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.
Pair of Shaker Style Cherry Wood Side Tables / Nightstands by De Padova, 80s
Located in Roma, IT
We are pleased to offer for sale a pair of side tables with drawers, whose design is inspired by the celebrated Shaker movement, the most influential and visionary American utopian c...
Cherry, Plywood
Wright Side Table, Shaker Side Table in Modern Walnut
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Inspired by the Shaker’s lean ascetic of simplicity and function, the Wright Side Table flirts the line between minimalism and sturdy construction. Brass pegs add a hint of modernity...
Hardwood, Walnut
$6,500 / item
Hana Walnut Trestle Dining Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Hana Trestle Dining table is our take on the classic trestle form, beloved by both the shakers and their distant woodworking cousins, the Jap...
Walnut
$2,950 / item
Little Dume Pedestal Table in Walnut
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Inspired by the clean, simple lines of Shaker pedestal tables, the Little Dume table is ideal for any small space that could use a little extra counter surface. Create a breakfast nook in an empty corner of the kitchen with one and a couple of our Hana dining chairs...
Walnut
Shaker (Attributed) Pine Demi-Lune Table
Located in Pasadena, CA
This is a charming mid-19th century pine demi-lune table that has been attributed to Shaker fabrication. The demi-lune measures a generous 40 inches wide and features a deep overhang...
Pine
$6,500 / item
Hana Walnut Trestle Dining Table in Stock
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Hana Trestle Dining table is our take on the classic trestle form, beloved by both the shakers and their distant woodworking cousins, the Japanese-who have reinterpreted the desi...
Walnut
Adair Table, Refined English Rustic Dining Table in Walnut
By Carter Ellis
Located in Chattanooga, TN
The Adair table is our tribute to English Rustic. Warm and inviting but raised to a more elegant modernity with rich Walnut instead of the traditional Scottish Pine. While more contemporary in appeal, the Adair Table is still constructed traditionally from solid wood with a beaded apron...
Walnut
Adair Table, Refined English Rustic Dining Table in Pine
By Carter Ellis
Located in Chattanooga, TN
The Adair table is our tribute to English Rustic. Warm, inviting and a love letter to old world craftsmanship, featuring a hand-planed spruce top, pegged t...
Pine
$7,800 / item
East End Trestle Table in Walnut
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Initially designed for a client with a summer home out in East Hampton, the East end trestle is made with large dinner parties in mind. It is sturdy, yet light, and the base can be disassembled should you decide to set it out on the porch for a night or a season. Shown in oiled walnut in a nod to the numerous black walnut trees...
Walnut
Bonnin Ashley Custom-Made Dining Table in Black Walnut w/ Hand Rubbed Oil Finish
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
This table as show is available for immediate delivery Enjoying a minimalist design, this Bonnin Ashley custom-made dining table evokes the sense of a beautiful slab of wood floating in space being anchored by three legs without an apron or a stretcher. Our design is inspired by the simple aesthetic and ingenious joinery of the American Shakers. This two-plank dining table in American bookmatched black walnut with a traditional linseed oil finish can be ordered to suit in various lengths & widths. Table can also be made using other woods like maple, cherry or mahogany. This particular table is in stock & ready to ship. Table disassembles into four sections to facilitate shipping & installation. Measurements: 11' 8" long x 36" wide x 30" high. Note: We source all of our wood from a small mill on the Susquehanna river in Pennsylvania that specializes in cutting old growth trees that are in distress and need to be removed for safety reasons. These trees yield lumber that can no longer be found commercially. The boards are wide and the grain is tight with superb figuring and modeling. We also have the opportunity to purchase sequential boards from the same log giving us spectacular book...
Walnut
Black Lacquered Pine Trestle Base Farmhouse Dining Table, Refinished
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional Shaker style trestle base farmhouse extension dining table USA, late 20th century Solid pine, in black lacquered fini...
Pine, Lacquer
12' Long Bonnin Ashley Custom-Made Dining Table/ Sideboard in Fumed Black Walnut
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
This table as shown is available for immediate delivery or ask us to quote a custom size A Hancock Village-inspired (Shaker), Bonnin Ashley custom-made dining table or sideboard in A...
