833-326-4743How to Buy Amish Furniture Online
Furniture items handcrafted by cabinetmakers using old-world techniques are now just a few clicks away on any smartphone or laptop computer. Such is the irony – and convenience – of buying Amish furniture online. Here’s how to buy Amish furniture online:
What is special about Amish furniture?
Amish craftsmen build each item of furniture with their hands, modern tools, plus skills and techniques handed down from their ancestors. This is why you’ll find Amish furniture with dovetail and mortise and tenon joints as well as steam-bent chair backs, among other tried-and-proven features. So, it’s little wonder Amish furniture is renowned for its great looks, superior quality, practicality, and long life. Families often pass their Amish-made pieces down to the next generation.
Why did the Amish start building furniture?
As a self-sustaining group that limits its contact with the ‘outside world,’ the Amish began building furniture to supply their own needs as well as to earn a living. The Amish split from the Mennonite Church in Switzerland in the latter part of the 17th century. They settled in areas removed from technology and emphasized simplicity and self-reliance. Woodworking became a primary means of earning a living, and Amish cabinetmakers began relying on traditional methods, such as using dovetail joints, mortise and tenon joints, as well as dowels. Amish men passed down these skills to succeeding generations. In addition, the Amish community sees practical crafts like cabinetmaking as a way to honor God and serve their community.
Amish people began migrating to America early in the 18th century in order to escape religious persecution in Europe. They first settled in Eastern Pennsylvania, and later established communities in other states, including Ohio and Indiana. Today, Amish furniture is renowned for style, quality, and heirloom-quality durability.
Is Amish furniture made from solid wood?
The majority of Amish furniture is made from hardwoods such as oak, maple, cherry, and hickory. Hardwood comes from broad-leaf trees, which shed their leaves during fall and winter. Because hardwoods grow more slowly than softwoods (such as pine, spruce, and fir), they tend to be more dense, durable, and resistant to wear and tear. This is why Amish cabinetmakers traditionally choose hardwoods for furniture.
Where do Amish cabinetmakers get their wood?
Amish cabinetmakers usually get their wood from local and regional hardwood forests, primarily in the Midwest. The Amish typically work with local mills and try to ensure that forests are managed responsibly and that the wood is harvested sustainably. Also, Amish craftsmen mostly use hardwoods like oak, maple, cherry, and hickory. Amish craftsmen rarely use softwoods like pine, fir, and spruce in making furniture. They also avoid wood substitutes like particleboard and medium-density fiberboard (MDF).
Is Amish furniture built in factories?
Most furniture sold in big-box stores and popular franchise furniture stores is built on an assembly line. However, Amish furniture is built in small, family-operated workshops, most of which are located in Amish farming communities in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The Amish people practice a simple lifestyle that’s rooted in tradition. And Amish craftsmen apply the values of simplicity, integrity, and quality to create furniture that’s renowned for functionality, beauty, and heirloom-quality durability. Buying Amish furniture online helps keep these values alive.
Is all Amish furniture custom-built?
While a lot of Amish furniture is custom-built, some retailers now offer furniture that’s available through a system called Quick Ship. This program lets you purchase furniture from a collection of popular products that are kept in inventory and delivered ‘as is.’ Other pieces are offered with limited customization, such as your choice of varnish. That way, you can match your new piece with the finish of your existing furniture. With Quick Ship, furniture is shipped about 6 to 8 weeks after the order is received. Conversely, wait times for custom orders run from about 8 to 12 ½ weeks or more, plus delivery time.
Is Amish furniture expensive?
Yes. Amish furniture tends to be more expensive than most because typically, it’s custom-built to specs from customers and handcrafted using traditional techniques passed down through generations. Amish cabinetmakers also build furniture from solid hardwoods like oak, maple, and cherry. Hardwood is far more durable – and more expensive – than manufactured woods like medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and particleboard.
How long does Amish furniture last?
Amish furniture is expertly handcrafted by Amish cabinetmakers using solid hardwoods and tried-and-proven woodworking techniques handed down from their ancestors. As a result, Amish furniture lasts for several decades. Amish-made pieces are usually heirloom-quality, and as such are handed down from one generation to the next. This makes the furniture an incredible value.
Do the Amish have furniture stores?
Yes. Amish folks own and operate furniture stores, most of which are located within or close to Amish communities such as Shipshewana, Indiana; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Holmes County, Ohio. The stores specialize in selling solid wood furniture made by Amish cabinetmakers using traditional techniques and solid woods like oak, maple, and cherry. Generally, shoppers can buy furniture right off the showroom floor. Or, customers can custom-order furniture to meet their specific needs and desires. Many Amish stores also have a strong online presence.
e-Amish Furniture represents another option for buying Amish furniture. An online-only store, e-Amish Furniture offers hundreds of pieces of solid wood Amish furniture that can be ordered directly from its website and shipped fast, via its Quick Ship program.
Is it easy to buy Amish furniture online?
You bet it is! These days, most Amish furniture retailers maintain an online store where customers can browse a full lineup of furniture items. Shoppers can custom-order by selecting individual pieces of furniture or complete sets, such as a dining table with matching chairs. Also, you can choose options such as wood species, hardware, and wood stain. What’s more, you can easily make purchases using a credit or debit card.
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