Beautiful craftsmanship is a lifelong joy. From the 1920s, when American folk art first came to the fore and collectors, dealers and historians realized the value of quality piece, Amish furniture and buildings have been highly sought after. Hand-crafted in a tradition where time and patience are valued, these distinctive pieces offer a piece of American history and take about eight weeks to craft.
With origins in Switzerland, Amish communities first came to America in the early 18th century, settling mostly in the areas around Pennsylvania. Community members still speak a dialect known as Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania Dutch. There are over 165,000 Amish people living in the U.S, although the figure may be as high as 249,000, depending in the source.
The principles and values of rural life, humility and hard labor, which are core to Amish life, have translated into a reputation for high quality, beautiful hand-crafted works such as wooden cupboards, beds and kitchen units. Most wooden furniture created by Amish craftsmen, does not use particle board or laminate and allows the natural beauty of the wood to remain the focus. While you may associate Amish craftsmanship with furniture alone, Amish sheds, custom Amish built gazebos and beautifully designed pergolas, are among the offerings available. Such wooden sheds should provide between 15 and 20 years of use and offer a distinctive feature for your back yard. Shed choices should be made dependent on current space needs with an additional 25% added for future growth of storage requirements.
The skills for wood carving and furniture and building making are often passed down from generation to generation in Amish communities. Each item is unique because of its hand crafting and choice of wood. Most Amish furniture and buildings are crafted using woods such as cherry, oak, walnut, hickory, or maple. Wooden cupboards range from functional and simple to more elaborately carved designs in variety of hues. Amish furniture is solid and hard-wearing, providing a lifetime of use. A survey of over 2,000 customers found that more than 90% looked for wooden furniture to last 15 years or more.
Furniture collections range from bedroom and kitchen lines to outdoor and even office. Online orders are available and take between 12 and 16 weeks for delivery.