Walnut
Claire Table, Shaker Modern Cherry Dining Table with Sculpted Joinery
By Carter Ellis
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Featuring modern sculpted joinery paired with a traditional shaker form of clean lines and tapered legs, the Claire table is a blend of old form and new styling. We call the look sha...
Wood, Cherry
Santa Rosa Bench in California Redwood in Stock
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a unique piece made from a single slab of California redwood sustainably harvested from a fallen treen in Humboldt county. I personally picked up the plank from a woodworker...
Wood
Shaker Tripod Table, Shaker Style in Painted Steel by Jim Rose
By Jim Rose
Located in Chicago, IL
This Tripod Stand (with pie crust edge & turned pedestal) reveals Jim Rose’s legacy at its most distilled and sculptural, where historical reference, material transformation, and qui...
Steel
$9,800 / item
East End White Oak Trestle Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Initially designed for a client with a summer home out in East Hampton, the East End Trestle is made with large dinner parties in mind. It is sturdy, yet light, and the base can be disassembled should you decide to set it out on the porch for a night or a season. Shown in whitewashed white oak in a nod to the silver toned deck boards lining the many docks of the Suffolk county coast. We begin each trestle table with scrupulously chosen lumber; straight grained and free of any large knots or defects. The boards are milled on our highly tuned machines, then the complex joinery for the base is cut by hand. The top and all the parts are polished with a well sharpened hand plane...
Cherry, Oak, Walnut
$2,300 / item
Oslo Side Table in Walnut
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Oslo side table is a versatile design that can serve as a breakfast table in a small kitchen, an end table in a living room, or for playing cards. The woven Danish cord shelf pro...
Papercord, Walnut
Shaker Trestle Dining Table c. 1830
By Shakers
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Shaker trestle dining table c. 1830. Pine and cherry. Harvard, MA community. Early repair to base dating to early 20th century. Provenance: Adelaide...
Pine, Cherry
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
Eldred Wheeler Early American Shaker Cherry Wood Dining Table, Newly Refinished
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional Early American Shaker style solid cherry wood drop-leaf harvest farmhouse dining table By Eldred Wheeler USA, Circa Late 20th Century Measures: 74"W x 42"D x 29"H. ...
Cherry
New England Farm Table, Shaker-Modern Dining Table in Walnut
By Carter Ellis
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Our modern take on a classic shaker farm table. The New England Farm Table's features slim rails, neat but bold reveals, and a chunky tapered leg. Wh...
Wood, Walnut
Bullet Table, Country Shaker Table with Walnut and Exposed Joinery
By Carter Ellis
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Our first design, the bullet table received its name when we found an antique fired round inside one of the boards we were milling. Featuring a classic ta...
Wood, Walnut
"Lewis" Office Desk - 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 simplicity and elega...
Walnut
Wash Stand, Country Style, Worn White Paint Finish, Solid Pine by Eddie West
Located in Toronto, CA
A pine wash stand made by Eddie West, with a vanilla color antique style paint finish. There is one drawer in this washstand.
Pine
New England Farm Table, Shaker Modern Dining Table in Blackened Ash
By Carter Ellis
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Our modern take on a classic shaker farm table. The New England Farm Table features slim rails, neat but bold reveals, and a chunky tapered leg. When...
Wood, Ash
Bullet Table, Rustic Oak Shaker Table with Exposed Joinery
By Carter Ellis
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Our first design, the bullet table received it's name when we found an antique fired round inside one of the oak boards we were milling. Featuring a class...
Wood, Oak
Vintage Shaker Style Candle Stand, Leather Top, Wood, Mid-Century, USA
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Vintage Shaker Style Spider Leg Candle Stand. Classic Shaker style tripod spider leg candle stand in beautiful, refined minimalist design. It ...
Leather, Wood
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
Black Walnut "Lewis" End Table w/Hand Dovetailed Drawer
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
Modern Vintage Walnut Circular Side Table Turned Legs Italy 1970s
Located in Vienna, AT
Modern vintage side table in circular shape from walnut with turned legs, 1970s Italy. An amazing side table in circular shape from walnut with delicate turned legs works perfectly a...
Walnut