The latest trend in furniture is going towards the future, meaning there will be a lot of steel, glass and plastic present in our homes, not only as a part of the building we work in or of our home. There will be the same atmosphere on the inside, and you can see that from the modern furniture that is invading the stores day by day.
But there is still a segment of the market that will always prefer to have classic furniture in their homes, and when I say classic furniture I mean the good old wood furniture. There is also an option for those who want to bring a futuristic look in their homes. The wood furniture can be new age just as the glass and steel can be. But we will stick to talking about the nostalgic part of the market. This article addresses those of us who still dream of their grandparents’ home, and think of it as the warm and comfortable place that filled their childhood, or the romantic ones that want to recreate a fairytale atmosphere in their homes by using characteristic wood furniture.
There is no other kind of furniture that can compete with the wood furniture that comes out of the Amish workshops. As hardworking individuals with a strong responsibility for all the things they create, the Amish people entered the market with wood furniture that was initially created for their own use.
With strong traditions and old-fashioned ways, the Amish transmitted from generation to generation skills that some might consider extinct now that the age of robotics is thriving. With roots from the far 16th European century, the Amish started a new era in North America territories way back in the 18th century. That is when the need for practical, simple and resistant furniture made the Amish people use their knowledge of woodcraft. And this is how some of the most appreciated wood furniture begun its journey to our 21st century home.
There is not a single piece of furniture that cannot be made out of wood. From chairs to beds, from doors to window frames, from tables to dressers and nightstands, the wood furniture has a special and warm feeling that is transmitted to your room and even more to your entire home.
The wood furniture we are talking about is entirely made by hand by Amish craftsmen and furniture masters that pay attention to every detail that concerns that certain piece of furniture. From the first step, which is the choice of fine hardwoods, all the way to hand shaping and rubbing them, the craftsmen will make sure that the furniture pieces that will catch your eye, are the closest to perfection you have ever seen.
The wood furniture that benefits from the human touch, the hand working that turns the wood into masterpieces, these will always be one of a kind. The small irregularities that can hardly be seen make your piece of furniture unique and even if there is a pattern and resemblance, there will always be at least a small difference. This and everything else about wood furniture makes a home a special place, your special place.
If you are looking for Wood furniture please visit http://www.onlineamishfurniture.com
Posts Tagged ‘Piece Of Furniture’
Wood Furniture for Those Who Know Best
Saturday, September 4th, 2010Classical Finishes for Wood Furniture
Monday, August 16th, 2010Many new modern and synthetic products were introduced in the 20th and 21st century, leaving much of the traditional ways of finishing wood long forgotten. However, woodworking and finishing is an ancient craft and the oils, waxes, and resins historically used, still produce beautiful results that are hard to achieve from most any other process. Whether you are restoring an antique or building a new piece of furniture, consider using a traditional finish.
Following are finishing techniques dating from the mid-1600’s to the mid-1900’s.
OIL FINISHES
Linseed and tung oils are most commonly used, but other oils include walnut, soybean, sunflower, safflower, perilla, oiticica, and poppyseed. Linseed is pressed from the seed of the flax plant while tung oil is obtained from the nut of the tung tree. Oil finishes bring out natural characteristics of the wood and are relatively easy to apply. While it generally produces a satin sheen, applying many coats can produce a high gloss.
VARNISHES
When natural resins produced from plants, trees, and insects are added to the oil or to alcohol (spirits) a varnish is created. In most cases, spirit varnishes are more transparent and colorless, but an oil varnish is tougher and more water-resistant. Oil varnish is difficult and dangerous to make due to the hazards of heating a mixture of highly flammable materials, so consider ready-made traditional varnishes. Shellac is by far the best of the spirit varnishes and is much more flexible and durable.
FRENCH POLISH
Earlier recipes used other combinations and natural resins, but since the 1800’s, shellac, dissolved in alcohol, has been the main ingredient in a French polish. Applied with a pad, a good French-polish finish is very desirable and closely associated with fine furniture.
Shellac is made from the secretions of a lac bug and varies in color. Since it is solvent in alcohol, be careful of wine spills.
