Shaker Design. Twelve-drawer chest, c. 1810. Mount Lebanon, New York. Made for the Community. Pine, Fruitwood, stain. Collection of Benjamin Rose, San Francisco. Photo SFO Museum.
A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place
The Shakers’ industrious, communal lifestyle required a need for order and efficiency. To fulfill these requirements, the Shakers fabricated chests of drawers or built-in drawers and cupboards in nearly all of their buildings. These extraordinarily efficient storage units were particularly helpful during the first half of the 1800s when Shaker communal societies had the largest number of family members. The amount of attention and time devoted to the creation of storage units is truly impressive. These large storage units were some of the most complex and exemplary forms of furniture produced by Shaker craftsmen. Hundreds of freestanding pieces were designed and built to accommodate the specific needs of various communities.
Entire walls often contained built-ins composed of drawers, shelves, cupboards, and closets. One such structure built in Enfield, New Hampshire, during the mid-1800s contained more than 860 built-in drawers. The Shakers fabricated cases of drawers that stretch from floor to ceiling and include twelve, twenty-four, or as many as forty-eight drawers in a single unit. Rather than appearing overwhelming, these floor-to-ceiling, built-in storage units form tranquil designs of horizontal and vertical lines.
Design is fine. History is mine. 