Our love affair with the Shakers
Over the Summer we had the privilege of learning the craft of traditional oval shaker boxes under the watchful eye of our mentor and friend Cliff at his home workshop in Edinburgh.
The Shakers, a religious sect founded in the 1700s are known for their celibacy, furniture making, equality of the sexes and communal living.
The Shaker box was initially created for everyday use; from storing dried goods in the pantry to housing haberdashery in the women’s workshops. Later the box often took on a more ornate style- beautifully crafted and incorporating satin, velvet and ribbon.
“The shakers often marketed their products as being of diligence and intelligence.”
- ‘The Shakers: A World in the Making’, Vitra Design Museum
We instantly fell in love with the magic of the Shaker box process; the boiling, bending, hammering delight of it all. We decided to use Maple and Cherry, the traditional timbers of choice for our first batch. After bending the strips of timber around a form, we hammered in copper nails shipped in from Michigan. These nails are made using 19th century equipment and designed specifically for the production of Shaker boxes.
Both lid and bottom of the Shaker box can be veneered, opening up all sorts of design possibilities. Being able to incorporate marquetry into a project gives us the opportunity to collaborate with Phoebe Rose (aka @Dahliasstories). Phoebe is entwined in the very fibres of Grain and Groove, with her fabulous brass and copper work often being sold from our market stalls. Phoebe, inspired by folk art, mythology and her work as a florist, has created a series of designs that sit on our oval boxes with intrigue and delight.
While we realised that Shaker boxes were going to be an important addition to the Grain and Groove homeware collection, we had no idea how deeply we would come to respect and admire a community founded in the 1700’s.
We spent last weekend at the Vitra Design Museum in Germany visiting their latest exhibition ‘The Shakers: A World in the Making’. It was a gorgeously curated selection of artefacts, showcasing the Shakers as so much more than just ‘celibate chair makers’.
‘‘At the same time, the so-called "Shaker style" often reduces their design philosophy to a marketable aesthetic that caters to postindustrial desires for a spiritually elevated, sustainable lifestyle. The exhibition The Shakers: A World in the Making aims to move beyond such simplifications, instead exploring the Shakers' entwined philosophies of community, craftsmanship, and religious belief. It challenges conventional narratives and incorporates new research on aspects of Shaker life particularly relevant to contemporary concerns, including topics such as gender roles, inclusion, and the colonial history of the United States.”
- ‘The Shakers: A World in the Making’, Vitra Design Museum
We were blown away by the Shaker community’s acceptance of people from all walks of life. The exhibition contained lovingly crafted cradles for both infants and elderly, orthopaedic shoes and wheelchairs. We were impressed by the level of care behind even the most functional of items.
“Shakers were committed to a degree of inclusion that was radical for their time period, caring for every individual as part of the greater whole regardless of race, gender, or ability.”
- ‘The Shakers: A World in the Making’, Vitra Design Museum
The Shakers’ way of life and their drive to produce objects with empathy and purpose remains more relevant than ever in today’s society. It’s a true honour to carry on the tradition of Shaker box making, helping to keep the craft alive, one box at a time.
