What is the Amish?

The Amish are a Christian sect who continue to maintain the same lifestyle as when they first settled in America. Believe it or not, they still use horse-drawn carriages to get around and live without electricity.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in particular, is famous for its Amish community. When you drive through the suburbs of Lancaster, you can see Amish people driving horse-drawn carriages through the idyllic countryside. It can be said that Lancaster has inherited the good old days of American country. Many tourists from all over the United States visit Lancaster every year to see the Amish.

Amish Life

The Amish are basically self-sufficient. Their main industries are dairy farming and slaughtering, and in Lancaster you can buy fresh vegetables, fruits, baked goods, and other produce they produce at roadside stations and fresh produce stores.

Besides food, patchwork crafts called "Amish quilts" are also famous. Due to their cultural value, Amish quilts are regularly exhibited at Japanese ethnic museums.

Lancaster is also famous as the birthplace of Amish furniture, which has long been loved across the United States.

What is Amish furniture?

The Amish are also very famous for their furniture. Amish furniture is not just country-style furniture, but it is also sturdy, practical, and of high quality, making it very popular.

Unlike designer furniture, it is not flashy, but over the long history of the Amish, its designs have been refined for their simplicity and practicality. Because of their timeless designs and durability, they are loved throughout the United States as furniture to last a lifetime.

Historically, Amish furniture developed in Pennsylvania, USA. It eventually became so popular that it established itself as a genre throughout the United States.

Handcrafted furniture

Amish furniture is characterized by being made from solid hardwood and handcrafted by Amish carpenters, who often train from a young age under the auspices of their family or community, and are renowned for their high level of skill.

The furniture is very elaborate, with each piece carefully finished. Features such as table extensions, which are rare in solid wood furniture, are only possible with that skill. In fact, solid hardwood is hard and strong, but it is also difficult to process and requires skilled work.

Recognition of Amish furniture

In addition to its beauty and high quality, Amish woodworking has been gaining attention in recent years for its sustainability and is being recognized as an environmentally friendly product. Amish woodworkers take pride in their work and consider their creations to be furniture that will be used for generations.

Until now, Amish furniture from Lancaster has never been officially sold in Japan, let alone overseas. This time, our store has been able to utilize our local network in Lancaster to become the official importer and distributor of Amish furniture in Japan.

Features

  • Solid Hardwood Furniture

    Made from solid North American hardwood

  • Strong water resistance

    Strong water-resistant coating

  • Stain Resistant

    Treated finish that is resistant to liquids and stains

  • Thick top plate

    The tabletop is made of solid wood and is 1 inch (2.54 cm) thick. Some models, such as the Farmstead Mission, are thicker at about 3.81 cm.

  • Internal storage board

    Extension boards can be stored inside (with some exceptions).

  • Extension gear

    Extension function that opens by balancing with gears (with some exceptions)

  • Adjustable feet

    Adjustable dining table legs (with some exceptions)

  • Double bolt

    Double bolt reinforcement for stability (for small dining tables, etc.)

  • Height-adjustable shelf

    Height-adjustable shelves (some exceptions apply)

  • Dovetail

    Dove-tailed sturdy drawers

  • Drawer rails

    Rail guides allow drawers to open smoothly to the back

  • Top drawer

    Strong and stable drawers. The inner box frame is also finished in solid hardwood.

Solid wood

In the United States, solid wood is generally divided into two types: solid hardwood and softwood. Hardwood, as the name suggests, is very hard and dense.

The hardwood trees we mainly deal with, such as maple, oak, hickory, and cherry, are broad-leaved trees that grow slowly, replacing their leaves every year, resulting in very dense fibers. Because of this, they are hard and durable, and furniture made from hardwood is special among furniture and can be used for many years. The longer you use it, the more character it develops. It has the texture and beautiful grain that is unique to hardwood.

Hardwood

The hardwood used in Amish furniture is grown in the areas around Pennsylvania, the Appalachian Mountains, and the Great Lakes in North America. The tree's unique grain, which is created by the tree's growth rings as it slowly grows through many harsh snowy winters, is beautiful and gives a sense of eternal beauty.

Woods such as maple, red oak, cherry, and hickory are used to make furniture that will last a lifetime, such as Amish furniture, and have been loved for many years.

Beautiful wood grain

Each solid piece of wood has a different look depending on where it was cut. It can be lighter towards the outside and darker towards the center. No two pieces are the same. That's the mark of real hardwood.

In addition, solid wood furniture changes color over the years of use and changes its appearance as your family grows. And it will spend time with you and become your own furniture. Hardwood furniture responds to the passage of time.

Available solid hardwood

  • American Hardwoods

    All of the Country Classic Collection products we carry are made from American Hardwoods, which are harvested in North America (most of them in Pennsylvania). Each type of wood has its own beauty and characteristics.

  • Maple

    Maple grows from the Great Lakes to the Appalachian Mountains. It is durable and has a smooth and pleasant texture. It is yellower and creamier than cherry, but there are varieties with a range of colors from light to dark brown. In Japan, it is familiar because it is used for expensive guitars and violins.

  • Red Oak

    Red oak is one of the materials often used in American furniture. It is often used because it has a relatively uniform color and is durable. It has a unique texture and a rough grain, but scratches are less noticeable. Red oak sold in Japan often varies in quality.

  • Cherry

    It grows well in the northeastern Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania and Virginia. It has a smooth texture. Cherry changes color significantly over time, so it is recommended for those who want to enjoy the unique changes that occur over time that only solid wood furniture can exhibit.

  • Hickory

    Hickory is a wood commonly used in North America. It is characterized by straight lines, but sometimes has irregular lines that look like waves. It comes in many variations in color, from light to black. It is rough to the touch and heavy, but very durable. It is rarely available in Japan.

  • Quarter Sawn White Oak

    This is white oak, but it has been cut in a special way called quarter sawn (cutting wood from a log, similar to what is called straight grain in Japan). This cutting method creates a unique pattern and makes it more resistant to warping, but it is more expensive than regular white oak. White oak cut in this way is rarely available in Japan.

  • Rustic Cherry

    The wood is the same as Cherry, but this wood option makes use of the irregular knots. For those who want to enjoy the unexpected natural beauty of the wood's core and the more dynamic grain.

  • Rustic Oak

    Used in the Farmstead Bedroom Collection with an antique finish (standard wood option). The unique character created by the knots naturally appears on the surface, creating a one-of-a-kind presence that is unique to red oak wood.

  • Warmy Maple

    This option uses the sap streaks that naturally occur in maple. Wormy is a popular choice in the United States, based on the idea of ​​enjoying the holes left by bark beetles as they are. It is rarely available in Japan.