Utopia: Shakers
The Shakers are famous for their bureaus, sewing tables, dressers, flat brooms, and boxes. One Shaker sister gave voice to the popularity (read: commodification) in a BBC documentary, titled “I Don’t Want to Be Remembered as a Chair. Some of us can think of worse legacies, of course.
Few people know that aside from the fine furniture, the Shakers invented the circular saw, the clothespin, and the washing machine. Oprah Winfrey, in 1991, bought an 1830s Shaker work counter for $220,000, which was (at that time) the highest price paid at auction for Shaker furniture. She, along with many other people, have since paid higher prices. At this late, post-industrial date, Shaker influence is so pervasive that it’s almost (but not entirely) inextricable from all our design favorites.
Shaker Design:
Shaker design:
Shaker-inspired:
Maxine Snider Inc., Grande Bureau
Leave a Comment