Shaker Design Inspiration

I’ve always been a huge fan of Shaker design and Shaker architecture. Every time I took a visit to Shakertown, or Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Kentucky–not far from where I grew up–I would come away inspired and in love with the beauty scattered all over the village’s rolling hills.

Me and BJ at Shakertown (photo by Orange Sheep Photography, 2011)

Numerous volumes have been written on the architecture of the Shakers and their well-known, simplistic designs for furniture, use of materials, and interior arrangements.

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I feel like Shaker design and furniture has a timeless appeal–it almost never goes out of style if used in the right context. I love the clean lines and the look of a well-made, primitive piece.

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We choose to go with several Shaker-inspired designs for our new house–mostly embodied in our cabinetry, simple interior trim, stair and stair railing, and shelving with Shaker peg rails underneath. I’m not strictly married to Shaker principles because, after all, I still want an overall farmhouse feel, but I love the simplistic look enough to opt for it over something else more fussy when forced with making a design choice.

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For example, we decided to forego any crown molding–including any on the top of our cabinetry in our kitchen and our built-in bookshelves in the great room. We do have baseboards–but those are common in farmhouses of all types and serve a practical purpose rather than just decorative. Our cabinets are simple, Shaker panels with inset doors/drawers and wood knobs–no beading or any other decorative detailing.

Below is a sneak peek of some of our kitchen cabinetry. Sorry for the poor photo quality–I’ve only had time to take pictures on my phone at this point:

I think Shaker design goes well with a farmhouse and I love that I’m able to pull inspiration from one of my favorite places in Kentucky to visit 🙂