If you like the look and feel of handmade wooden bedroom furniture, you should certainly look into Shaker-style furniture.
Shaker furniture has been around for centuries and has maintained a steady, strong appeal through the years. While the number of real Shakers has dramatically dropped over the years, their legacy of high-quality furniture remains strong. In fact, it sets the standard for American furniture craftsmanship and quality.
Shaker-style bedroom furniture is the picture of minimalist functionality. It is all about elegant, clean lines and simplicity that blend effortlessly with other kinds of décor.
In addition, all Shaker-style furniture uses high-quality solid wood, so you can expect to have durable bedroom furniture. And since this furniture has that timeless aesthetic, its longevity will ensure that your bedroom is both functional and stylish for a long time to come.
What is Shaker Style Furniture?
Shaker-style furniture is handcrafted, solid wood furniture dating back to the 18th Century. It originated with a religious group called the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, which followed the teachings of prophet Ann Lee.
The group came from England and settled in North America in the late 1700s. Followers of this religious group became known as the ‘Shaking Quakers’ or ‘shakers’ due to their ecstatic dancing during worship. Thus, giving this style of furniture its name.
Shakers were devout people, committed to living simple, self-sufficient, dutiful, and obscure lives, and this is reflected in their craftsmanship. They believed in working with their own hands as an act of worship, including making their own furniture.
As a reflection of their commitment to simplicity, their furniture designs focused on function and quality rather than fashion and style. It is this enduring emphasis on functionality and simplicity that has maintained market appeal for Shaker furniture over the centuries.
Certain unique identifiers distinguish Shaker-style furniture from other simple, minimalist furniture designs. They include clean and elegant lines, simple design with no ornamentation, tapered legs, and mushroom-style wooden knobs.
All Shaker furniture is made from solid wood harvested from their lands, such as pine, hickory, oak, cherry, and maple. Each piece is then dutifully handcrafted to produce high-quality, durable pieces of furniture.
Shaker Style Bedroom Examples
Below are some Shaker-style bedroom sets to help you envision what your new bedroom furniture could look like.
Vermont Shaker Bedroom Furniture Set
Each piece of the Vermont Bedroom Set uses sustainably sourced natural cherry wood. The queen-size bed has a simple, platform bed frame with a pair of adjacent single-drawer, enclosed shelf nightstands.
In addition, this set comes with one 6-drawer chest featuring the classic Shaker style tapered legs and round button wooden knobs. All the piece finishings involve hand rubbing linseed oil to ensure longevity and bring out the beauty of the natural cherry.
The Vermont Bedroom Set captures the elegance and simplicity of the Shaker-style furniture. The clean lines and excellent craftsmanship will ensure that this bedroom set will maintain its aesthetic appeal and last for a long time.
The Joinery Classic Shaker Bed
The Joinery Bedroom Furniture Set features a classic shaker bed with a chest of drawers and a pair of nightstands handcrafted in Oregon from natural cherry wood. You can also get this bedroom furniture set in maple, Oregon white oak, or Eastern walnut.
The bed features a classic platform set up with a slat roll detail, and you can customize it to your preferred size. The 9-drawer features chest shaker knobs and thru joints for all the drawers, as does the pair of single-drawer nightstands.
Ken Michaels Furniture Modern Shaker Bedroom
The 18th and 21st centuries collide in this bedroom set to produce a magnificent, modern take on classic Shaker furniture.
Solid Appalachian Black Cherry has been used to carve out the flared legs and slat details that are classic Shaker. An oil finish brings out the natural beauty of this dark Cherry in keeping with the simple elegance of the Shakers.
Some modern twists appear in the 10 pieces of this bedroom set. These include a large and small media dresser with drop-front drawers for media components.
There are also recessed power outlets in the double drawer nightstands for charging your phone. This bedroom set marries durable craftsmanship of the past with modern creature comforts to give a truly modern take on Shaker furniture.
McKennon Four Piece Bedroom Set
This is another contemporary take on the traditional Shaker style bedroom furniture. Made from solid Brown Cherry, the McKennon bedroom sets consist of a queen-size storage bed, nightstand, dresser, and mirror.
The clean lines and simplicity echo the Shakers’ style, while the extra bed storage and bench on the bed add a more contemporary touch. The McKennon Bedroom set is simple, elegant, and beautiful.
Grain Wood Furniture Bedroom Set
Grain Wood’s 3 piece bedroom set includes the platform bed, nightstand, and five-drawer chest. Each piece uses 100% solid, sustainably sourced pine wood.
The chest combined modern metal knobs with the classic elegant shaker style for a stunning result. The 2-drawer nightstand also features metallic knobs that pull out deep, spacious drawers.
Also made from solid pine wood, the platform bed features a center rail for enhanced stability and can work with a box spring mattress. All the finishing uses a non-toxic paint to give that beautiful final look.
How to Shaker Style Your Bedroom
To create a Shaker-style bedroom, you need to consider everything from the bed to the linens.
1. Furniture
Shaker-style furniture has a distinctly elegant style characterized by clean lines, tapered legs, and mushroom-style knobs. All the pieces must be handcrafted from solid wood to truly be Shaker furniture, including the nightstands and dressing tables.
Some modern Shaker furniture may feature metallic knobs, but if you want the classic Shaker look, you’ll need wooden knobs. Shaker furniture is often lightweight and, therefore, easily portable.
