Guide to Furniture Styles from Connected Lines

The Shaker style is a simple, utilitarian style characterized by straight tapered legs, woven chair seats, and mushroom-shaped wooden knobs. It was produced by the religious group the United Society of Believers in self-contained communities in the United States.

Appearance

Simple - Straight lines, simple design, and little ornamentation.

(Contemporary style shown)

Chair Arms

Simple turning or flat - Arms are straight with a simple turning or are flat.

Chair Back Material

Wood - Solid wood, horizontal slats, vertical slats, or vertical splats.

Chair Back Shape

Ladderback or Slatback - Equally spaced horizontal flat slats, either straight or curved.

Chair Leg

	Round - Round, usually shaped or turned leg.
	Simple turning - Turned leg with a few types of turnings.
	Splayed - Leg with a concave shape.
	Square - Flat surfaced leg on all sides.
	Straight - Straight leg, vertical to chair seat.
	Tapered - Straight leg gradually decreasing in width.

Chair Seat Material

	Cane - Woven rattan.
	Rush - Woven rush.
	Wood - Various types of wood.
	Woven - Woven material, usually heavyweight cloth.

Chair Seat Shape

Square - Square shaped seat.

Drawer Pull

Wooden Mushroom-Shaped Knob - Mushroom-shaped wooden knob, often 1 inch high and 1.5 to 2.5 inches in diameter.

Fabric

Cotton - Fabric made from the fiber of the cotton plant.

Finish

	Oil Varnish - Clear finish that emphasized the grain of the wood.
	Paint - Opaque, pigmented finish that obscures the grain of the wood.

Foot

Continuation of leg - Leg does not terminate into a foot.

Hardware Material

Wood - Various types of wood, carved or turned.

Joint

	Exposed Joinery - Visible joints that lock wood together.
	Dovetail - An interlocking wood joint in which a series of wedge-shaped projections fits into a series of alternating grooves.

Line

	Slight Curve - Gently curving lines.
	Straight - Straight lines.

Motif

None.

Ornamentation

Finial - Decorative turning affixed to the tops of case furniture, and chair and bed posts.

Proportion

Medium - Moderate dimensions.

(Queen Anne style shown)

Underbracing

Slender - Graceful use of stretchers.

(Hepplewhite style shown)

Wood

	Ash - Whitish-gray American hardwood with similar graining to oak.
	Birch - Red-brown American hardwood with a close grain.
	Cherry - Red-brown American hardwood.
	Elm - Red-brown American hardwood.
	Fruitwood - Pink-brown American hardwood, including apple and pear.
	Hickory - Red-brown American hardwood.
	Maple - Golden to Red-brown American hardwood with a wide range of figures.
	Oak - Gray-brown American hardwood.
	Pine - Yellow to pink-brown American softwood.
	Sycamore - Creamy-white European hardwood, treated to turn a silvery-gray or pink-brown color.

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