquered parchment goatskin console table, cocktail table, or center table designed by Sally Sirkin Lewis for J. Robert Scott with label. Graceful C-shaped supports conjo...
Goatskin, Wood, Parchment Paper
Geometric Matched Minimal Console Oak Table
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The artifact console table welcomes you home and defines your itinerary when leaving. It holds that beautiful scarf next to the rare book that guests flip through when they visit. Handcrafted straight geometry identifies an honest structure with divine proportions. The lattice carriage exercises lap-joints with rigor and its oil finish excites a caress across its molten grain. This sale does not include the chair. Own a figure ground...
Ash, Oak, Walnut
$850
H 28 in W 50 in D 16 in
Ebonized Chinese Altar Table Hall Console James Mont Style Sofa Table 'B'
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage ebonized Chinese Altar table console hall 28 x 50 James Mont style sofa table (B). Item features solid wood construction, distressed fini...
Wood
$2,250
H 37.75 in W 39.5 in D 16 in
Russian Neoclassical Style Console/Server or Commode with Marble Top
Located in Stamford, CT
Russian neoclassical style console with inverted sides and marble top. This fine Maison Jansen inspired console table or serving tab...
Mahogany
Antique Regency Style Burr Walnut Console Table
Located in London, GB
A beautiful and elegant antique Regency style burr walnut console table. This was made in England, it dates from around the 1950’s period. The quality is excellent and this has a lo...
Walnut
$6,950 / item
H 31 in W 80 in D 14 in
Long Black Walnut Console Table with Shelf, Minimalist Solid Wood Console
By Kirk Van Ludwig, Autonomous Furniture
Located in Victoria, BC
Long black walnut console table with shelf, designed for entryways, hallways, and behind-sofa placement in contemporary interiors. Crafted ...
Walnut, Wood
Ebonized Wood Spanish Sofa Table or Console with Turned Legs
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Elegant Spanish ebony black side table, sofa table, console table or accent table with hand turned and reeded legs and exquisite bronze embellishments. This classic accent table feat...
Wood
$4,750
H 39.25 in W 80 in D 24.5 in
1920's Adams Style Paint Decorated Server Console Table Demilune Sideboard
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This exceptionally elaborate English paint-decorated demi-lune sideboard, in the Adam taste, is a striking expression of the refined Neoclassical aesthetic that transformed British f...
Wood
Geometric Minimal Console Hardwood Table
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The artifact console table welcomes you home and defines your itinerary when leaving. It holds that beautiful scarf next to the rare book that guests flip through when they visit. Handcrafted straight geometry identifies an honest structure with divine proportions. The lattice carriage exercises lap-joints with rigor and its oil finish excites a caress across its molten grain. This sale does not include the chair. Own a figure ground...
Oak, Walnut, Ash
$29,500
H 37 in W 63 in D 14 in
Paolo Buffa Mahogany and Maple Sideboard, Buffet, or Console, Certificate, 1950s
By Paolo Buffa
Located in New York, NY
Paolo Buffa rare and exceptional sideboard, buffet, or console table believed to have been executed by Fratelli Lietti fu Paolo, Cantù, Italy, circa 1955. Masterfully handcrafted in...
Brass
Early 20th Century Danish Shaker Dining Table
Located in Southampton, NY
Early 20th Century Danish Shaker Dining Table A simple and elegant design, a rectangular top sitting on double T legs and stretcher. You could spaciously seat six or comfortably se...
Wood
Thomas Moser Cherry Console Table, 1980s
By Thomas Moser
Located in Coronado, CA
A vintage Shaker style console table by Thomas Moser, made in New Gloucester, Maine in 1983. Executed in solid cherry wood, this minimalistic piece features dovetail joinery, tapered...
Cherry
Steve Simko Hand Crafted Shaker Style Mahogany Sofa Console Table
Located in Dayton, OH
Steve Simnko mahogany console table. Shaker inspired with a minimalist design. Features a rectangular form top over square tapered legs. Marked along underside. Measure: 54".
Mahogany
Jim Rose Steel Four-Drawer Table
By Jim Rose
Located in Chicago, IL
This steel console table by artist Jim Rose forges a connection between Shaker minimalism and the simplified lines and austere aesthetic of Ming-dynasty furniture. The culmination of...
Steel
Jim Rose Steel Console Table with Shelf
By Jim Rose
Located in Chicago, IL
This steel console table by artist Jim Rose forges a connection between Shaker minimalism and the simplified lines and austere aesthetic of Mi...
Steel
Sold
H 38 in W 50 in D 15 in
Jim Rose Steel Furniture - Six-Drawer Starburst Counter, Monochromatic Design
By Jim Rose
Located in Chicago, IL
This totally functional piece of modern industrial furniture is made from hot-rolled steel. The panels on the drawer fronts and sides are c...
Steel
Sold
H 36 in W 72 in D 18 in
Two Door Housetop Quilt Cupboard - Functional Art Steel Furniture, Gee's Bend
By Jim Rose
Located in Chicago, IL
This two door cupboard could be used beautifully as a dining room buffet or sideboard or as a console behind a sofa or against the wall. There is one interior shelf inside the cabine...
Steel
Sold
H 34 in W 69 in D 17 in
Five Drawer Table - Shaker and Gee's Bend Quilt Functional Art Steel Furniture
By Jim Rose
Located in Chicago, IL
This is a totally functional five drawer table. It created from hot-rolled steel and found painted panels. The legs are made from salvaged pipe. The panels on the drawer fronts and s...
Steel