History of Shaker
Shaker kitchens are the result of a distinctive furniture style developed by the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, commonly known as Shakers. Their principles of simplicity, utility and honesty were reflected in the well-made furniture of minimalist designs.
Rather than using ornamentation in their furniture designs such as inlays, carvings, metal pulls, or veneers. The Shakers produced tables, chairs, rocking chairs (made in several sizes), and cabinets, which are said to have Shaker doors, known for being flat panelled with rail frames.
This Shaker design and thought process has deeply influenced the work of many generations. From architecture to interior designer, you’ll be able to see some Shaker influence.
Shaker Kitchens
Over the years the word Shaker has been used as a more generic term to describe a particular look of a kitchen. You’ll see thousands of kitchen companies using the word shaker for what are actually very different products.
A true shaker kitchen would be flat panels with a simple square frame. Today, you see beaded panels and some units have no frame at all, yet all described as a shaker kitchen. The one element that does seem to run through all though is a panelled door.
Our Shaker Kitchen Designs
Whether it’s painted or a reclaimed timber finish, all our Shaker style kitchens sit within a frame. This frame more often than not has a cock bead around the edge to soften the transition from the the door to the frame.
Our Northallerton bespoke kitchen project is one which has the closest form to that of the original Shakers. The flat door and drawer panels sit within a crisp square frame. Painted in Farrow & Ball’s stunning Chinese Blue and Pointing, the cabinetry features a mix of shaker traditional kitchen units and more modern open shelving.
A more modern take on the Shaker form is our Hammersmith project. It still has the core elements of Shaker but the frame has a small cockbead to add a little detail.This kitchen was painted in the stunning Little Greene, Harley Green.
Your Shaker Kitchen
If you are interested in discussing your very own Shaker kitchen design or ideas that you have for your next project do feel free to contact us, one of our in-house kitchen designers will be happy to help.