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The only thing better than owning an Amish dining room table is complimenting it with hand constructed Amish dining room chairs. Even if you are not ready to replace your current dining table you can upgrade your current dining room or kitchen by simply replacing inferior dining or kitchen chairs. Mass manufactured chairs can quickly exhibit wobble and wiggle because of poorly made frames and low quality joining of the pieces during construction. While Amish designs are known for their beauty, because of their construction integrity the Amish crafted chair is the very best investment for your money. A few tips will help you to select the perfect chairs for your home.

CONSTRUCTION: The dining room chair is abused like no other piece of furniture. Dining chairs are used for sitting on, standing on, leaning on, leaning against, rocking back in, tossing purses and backpacks on, hanging coats or bags from their backs, and eventually we even eat and drop food on them. From the frames to the legs we put weight on the construction and compromise the joinery. Because of their expertise in the craft of joinery the Amish craftsmen provide chairs that last through decades of normal every day use. Studying the architecture of the back and how it is attached to the seat will help determine its strength in joining. The heritage of good, honest Amish carpentry gives attention to these stress points and ensure the strength in every detail.

STYLES: Amish chairs are designed in many reminiscent styles like the great Shakers, Arts and Crafts Movement, Mission and the highly evolved Modern designers. It can be very chic to pair traditional chairs with contemporary tables or vise versa but you should attempt to pair pieces that at least share some common design elements. For instance, the table will have a certain style of leg and the chair should include the same style in the leg or back. When the table is square or rectangular, like in Mission designs, the chair seats should also be square or rectangular.

 SIZE AND HEIGHT: A standard width for armless dining chairs is twenty two inches. Larger is acceptable, especially when your dining table or room is larger. When a chair is narrower than 17 inches they can’t provide enough support for the occupant. Maximum comfort when choosing chairs is reached between 20-24 inches deep. The seat should be eighteen or nineteen inches in height. Allow a minimum of 12 inches between the top of the seat and the top of the table when measuring for the standard 29 or 30 inches high dining room table.

WEIGHT: Because we move the dining room chairs so often, sliding them in and out or moving to sweep and vacuum, be sure the dining chair you select is easy to move from the table. Slat back chairs like the Arts and Crafts designs are easier for most people to grip. Solid backs or upholstered sides are more difficult to grasp and slide. Consider also who will be using the chairs. Can an older family member or a child easily come to the dinner table without assistance in moving the dining furniture every meal?

Amish woodworkers build chairs from American hardwoods with important indicators of great artisanship like sturdy, heirloom quality construction. Amish dining room chairs are available in Oak, Quarter Sawn White Oak, Hickory, Cherry, and Maple. Each piece of Amish dining room furniture is hand assembled, hand sanded and hand finished.

The Amish have ensured that the ever popular and functional pedestal table is obtainable for your modern home; as a smaller end or accent table and as a large formal dining room table. The pedestal table has a rich history of design and purpose and is still crafted from American hardwoods and stained to custom blend into your home’s décor. Thanks to Amish craftsmen there is a pedestal table just right for your room.

In varying styles, pedestal tables first appeared in the late 18th century. The pedestal design has remained in fashion ever since. The pedestal was originally designed for smaller rooms and to give an air of status. They were popular because of their functionality and almost all homes had one in some form. Just like today they could be put to use in an elegant dining room or as a gaming table for friends and family to gather around. In smaller accent versions they were used for writing or for displaying lamps or flowers.

Pedestal bases have ranged from single columns to fanciful, ornately scrolled, indulgences. Each designer and style seemed to create its own signature of pedestal base. Their commonality is a single leg or central supporting column or pillar, attached under the center of the table top. From multi-point bases to rounded bun designs the pedestal table is still in vogue in Amish dining and livingroom furniture today.

Pedestal tables can vary in geometry from the side-less round to four-sided oblong to multi-edged octagons. King Arthur was famed for his round table, giving equality to all since it did not host the traditional head of the table that rectangular dining room tables did. Since the focal point of a pedestal draws your eye to the center the tops of pedestal tables have traditionally been visually pleasing. Artisans of wood have either selected woods with beautiful grains and rays like the quarter sawn oak or veneered or inlaid the tops. Some pedestal tables even had tilting tops to be able to store it against a wall. Some tops even included drawers on their sides to store writing implements or gaming devises.

The Amish woodworkers customize and build pedestal tables from selected hardwoods for every room in your home. The Amish are artisans who understand that the pedestal table is a classic design of form and function that will enhance your progressive home. The Amish have kept alive design styles from throughout the centuries offering Arts and Crafts Mission, double based pedestals in contemporary or retro design, contemporary Stanton and glass topped Yorkshire. Pedestal tables created in woods and stains to fit every home and accompanying chair design are all made by the Amish with care.

You can own an Amish heirloom dining room table and be the greatest cook in the world but when you serve the food it is all about the presentation. If you are fortunate enough to have a room or area designated for dining the presentation quality is heightened by the proper use of lighting. Using the proper lighting you have the opportunity to create a cozy and dramatic effect that will enhance your dining experience.

