Home Furnishings
Photo courtesy of Legacy Home Furniture
By Beth Anne Brink-Cox House and Home Feature Writer
Isn’t it interesting to walk into a house, or see a stage or television set and instantly recognize the era of its furnishings and decorations? The avocado and orange of the 70s, the dusty blue and pink, geese and baskets of the 80s and so on. Generally speaking, you either loved one of those particular looks or you hated it and, if you hated it, you wanted to change it. Quarantining meant most of us were inside our homes more than the norm and that’s led to a lot of redecorating whenever possible. That goes beyond paint and paper and hardware; it means furniture, too. And it’s impossible to live in our Michiana area and not recognize the beauty and value of Amish crafted furniture.
Kiln-dried wood is far superior to particle board and laminates, and even the assembly, with dovetail joints, stretcher-based chairs and other fine details only adds to the finished look and value. Janine Blosser at Brandenberry Amish Furniture in Shipshewana said the trends now follow several distinctly different looks. “The wood pieces are more classic. A lot of the bedroom furniture is seeing soft neutrals, especially gray finishes. And many of the upholstered pieces are also gray,” which is cool and calming.
The ancestral skills and fine materials used make these wonderful heirloom-quality pieces worth every penny, and likely you’ll never tire of looking at them and using them.
She went on to say, “But the reclaimed barn wood look, rustic look, that’s really popular too.” It definitely gives a new home a historic, well lived look. When asked what woods
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are currently popular, Blosser said, “Right now we do a lot of quarter-sawn oak, hickory, hard maple. And we still do some oak pieces.” I asked if they ever sell unfinished pieces of furniture, she said, “Typically, no, but we do offer that if it’s wanted.” As with so many other businesses, supply shortages have affected Brandenberry with longer lead times. “Lead times can be as far out as January/February. But it’s improving. We are seeing some orders come in during August/September.” Online stores have hurt some dealers, but Blosser said, “We
Photo courtesy of Brandenberry Furniture
