What is "Real" Amish Furniture?

While the Amish have been making furniture for hundreds of years, it wasn't until the 1920s that people started paying attention to and collecting Early American "folk art." This folk art was what caused the popularity of Amish furniture in Bhiwandi furniture market to explode and people began noticing the different "styles" of furniture that were emerging. Gone were the days when people recognized Amish furniture as simply "made of wood."

There are two "classic" styles of Amish furniture: the Jonestown School and the Soap Hallow School.

The Jonestown School comes from Pennsylvania's Lebanon County and is known mostly for blanket chests. Three panels of these blanket chests have flowers painted onto them. Today's contemporary chests often mimic this early style of Amish furniture.

The Soap Hallow School of Amish furniture making originated in the Soap Hallow county of Pennsylvania. These furniture pieces are more brightly painted and are usually found in black, gold or red.

Most people think of Amish furniture as plain and undecorated but the truth is the style that is usually identified as Amish actually originated with Henry Lapp, who was a Pennsylvanian furniture maker. He was one of the first furniture makers to leave behind the older Amish styles, which mimicked the German style of furniture making, and adopt a plain and uncomplicated approach to making furniture-a style that had been most closely associated with the Welsh.

Here are some characteristics most often associated with what we now call "Amish furniture":

1. The furniture is almost always completely handmade. This is because Amish beliefs prevent carpenters and furniture makers from using technology to ease the building process. This includes intricate woodworking in which the hand-carved details add to the quality of the piece.

2. Most Amish furniture is made to be functional more than decorative. Regardless of style (some styles of Amish furniture can be quite ornate), the aim of this furniture design is to be durable and maintain its functionality.

3. Each piece of Amish furniture is unique. The hand tooling and furniture makers take great care in selecting each piece of wood to make sure that the grain is different.

Recently many mass production companies have began churning out furniture pieces that they claim are "Amish furniture." While these pieces are certainly made in the distinct styles of the Amish (Queen Anne, Mission, Shaker), true Amish furniture will be found in independent furniture stores, antique shops and at auction.