STAINS
Classic stains consist of dyes or pigments derived from plants, trees, and insects and are used to color the wood. Dye stains are transparent and soak deep into the wood, while pigment stains contain crushed minerals resembling very thin paint. Colors will fade with prolonged exposure to sunlight. However, the newer developments of synthetic aniline dyes are more lightfast and often cheaper.
Stains which chemically alter the color of the wood have also been used for centuries. These stains can be very beautiful and enhance the natural beauty of the wood, rather than obscure the grain patterns, but dangerous chemicals are used such as ammonia and tannic acid.
WAX FINISHES
Wax can be used alone as a finish or as a final protective coat. It is the most impervious to water compared to other natural products, but is relatively soft and damages easily. However, it is quickly repaired by adding another coat, protects against humidity, and produces a beautiful finish that is still preferred by many woodworkers.
Types of wax include beeswax, paraffin, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, lac wax, japan wax, and other waxes produced from trees, petroleum, minerals, and insects.
MILK PAINT
Paint has been found on early Egyptian furniture and used for centuries to protect, decorate, and to hide crude joinery. Milk paint is one type from ancient origin that is very durable and has a distinctive look not easily replicated. Colors will fade with exposure to sunlight and the natural pigments of the earth are more subdued than other types of synthetic paint.
The main ingredients in milk paint are milk, lime, and earth pigments. You can purchase milk paint in dry powdered form with authentic pigments and correct coarse texture.
While there are advantages and disadvantages to each type of finish, it is these characteristics together that help make an antique look and feel old. Before disregarding a finish based on what you might think is an undesirable effect, remember that the faded colors of a stain, the dirt embedded into wax, or the rougher texture of milk paint is was gives furniture the distinct feeling of character, age, and patina.
How to Choose the Right Wood Furniture
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010You may be fretting over the ideal piece of wood furniture for your home or office. Here is a simple guide to help you choose the right piece of wood furniture.
There are several things to consider when choosing a piece of wood furniture. Ultimately, your choice depends on what you need. So let’s start by considering your needs.
1) Indoors or outdoors.
First, consider whether you need the furniture for indoor or outdoor purposes. Wood furniture has different type of finishes, which make some ideal for outdoors, and others ideal for indoors. Generally, outdoor wood furniture have a stronger and more resistant finish on the exterior. So even when exposed to the sun and rain, it should still last.
There are many outdoor places that may need a good piece of wood furniture. For example, you may want to place a piece of furniture in a balcony, in the backyard, beside the swimming pool and so on. Fortunately, there are no lack of wood furniture for the outdoors. So you should be able to find what you need rather easily.
Next, ask yourself if you need the furniture for work or for leisure.
2) For work or leisure. / For home or office.
This has more to do with the overall setting of the location (which we will come to later). Usually, your office furniture or study room will look very different from your home furniture.
Wood furniture that is ideal for the work environment usually look more formal with ordinary shapes. They are also stronger and are expected to last longer. Observe the furniture in most study rooms. Often, people will choose strong wood such as oak or teak for study room furniture. They are ideal for tables and shelves, which are meant to hold strong items such as books for a long period of time.
In contrast, wood furniture in a more relaxed environment doesn’t have to be as formal. They can be oddly shaped, and created from a large variety of wood. You can easily find comfortable sofas, dining tables, and other home furniture made from wood.
In addition, when choosing wooden furniture, keep in mind the overall theme of your home or office. Sometimes, a piece of great wooden furniture may look perfect when standing alone. But when it arrives on location, it turns out to be a wrong fit. Nobody would like that to happen. So be sure to consider carefully how a piece of wooden furniture will fit before making a buying decision.
If you have a budget in mind, you may have to consider the type of wood as well. Different types of wood affects the retail price of the furniture. Mahogany, oak, walnut and cherry wood are examples of fine wood that will cost more.
Again, due to the wide of wood furniture available, there is always something for every theme you can think of. Wood can be made to fit into modern themes, fun themes, English themes, and many other popular and fashionable themes. So let your imagination run wild, and choose the right piece of wood furniture.