Historical Overview:

This style is attributed to the craftspeople of Shaker villages located in the northeast potion of the U.S. "Shaker styling" is a term used in Europe, as well as North America. It defines a woodworking style that is beautifully executed and simple in detail. The Shakers' homes were really dormitories. They were designed with multipurpose rooms and they hung chairs on pegs along the outer walls so floor space was available for other activities.

Cabinetry/Millwork:

Square recessed panel doors with simple outside edge details are the main stay. Predominate wood species include maple and cherry. Warm or medium range wood tones are appropriate. The Shakers would sometimes paint some of the woodwork such as the window frames, peg rails, and skirting or beaded board wall systems.

Hardware and Accessories:

Wood pegs are the most authentic, as the Shaker artisans made a large variety of woodturnings for everything from cabinet pulls to pegs for wall hanging systems. You can also use simple metal or hand-forged finishes.

Countertops:

Granite, limestone, slate and square-edged solid surfaces are all appropriate.

Colors:

The colors used in the dwelling were taken from nature. They made use of the dyes and pigments found in the clay and plants that surrounded them. As a result, these colors range from pinky tones and terra cotta earth shades, through yellow ochre and olive green, to greenish blues and denim.

Surfaces:

• Floors:
  Simple woven wood or rag rugs were laid on top of hard surfaced floors that were either wood or stone with a varnish.
• Walls:
  Most of the time you'd see tall bead board wainscot with pegs with the remainder of the walls painted in an off-white or earth tone color.
• Ceilings:
  While wood beams could be introduced the ceilings were typically plaster painted white or off-white.

Accents:

The Shakers tended to avoid patterns and as a result hand-woven fabrics were usually plain. But they sometimes wove checked fabrics: miniature ginghams, window checks, or checks that incorporated more than one color.