Simply Shaker Doesn’t Mean Shaker Furniture is Always the Same
If you frequent our blog, you’re probably an expert in Shaker Furniture. One thing I’ve noticed about shaker style furniture is how easily stereotyped it is. I’ve come to notice when people think of the Shaker style, they think of plain and simple furniture.
But, Vermont handcrafted Shaker style furniture is anything but plain and antique.
So long are the days of dens and home offices, at least in the traditional sense. With homes being built and renovated with an open layout, families are coming together in different ways. While everyone is constantly on the go, on their phones or laptops, open layouts help bring everyone together.
Sometimes to make an improvement to a room, you don’t have to completely renovate the space. This past year, I’d been feeling very unsatisfied about my living room and dining space. Instead of completely redoing those spaces, my family replaced our cheap TV console with a wood TV cabinet. And, we replaced our maple dining table and chairs with a darker stained wood dining set that better matches the wood paneling in our dining space.
Our Modern Shaker Low Footboard Bed and case goods in natural cherry wood.
With hundreds of Shaker style furniture pieces, Vermont Woods Studios is your shaker furniture destination.
If you got to know me, I think you’d quickly figure out I’m one of the most indecisive people out there. Even the simplest of choices I over-ponder and then doubt once I’ve made up my mind. I’m talking everything from which dessert after dinner to which jacket to wear to the direction I want my bed facing.
American Mission Coffee Table and End Table both in Cherry
Liven Up Your Living Room
With the long New England Winter in full force, I’ve been spending more and more time in my family’s living room. Easily the warmest in the house, we all cuddle around in it reading, watching a movie or coloring in our favorite new adult coloring books.
I’ve noticed recently though that while the couch and love-seat match, the rest of the furniture doesn’t. The end table is all that’s left of a living room set my parents got when my sister and I were children, the coffee table is a (very) small wooden chest and the TV console is a hand-me-down from my grandmother (so probably bought at a big-box store) that now has a couple corners nibbled out from our always hungry black lab.
Needless to say, our living room is in desperate need of an upgrade. If you’re living room is well loved like my family’s and has seen better days or if you’re looking to update to it, then why not think about the occasional tables? (Assuming your couch isn’t in need of replacing)
The most used and most visible table is the coffee table, and I’d start there. Sometimes you can get away with a unique coffee table that you found antiquing or re-purpose an old trunk but you want to be careful and make sure it blends with the theme of your room.
Knowing my mom has a penchant for Old New England style furniture, I would choose the Classic Shaker Flare Oval Coffee Table. The flared legs elevate the tables look and give it an air of sophistication, while the sleek lines and simple design will never go out of trend. The round design also gives off a feeling a openness and inclusion.
Classic Shaker Flare Oval Coffee Table in Cherry
Once settled on a coffee table, I would move next to the end tables. To match the coffee table, I would choose our Classic Shaker Flare Leg Round End Table. I would get two, one for each side of the couch. What I like about this table in particular is its size. The table top is just big enough for a table lamp and maybe your remotes…it doesn’t allow for clutter to accumulate.
Classic Shaker Flare Leg Round End Table shown in Cherry
Lastly, I would get the Classic Shaker Flare Leg Sofa Table to complete the set. The great thing about sofa tables is their versatility. I wouldn’t use it in the traditional way you’d think to use a sofa table. I would use it as a side table to complement a large black and white picture of the Chrysler Tower hanging on one wall in our living room.
Classic Shaker Flare Leg Sofa Table in Cherry
Just as a piece of jewelry or an accessory can make or break an outfit, your accent tables can do the same for your room. Right now my family’s living room is a hodge podge of pieces that don’t really work cohesively. We need to scrap the mismatched furniture and start over.
If you’re feeling the same way about your living room, then maybe it is time to get new accent tables. All of our occasional tables are available in Cherry, Maple, Oak or Walnut woods and are handmade by local craftspeople. Dress your room in the finest wood furniture Vermont has to offer.
Our knowledgeable and friendly sales team is always here to answer any questions you may have about our furniture. You can contact us toll free at (888) 390-5571 or by visiting our historic Showroom in Vernon, Vermont.
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What most people love about Shaker style wood furniture is that it simply feels like home. It’s comfortable, subtle, and nostalgic– bringing you back to a time when things were made slowly and with purpose. A time where furniture was always made with precision, care, and quality. It’s unassuming, and while it’s presence is always noticeable, it doesn’t demand the absolute attention of the room. For these reasons, Shaker Style wood furniture is the perfect furniture for the holiday season.
Shaker Furniture Encourages Buying with Purpose
If Black Friday Sales this year are any indication of the shifting in American values (Black Friday sales across the country plummeted while Small Business Saturday sales grew exponentially), than my belief is correct in that American people are growing tired of the craze surrounding low quality, mass produced items. They want simpler things like quality time with the family, a warm comfortable home, and beautifully crafted items to fill it.
Shaker furniture has a long, rich history of sustainability and tradition. In their prime, Shaker communities were largely self sufficient. They attempted to separate themselves from the busy outside world and create a peaceful haven that focused on growing their own food, constructing their own buildings, and manufacturing their own tools and furnishings. Every thing they did they did slowly, meticulously, and with intention.
Honesty, Utility and Simplicity in Shaker Craftsmanship
Their guiding principles of honesty, utility, and simplicity found expression in their unique craftsmanship, as furniture, boxes, and textiles. Their work is world renowned for it’s beautifully minimalist design and unyielding quality. Their work rejected excessive ornamentation and focused on overall form, proportion, and quality.
The Shaker Style wood furniture we carry at Vermont Woods Studios is carefully crafted by expert Vermont woodworkers who pride themselves on creating beautiful, high quality pieces built to last a lifetime. Their craftsmanship is a great reflection of the ever cherished Shaker wood furniture.
We hope that this holiday season, you’ll take some time to reflect on your own traditions and values. What kind of items do you want to fill your home with? What are your purchases saying about your values? We can all take a little inspiration from the Shakers, slow down a bit, and connect with what’s important this holiday season!
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