A typical Shaker bed frame is simple and functional, often with sprung or solid slatted bases for support. Here’s a great Shaker-style bed frame:
This simplicity also features in the Shaker nightstand/bedside table that usually has just one drawer with thru joints and a wooden knob, just like this example:
If you like, a Shaker table lamp could sit on the nightstand, with its practical elegance. Here’s a great example:
Shaker-style dressing tables feature a mirror and some drawers. You can customize the mirror size and number of drawers to your needs. I like this dressing table a lot:
A bedroom is not complete without a chest of drawers, here’s a beautiful Shaker-style one:
Most Shaker homes had a blanket chest which you could also get for extra storage, such as this one:
Some people like to have a working space in their bedroom, so a Shaker writing desk and chair is a great option as well, like this one:
2. Linens and Décor
True Shaker bedroom décor is sparse if any at all. Everything has to be functional so that you won’t need a pile of pillows on your bed.
A simple quilt functioning as a throw blanket should suffice, this is a fine example:
You could add baskets made from natural materials as your décor and use them as extra storage, like this:
The Shaker color theme features mostly blues and yellows, and so should your curtains. They also must be simple so avoid decorative fabrics. Here’s a great example of beautiful Shaker-style curtains:
Finally, as part of working with their hands, Shakers could weave beautiful rugs that you could add to your bedroom. I like this one a lot:
List of Companies That Offers a Full Shaker Bedroom Furniture Collection
1. Vermont Wood Studios
Vermont Wood Studios produce handcrafted furniture from sustainably grown trees found in North America. They specialize in making genuine Shaker-style bedroom furniture from solid natural cherry, maple, oak, or walnut woods.
All their pieces are made to order so you can have your Shaker bedroom furniture customized easily and affordably. Vermont Wood Studios pride itself on supporting the people of Vermont and preserving the environment.
You can check out their store here.
2. Chilton Furniture
Chilton Furniture is a family-owned company founded in Maine in the 19th century. Since the 1970s, they have made all their furniture using American hardwoods, including original designs and pieces inspired by the Shaker style.
Their Shaker-style bedroom sets are handbuilt in Maine and feature the natural beauty of wood and the sensible balance and proportion characteristic of Shaker furniture.
You can browse around their store here.
3. Countryside Amish Furniture
Countryside Amish Furniture is a family owned business producing beautiful pieces for over 40 years. Each piece is handcrafted from solid American hardwood by Amish artisans in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.
Their Shaker bedroom furniture features functional pieces with simple, clean lines made from solid cherry or maple wood.
Learn more about their products here.
4. The Joinery
The Joinery has been designing and creating handmade furniture in Portland, Oregon, since 1982. Individual artisans make each piece, including those in their Shaker bedroom set, from beginning to end.
Clients can customize their Shaker bedroom set using cherry, maple, Eastern walnut, and Oregon White Oak woods.
Check out their store here.
5. Shaker Shoppe Inc
Shaker Shoppe Inc, based in Lititz, Pennsylvania, specializes in finely crafted traditional furniture. They use solid Sugar Pine, Pennsylvania Cherry, White Oak, and Tiger Maple woods to make all their furniture, including their Shaker-style bedroom furniture.
Traditional joinery is one of the features of their Shaker bedroom furniture, and clients can choose either natural, stained, or painted finishes for their pieces.
Take a look around their store here.
6. Ken Michaels Furniture
Ken Michaels Furniture has taken a modern approach to the Shaker-style bedroom furniture. The pieces come from solid Appalachian Cherry in keeping with Shaker tradition.
In addition, features like recessed power outlets have been included to bring the modern touch. This family-owned and operated company has a factory and store in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, with three retail stores in Milwaukee.
You can take a look at their products here.
7. Levin Furniture & Mattress
Founded in 1920 in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, Levin Furniture & Mattress continues to produce quality home furnishings. It has 13 furniture stores in locations around southwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio.
Their Shaker bedroom set made from solid Brown Cherry wood borrows heavily from the traditional Shaker style. However, it also incorporates modern elements for an impressive bedroom set.
You can browse around their products here.
8. Grain Wood Furniture
Grain Wood Furniture is a family-owned and operated small business founded in 2015 in Virginia Beach. All their furniture exclusively uses 100% solid pine wood sourced sustainably from southern Brazil.
Their modernized Shaker bedroom sets maintain their classic sturdy construction with clean, elegant lines. Clients can choose the color of their painted bedroom furniture finishings to be either cherry, walnut, or expresso.
Learn more about their products over at their store here.
What is The Best Wall Color For a Shaker Style Bedroom?
Light colors are the best for Shaker Style bedroom walls. Since Shaker colors are predominantly yellows, blues, and whites, you can use any of those to paint your walls.
What Kind of Bedding Should I Use For My Shaker Style?
Simple bedding made from natural materials will keep you true to Shaker style. You can even get some handmade Shaker quilts online to add that extra pop of color.
What Are Shaker Colors?
Shakers’ colors are predominantly white, yellow, and blue. White is the most predominant color, with pops of blue allowed here and there.
Is Shaker Style Furniture Still in Style?
Shaker Style furniture is still in style and in high demand. Its simple elegance appeals to most minimalists and allows it to blend seamlessly with any other kind of décor. Further, solid wood and high-quality craftsmanship produce great, durable furniture that is still in demand centuries later.
Is Shaker a Modern Style?
Shaker is a timeless style. While it began in America in the 18th Century, it is still relevant and on-demand in modern times. Some current pieces have a modern take to meet present-day needs but still maintain that classic Shaker look and feel.
