The Amish furniture is a fine craft with unique and distinctive style created by Amish Mennonite artisans who are primarily based in Shipshewana, Indiana and in Ohio. This fine furniture is famous for being made out of 100% wood and no element of particle board or laminate are used in all of these fine Amish creations.

The popularity and quality of these fine creations of the Amish Mennonites is anchored on their attention to the intricate detail and design of the furniture. Every wood component passes through a thorough selection process to achieve a perfect match to the specific requirement of the furniture. Amish Mennonite artisans consider the fine details like the grain of the wood in the overall blend of every wood component that is assembled to create fine furniture. Amish furniture is also renowned for its sustainability and durability and is expected to be a precious creation to be used by future generations.

Amish Production Techniques Used

The beliefs of Amish Mennonites prevent them from using electricity in any of their fine creations. As such, majority of the tools that they use are run by pneumatic and hydraulic power from diesel generators. In very rare situations, technology finds its way into the production process and certain leeway is given in the woodworking component as this is the main source of livelihood of majority of Amish families within a community.

However, the intricate finish and design of Amish furniture are done by hand by highly skilled Amish artisans to achieve the highest quality of which these crafts are known for.

Amish Furniture Styles

There are a wide variety of styles that are distinctive of the furniture created by the Amish Mennonite craftsmen. The more famous styles adopted by Amish craftsmen include Shaker, Mission and Queen Anne styles. The Mission style generally features exposed joinery and straight lines. It specifically follows a clean and modern theme in the overall design. The Shaker style, on the other hand, evokes elegance but still retains it simple character and basic design that put prime consideration on durability and functionality. The Queen style follows a design and blends a character that is in contrast to the Shaker and Mission styles. The design is basically traditional in character with the predominance of carved ornamentation, ornate moldings and distinct foot details. Other known styles of Amish design include Rustic, Beachfront, Cottage and Southwestern.

The unique skills of Amish craftsmen have been honed through generations of enduring creation of finely crafted furniture. The skills have been passed from generation to generation and their whole lives and history have revolved around this fine furniture that they make. Children stop schooling after the 8th grade and dedicate their growing years and their entire productive years in creating unique and high quality furniture.

Amish families tend to focus on a particular design and niche. This specialization is one of the major strength of these fine craftsmen as they sharpen their skills to levels unmatched by any other craftsmen.

Every piece of Amish creation is a statement of their passion for hard work and topnotch quality. Amish furniture has reached the stature of being a work of art that will endure for generations in terms of design and durability.