Cabinfield Review: Amish Furniture Stores

Why is Amish Furniture So Popular?

As you prepare to buy new furnishings for your home, you undoubtedly will come across many Amish-style pieces for the bedroom, living room and other areas of the house. These include hardwood options like dining tables, chairs, end tables, bookshelves, desks, dressers and more. With so many types of Amish furniture available in local stores and online, you can see that Amish furnishings are a popular option. By taking a closer look at why Amish furniture continues to be highly coveted in homes across the country and beyond, you may decide that these are pieces that are perfect for your home.

Premium Materials

Many wood furnishings available in local stores and online today are not actually made out of hardwood. Instead, they are made out of manufactured materials that could include a combination of veneer, fiberboard, particleboard and even plywood. Wood is generally a durable material that can last a lifetime, but this is not the case for the many types of manufactured wood materials. In fact, furnishings made out of these manufactured wood materials may only last a decade or less before they begin to fall apart. Unlike hardwood, the manufactured wood cannot be refinished. As a result, it generally is tossed in the trash when it falls apart.

Amish furnishings are exclusively made out of true hardwoods. Solid red oak and cherry wood are commonly used. Other types of solid wood used in Amish furnishings are hickory, walnut, maple, and white oak. The wood is produced in a sustainable fashion. Because the trees usually grow in a northern climate where the rate of growth is slow, the wood is dense and durable. As a result, Amish furnishings are durable. In fact, they can easily last a lifetime or much longer.

More than that, these are American-made items that are often not created until an order has been placed. Many other furnishings may be assembled on the other side of an ocean. The manufacturing processes can generate unnecessary waste, and shipping may lead to the unnecessary consumption of fossil fuels and the generation of pollutants. Because Amish furniture may not be produced until it is ordered, there is no need for the Amish to maintain a large warehouse. The Amish are able to optimize valuable space strategically.

Handcrafted Quality

The Amish people are known for living simple lives without modern luxuries like electricity. Most of the furnishings that you will find for sale online and in local stores are mass-produced pieces that are quickly made. The manufacturing processes may yield defects, and they can result in weaker and less durable furnishings. The Amish, however, make all of their pieces by hand using many of the same carpentry tools and joinery methods that have been used for generations. While some Amish craftsmen use select power tools for specific tasks, they never mass-produce their work.

One of the unique qualities of Amish furnishings is their lack of nails. Instead, the Amish use various traditional joinery methods that require exceptional craftsmanship. They also utilize non-toxic wood adhesives to ensure the longevity of their artisan furniture.

Low-Maintenance Furnishings

One of the many endearing qualities of Amish furniture is that they require minimal maintenance. Because of the intensive manufacturing processes and the lower-grade materials used in many other types of furnishings, special care may be required to optimize their longevity. However, even with detailed care and frequent attention, the mass-produced furnishings may have a much shorter life.

Because Amish furniture is exclusively made using high-quality hardwood material with handcrafted assembly, it does not have special care requirements. While all furniture needs to be dusted frequently, Amish furniture requires infrequent additional steps to keep it looking great. In fact, polishing it every six months is the only specialized care that may be needed. Because solid hardwood is used, you can expect the material to resist nicks and scratches that may plague soft wood and manufactured wood furnishings. When Amish furniture finally shows signs of age and wear, it can be sanded and refinished to give it a like-new appearance. However, when Amish furniture is well-maintained, refinishing may only be needed once every few decades or less.

Timeless Style

The processes used by Amish people to create their artisan furniture pieces have changed very little. With this in mind, you may assume that the style of current Amish furniture is equivalent to that of modern furnishings. In reality, the style has evolved slowly over time. Today's Amish furniture usually has a Mission or Shaker style. These styles have been prevalent for the last few decades, and this is a sign that they have timeless appeal.

All Amish furniture is made out of solid wood, so the pieces bring a natural element into your space. This natural element may be well-suited for a cottage-style home or a cabin. Likewise, it looks beautiful in homes with traditional décor and even contemporary décor.

While the style of Amish furniture has evolved slowly over time, that does not mean that all Amish furniture looks the same. Because Amish craftsmen use different materials, stains and techniques, each handmade piece is unique. When you invest in Amish furniture, you are buying a one-of-a-kind item. However, do not look for the craftsman's mark. The Amish are humble people who do not seek individual recognition. Instead, they want the focus to be on the fine work that they did to craft the furniture.

Furniture is expensive to purchase, so you understandably want to optimize the life of any furnishings that you decide to invest in. Buying high-quality furniture that can last for decades or longer is only beneficial if these are pieces that will still be aesthetically appealing many years down the road. Because Amish furniture has a timeless, classic look that corresponds well with many interior design schemes, the furniture likely will be a treasured part of your home décor for a lifetime.

Family Heirlooms

In many families, certain heirlooms have been handed down for generations, and this includes furniture. While many of the current furnishings that you find in local stores today will not still be in use a decade or two from now, older pieces that have been handcrafted from quality materials may be a century old or even older. The Amish continue to use the same artisan techniques that they have used for generations. These are techniques that have been taught by elders and that have evolved very little over the decades. Because of this, when you buy Amish furniture, you are buying furniture that has the same quality as yesteryear's pieces.

Of course, many older items get tossed out because they lose their appeal. Even if a dresser, table or another piece of furniture is still in good shape, it may have an outdated look that makes it undesirable. Amish furniture has a charm that is sustained over the years. These are pieces that may look just as wonderful in a home today as they will look decades from now. Because Amish furniture continues to be desired over the years, you can realistically plan on the furniture to become family heirlooms.

True Value

Are Amish furnishings right for your home? You will undoubtedly notice that Amish furniture is priced slightly higher than some of the other lower-quality furniture that has been mass-produced. However, you can see that each Amish furnishing is instilled with true value and is an investment well worth making. With variations in style and materials, now is the perfect time to begin exploring the beautiful possibilities that are available for your home. An easy way to compare a wide variety of Amish pieces is by shopping online.