Unless you use your dining room for working then you don’t need an overall room lighting element and can focus on creating dining ambience. Your focus in lighting a dining room should be on the dining room table itself, especially when showcasing a high end design from the Amish. By using a counter-balanced hanging light or chandelier you can create the effect you need. This type of light also allows for raising the fixture out of sight when serving dinner by candlelight. When lowered again remember that the light should not be obstructive at eye level but still positioned so the bulb itself is not glaring in the eyes of your guests. Also remember to choose a soft light that does not cast strong glare and shadows. A warm glow from the surface of your finish is optimal not a blinding white glare.

Other than the romantic glow of candle light the placement of semi-hidden fluorescent lighting strips above or behind hutches and cabinets can serve to give a decorator’s touch to a room but still not distract from the dining room’s focal point-your Amish dining room table. Downlight creates a welcoming effect but needs supplemented by other light sources. Recessed ceiling lighting can play an important part in warming up a cold room by being unobtrusive and out of eye level.

The type and source of lighting you choose cannot only affect the look of your Amish table’s wood tones but also the color perception of your food. The lights should enhance and not muddy the colors of your vegetables. Lights should pool on the tabletop not glare off the stemware or foreheads of your guests. With a little trial and error you will be able to create the perfect lighting scheme to display and use your Amish hard wood dining room table.

 “I love thee to the level of everyday’s most quiet need, by sun and candle light…

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Poet 1806-1861

 

There is nothing as good for the heart as warm candlelight flickering from the surface of a polished and welcoming dining room table, especially if it is a solid wood creation from the Amish. That is until that same candle has caused irreversible damage to the finish of your heirloom investment. In the past we may have had them on display, perhaps in a dining room buffet’s candelabra, but only recently have home owner’s begun to actually light them daily for ambience in their homes. The comforts of the flame, reminding us of hearth and home, coupled with the aromatherapy qualities,  mean candles are here to stay and use.

Unprotected candles, like pillar style or tapered, are dangerously alluring. While the naked candle and lit flame are visually appealing the hot wax can cause puddles and splattering from sputtering flames or aggressively being blown out. Always use protection for your wood surfaces with a tempered glass or ceramic base under them. Be sure your candle is in a draft-free area; protecting Amish furniture from splatters as well as smoke damage. In a drafty room try turning the candle half way around every hour. Instead of blowing out the flame try a snuffer, a device used to extinguish a candle, available at many candle retailers.

Using a candle encased in glass is best. This containment prevents the spillage of hot wax on your fine Amish furniture. Use caution here. When the manufacturer recommends not burning to the bottom it is because of the dangers of the glass becoming overheated and damaging or even destroying furniture. Worse yet, there is a risk of the glass becoming so hot it actually explodes, causing a surface burn or worse a full fledged fire.

If it is only the aroma you are seeking try a warmer instead. Available at many department and crafts stores these warmers keep the wax softened but safe. Consider the use of custom pads from AmishTables.com, available in many custom sizes and colors, to help insure the surface of your prized Amish table tops.

 A Natural Design Element for Solid Wood Furniture

Amish solid wood furniture is organic in design and is complimented by things brought in from the great outdoors like flower bouquets. The natural element of the wood helps to celebrate big, voluminous bundles of beauteous petals. An arm full of flowers placed inside of a glazed Mission era rustic urn or a lustrous crystal vase will stand out against your oak, cherry or maple American hardwood Amish tabletops. Colorful and fragrant tendrils dripping from their rims will help to promote the homey feelings you began with the purchase of your Amish tables.

Consider the size and scale of your room when selecting flowers for centerpieces for your Amish dining room tables or living room table tops. The flowers you select and what container you choose should reflect the room and the table as well as the theme of your event, if applicable. Remember to protect your wood surface from moisture with table pads or protective dishes underneath.

Pick either varying hues, shades, textures of flowers and foliage and unexpected elements against a plain pot for visually interesting displays. For more impact use one solid color and flower cut symmetrically for use as a cachepot. A cachepot, which can be an artistic study in color, is normally short, tight and compact but can be made more whimsical with airy sprigs of asparagus fronds inserted randomly. Nestling a votive candle into a cachepot’s center is also a romantic element for a dining room table’s focal point.

Trimming your stems according to floral type specifications and arranging using a hidden flower frog will make the design last longer. You can make your own frog, an object with perforations used to support the stems of flowers, by running cellophane tape in a grid fashion across the tops of the container. Fill halfway with non-chlorinated room temperature water that has flower preservative additives dissolved in it. Remove the leaves and thorns from the stem and insert. For fresh cut stems use one large vase and two smaller vases clustered, to mirror the parent vase, giving a wonderfully opulent effect. Secure the loose stems with a rubber band before placing in the vases and then snip, allowing them to arrange themselves naturally.