The Benefits of Amish Furniture

There are many ways to transform your living space into the perfect home. Decorating is a fun project, you get to play with colors, moods and accessories. But what about furniture? As you begin to think about furniture, consider including a few high-quality solid wood furniture pieces into the mix. It’s a real game changer, the benefits of which go beyond simple good looks. From essential living room furniture, to durable outdoor seating, we offer plenty of options to fit your needs.  Read on and discover all the reasons you’ll want to invest in these beautiful but functional works of art.

Solid Wood Furniture is High-Quality

Quality is definitely the place to start when discussing the advantages of purchasing Amish-made furniture. Pieces are built by hand using good quality hardwood as opposed to particle board or laminate. Great care is taken when choosing the wood for any given project. It’s evaluated for maturity, strength and natural beauty.

While modern furniture is put together on an assembly line, your furniture is built by one person – an artisan who puts their heart and soul into fine craftsmanship. Instead of staples and screws, you find dowel pins, biscuit joints and dovetailing which are more reliable and offer a seamless look. These are traditional woodworking techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation. The Amish take great pride in tradition, and their workmanship results in time-honored pieces that hold up for many, many years.

The Style is Timeless

Amish furniture is known for its timeless yet unique style. The trendy furniture you find at many popular stores may appeal to you initially but starts looking old and outdated in no time. Amish furniture withstands the test of time with its clean lines and simple yet elegant designs. And don’t think that just because a piece is timeless it’s boring! Because all the furniture is hand built, each piece can be made exactly to your specifications giving it its own personality and character. Even your choice of wood can make a huge difference in the appearance of a piece.

• Maple furniture offers a fine wood grain with straight lines and a nice, smooth look.
• Cherry is very popular and takes to stains and finishes extremely well. It tends to darken slightly as it ages and matures to a beautiful deep rich color. If you are looking for a bolder look,
• Walnut is perfect with its natural rich, dark color.
• Red and White Oak are classic options, with White Oak having a finer grain and a more golden hue than Red.
• Hickory wood is also becoming more popular lending a rustic look at a wide variety of grain patterns.

Solid wood furniture is often handed down from generation to generation. The classic styling fits well into any décor and is easily updated into different styles by pairing it with distinctive accessories. Change out your throw pillows, add a rug or some new lamps in bold colors and you’ll have a brand-new look!

Maintenance

There is a myth out there that solid wood furniture is difficult to care for, but nothing could be further from the truth. As with most things, prevention goes a long way. Keeping your furniture protected from moisture is the number one way to keep your pieces looking pristine. Protect the surfaces of tables by using coasters under drinks and invest in a set of table pads for kitchen and dining room tables. Not only will this protect from moisture, it mitigates the small scratches that can happen when things are placed on wooden surfaces.

Regular dusting of your furniture is also important. Surprisingly enough, you never want to use commercial dusting sprays. That shine they advertise is created by silicon which can build up on wood surfaces and make them sticky. A simple microfiber cloth or feather duster does a great job removing dust without allowing chemicals to build up on the surface. We go into much more detail on how easy it is to care for your solid wood furniture in our blog, so check it out!

Shop Local

Ok, maybe not super local, but knowing that your kitchen table was built from the ground up in the USA makes you feel good about supporting local artisans. It creates jobs on American soil and provides opportunities for people to continue a time-honored craft. A lot of the furniture you see in popular stores is made and assembled overseas, usually by low-paid workers in subpar conditions. All of the furniture we sell is built by the Amish community in Ohio. When you buy USA made furniture created by a master craftsman, you know that you’re getting a piece that will be part of your family for years.

Help the Environment

Furniture made by the Amish community is the ultimate in environmentally friendly. The Amish culture by nature aims to live “off the grid”, and this includes working without things most of us take for granted such as electricity. Amish craftsmen not only rely on hand tools such as planes, chisels, and saws but use pneumatic tools like miter saws and sanders. Pneumatic tools run on compressed air and are a much cleaner option. Their raw materials are sourced locally and sustainably harvested, completely eliminated the need for fuel and transportation services. They also use eco-friendly varnishes to keep the wood as healthy as possible. And of course, this heirloom quality furniture is built to last, which means less waste thrown into our landfills. When you purchase your furniture from the Amish community you can be sure you’re decreasing your carbon footprint!

It Really is an Investment

Merriam-Webster defines an investment as “an outlay of money, usually for income or profit”. When you invest in high-quality solid wood furniture, it’s a decision that will give you many years of use and enjoyment. Without the need to replace your furniture every five years, the amount of money you’ll save can be made available for other needs. The durability and strength of these pieces can bring peace of mind as you never have to worry about weakness, wobbles, or breakage. Also consider the intangible benefits. Knowing that your keeping books on the same bookshelf your grandmother used can be comforting. Memories made around dining room tables, whether during holidays or simple family dinners, are priceless. Think about the stories your heirlooms can tell!

The Bottom Line

All in all, the Amish take their history and traditions of making furniture very seriously. When you shop for furniture, think about the life it’s lived so far. The tree the wood came from and the worker who harvested it. The woodworker who chose the wood because it spoke to him, and then created a thing of beauty that you will welcome into your home. Think about the life you will create around that piece of furniture – the memories you’ll build. You may just find that it’s well worth it.