{"id":554,"date":"2019-09-30T16:00:37","date_gmt":"2019-09-30T16:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dutchcrafters.com\/content\/?page_id=554"},"modified":"2025-11-07T09:04:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T14:04:25","slug":"slow-furniture-movement","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.dutchcrafters.com\/content\/slow-furniture-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"Slow Furniture Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is the Slow Furniture Movement?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The\nSlow Furniture Movement embraces the deliberate creation and use of durable\nfurniture. A part of the Slow Movement that values quality over quickness, it\nhas emerged as a response to the mass production of disposable \u201cfast\u201d\nfurniture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Too much furniture has become a \u201cbuy it cheap and throw it away\u201d commodity, with little regard for the important place that furniture holds in creating a home that supports an authentic life. In the long run this is costing dearly, with furniture performing poorly due to inferior construction then breaking down to become waste that fills landfills and ultimately requiring the owner to spend more on replacement furniture.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Woodworker\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

At DutchCrafters, Amish furniture is built on the principles of strength, beauty and durability, and these principles reflect slow furniture at its very core. After reading books on slow food, our CEO Jim Miller saw the correlation and started talking about the value of slow furniture. We feel humbled to pioneer this important movement that reclaims the value of intentionally built, well-made furniture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Slow Furniture Movement recognizes the story that grows\naround the furniture you use in your home. The memories that are made and the\nmonumental events that occur are unique to every family. We believe in building\nfurniture that\u2019s made with great purpose to work well, look beautiful and last\nthroughout all of life\u2019s moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re a part of the furniture we create. While you\u2019re\nwaiting for the ideal build, your needs, questions and input are put at the\nvery top of the list, involving you in the selection of solid wood type, finish\ncolors, features and custom additions that are sure to be enjoyed for many\nyears to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Principles of the Slow Furniture Movement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  • Supports investing in quality made, highly durable furniture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Recommends pieces of furniture that are multi-functional.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Believes the time it takes to make good furniture is worth the wait.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Supports furniture production that pays and treats workers fairly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Rejects fast furniture that\u2019s mass produced and cheaply made.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Amish Furniture Lives in the Slow Furniture Movement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The DutchCrafters experience embraces the Slow Furniture Movement in every way. The opposite of a quick, cheap purchase of a mass-produced piece that looks like everyone else\u2019s, our furniture embraces traditional, time-honored techniques that Amish craftsmen have been practicing and perfecting for decades. It connects everyone involved to the design and building of new furniture, creating a connection between customer vision and quality living. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The person who will own the furniture is an integral part of the furniture building process. There\u2019s the excitement of viewing wood samples with different finish colors, the selection of features like hardware and drawer slides, the discussion about dimensions that will work best in your space and the highly anticipated delivery day, when your new furniture arrives, carefully blanket wrapped to protect the solid wood that will reveal the quality you\u2019ve invested in, with limited packaging waste that needs to be thrown out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Slow furniture brings a story with it, a story that can be shared with family and can easily begin with, \u201cI had this made in an Amish woodshop,\u201d or, \u201cI scoured thrift shops until I found this piece to complete my vision.\u201d With slow furniture, the story goes on to include \u201cI inherited this solid wood table from my mother, and it\u2019s just as beautiful as when I used it as a child.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Within the slow furniture movement, it\u2019s not about looking for the lowest price tag or quickest delivery. There are satisfaction and pride in investing in furniture that\u2019s harder to make, that takes longer to make and feels great to own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Slow Food, Slow Fashion and Slow Furniture <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Slow furniture is part of a broader slow movement that\nincludes slow food and slow fashion, investing in the product, the process and\nthe person to receive it, whether that be the joyous creation of a hearty meal,\nthe sparkle and divine fit of an evening gown, or the cutting, creating,\nfinishing and delivery of a piece of solid wood furniture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The slow movement is about creating things to the best of\none\u2019s ability, savoring the process, and honoring the time to do quality work with\nan awareness of the long-term effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One example of slow fashion is the design team Eugene Alexander,\nwhose 1980s and ’90s couture gowns are still worn today. At DutchCrafters, we saw\nthe connection between our furniture process and their story and were honored\nwith the opportunity to produce a documentary about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n