Amish furniture is well regarded for its durability and quality. While many people know that such furniture is good, they may not know the specifics of what makes these pieces stand out from the crowd. Knowing what makes Amish furniture so unique is useful when shopping around. The pieces are expensive, and if you want to invest in such furniture, you should know why that is the case and why it is worth the cost.
Handmade Craftsmanship
Amish furniture is made by Amish craftsmen who have been taught the trade of woodworking for centuries. and you can find exquisite examples of their workmanship in many places. They have used the same tools and techniques, more or less, since the first Amish communities settled in the United States.
While other furniture companies might still make their pieces by hand, and if you can find a carpenter, you might be able to custom order a piece, the sort of small production hand tooling utilized in making Amish furniture is extremely rare in the modern world. However, that is just one way the pieces stand out from other furniture, even wooden ones.
Environmentally Friendly
In an increasingly environmentally conscious world, furniture with limited ecological impact is becoming an easy selling point, are made from solid wood, they are done with the environment in mind. No more trees mean no more furniture, after all.
Amish pieces are crafted from locally grown, sustainably harvested solid woods. The pieces are made without chemical varnishes, and any tools used are either powerless hand tools or pneumatic. The Amish are a little more up-to-date in some areas than people realize, but by and large, the furniture is made the same way as it was two centuries ago.
Amish furniture is renowned for its durability and longevity, which also helps the environment. Such pieces can last centuries if properly maintained, so it isn’t uncommon for them to be handed down to families or sold in secondary markets. That’s a form of recycling that also helps keep overall production down, further helping the environment.
No Nails!
Amish furniture is traditionally made without nails or screws. The pieces are carefully crafted and fitted into place instead. This allows for smoother action and also prevents potential weak points in the wood from aging metal.
While another handcrafted furniture is out there, you’ll rarely see the sort of attention to detail and crafting that allows for such carefully fitted pieces to not only work well but also look great and last. Such skill takes a long time to master, so it’s no wonder Amish carpenters start young, just like the apprentices of old.
Secret Compartments are Common
While Amish beliefs include humility and simplicity, their furniture is generally not that in construction. So while their pieces may look simple in their sleek, traditional design, they can contain a variety of secrets.
Specifically, secret compartments. Amish furniture is often built with extra nooks and crannies hidden from the unaware. These extra compartments are great for storage and also make the pieces stand out from similar furniture. You’re average coffee table doesn’t always have a false bottom, after all.
Such compartments are further testament to the craftsmanship of Amish pieces and their makers stand out from mass-produced furniture found everywhere else.
Hand Finished Surfaces
This relates in part to the handcrafted facets of Amish furniture, but it is worth mentioning that their pieces are sanded, stained, and finished by hand. You definitely can’t say that about mass-produced pieces, and even companies still making wooden furniture would be hard-pressed to state such facts.
The care, skill, and craftsmanship it takes to make Amish furniture all point to a sort of dedication and effort rarely seen in modern manufacturing. Such effort would nowadays be the work of lone shops or custom builders. Amish woodworkers have turned their efforts into small production facilities rarely seen in the modern world. From start to finish, they ply their trade using traditional tools and methods, adding a human touch most modern furniture lacks.
Hand-Chiseled Detail Work
Continuing the running theme of handcrafted skill, the final detail work on every Amish piece is done by hand. Hand chiseling is a very difficult skill and a further testament to Amish craftsmanship and dedication to the craft.
Conclusion
Despite such skill, Amish woodworkers extol the humility of their people, so design work tends to be elegant in its sleek simplicity. This helps give their pieces a timeless, traditional feel that blends well with a variety of décor schemes.
From start to finish, Amish pieces are a clear cut above just about anything available in modern markets. Handworked and finished with traditional tools, using locally harvested and sustainable forests, Amish furniture stands out from modern mass-produced pieces.
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