Tag: barn wood furniture

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A Celebration of Amish Barn Raising Season

This season, as with every year, the Amish communities witness a return to one of their oldest traditions: barn raising.

reclaimed barn wood furniture and the amishThe act is a celebration of something core to the Amish personality. A barn is the hub for many kinds of Amish work; it’s the nexus for their products and processes, including woodworking. Without their beautiful barns and the elegant process by which they’re erected, we wouldn’t have the materials the Amish turn into beautiful reclaimed barnwood furniture. To commemorate barn raising, we’ll take this time to dive into its history and its current status.

History of Amish Barn Raising

Barn raising began as a viable practice in the earliest American settlements. In those days, for want of contractors and carpenters, societies were interdependent and came together to erect the barns the way they came together to do anything.

It’s an essential practice to the Amish identity because it celebrates community, hard work, and common goals. The Amish refer to practices that satisfy these conditions as “frolics”. Barn raising is the most prolific frolic. Because it is a frolic, or an event that combines socializing with a common goal, it has sustained long after the advent of more practical methods.

reclaimed barn wood furniture

Why Has Amish Barn Raising Season Been Delayed?

This year, we have yet to see barn raising season begin in our area, though historically this is the most popular time. The most likely culprit for barn raising’s delayed initiation is the inclement weather experienced by the Midwest and the Northeast over the last several months. In fact, the moisture in the air has caused us to extend the kiln-drying period for our Amish furniture.

As the clouds disperse and the temperatures lift enough to show the countryside mercy, we’re sure to see new barns crop up alongside the equally productive flowers of spring. As for us, we’ll continue to provide handcrafted Amish reclaimed barnwood furniture.

It’s a tradition as valuable to us as the barn raising that fuels it.

What are the barn raising traditions in your area? Let us know in the comments below, on Facebook or on Twitter!

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Amish Spring Traditions and How Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture Fits In

Spring, the season of pastoral renewal, is upon us again. Some winters, it’s easy to forget that it will ever return, but we quickly acclimate to the freedom of sunny days, lush flowers returning and even youthful love.

It’s the best season to order an Amish reclaimed wood table from Old Barn Star and have a meal in the sunshine. Our tradition is taken from the Amish, a culture that appreciates a beautiful spring day as much as any other. Let’s look at how the Amish welcome the springtime.

amish reclaimed barn wood in spring time
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Springtime Amish Traditions

The Amish live their lives by the calendar because the calendar guides agriculture and many of their endeavors. Spring is the time for newlyweds to move in together. After the wedding, the groom begins to grow his beard. The Amish beard is a symbol for marriage that, like the fields and flowers, begins its journey of growth in spring.

Early spring is a time of preparation when Amish societies position themselves advantageously for the rest of spring. You’re likely to see industrious farmers tilling the freshly-thawed soil of their fields to ready it for seeds and to remove weeds. Then, the farmers plant and fertilize their crops.

reclaimed wood table for springtime

Spring is also one of two times per year the Amish hold communion. This rite typically ends with participants washing one another’s feet symbolically to honor the ancient customs of foot washing in biblical times, when travellers wore sandals.

Lastly, spring is a time the Amish use to sell their handcrafted products at market. With the entrepreneurship in the field, the same spirit persists in the workshop, where they produce wares like reclaimed barnwood furniture, baskets and quilts. It’s this culture we hope to represent with our rustic reclaimed wood pieces.

Whatever walk of life you hail from, spring is a season of activity. Take some time to get out there and appreciate it!

What are you doing to herald spring’s arrival? Tell us about it on Facebook and Twitter, and keep checking the blog for more updates!

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Old Barn Star and Amish Furniture

Our handcrafted reclaimed wood furniture is not just a stylistic effort; it’s the product of hundreds of years of history. We don’t produce Amish-style furniture; it’s furniture made by the Amish.

There’s a subtle elegance to the Amish process, an unrivaled attention to detail. Therefore, we think it’s only fitting to tell you a little about Amish culture, its roots and its current day practices. We also want to show you how their care and personality find their ways into every piece of Old Barn Star’s barnwood furniture.

reclaimed wood furniture
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The Amish religion originated from the Mennonite religion, with roots in Switzerland and Germany, fragmenting from them over the issue of Meidung. Meidung is a Mennonite xenophobia, whereby the anointed shun the excluded and the Amish tradition was born out of tolerance for others.

Their only law is biblical and even carried to the point of evading photography because graven images are forbidden by the Bible and because the Amish believe they promote unhealthy pride. They have rejected technology and lived in the same lifestyle methods for hundreds of years.

amish barnwood furniture

Amish reclaimed wood furniture is all about detail. Each piece of wood is handpicked and the unique quality of the wood is the primary consideration. For this reason, Amish furniture always has remarkably beautiful wood-grain and gorgeous construction. Their tools are hydraulically and pneumatically powered, and all the finishing work is done by hand, so every piece is truly unique.

Amish furniture has heart. Woodworking skills are passed by practice through generations and generations, so while the furniture may not have been crafted in the 1600s, its methods have not changed over the years. You are getting an authentic piece of furniture rooted in centuries of tradition.

Next time you see a piece of Old Barn Star barnwood furniture, think about its origins and the history from which they come. Through word of mouth and actual physical labor, your furniture is tapping into a long bygone era. Our products’ subtle beauty will sustain for years to come and perhaps you can make it a part of a new tradition in your family, where these beautiful heirlooms continue to live through generations.

What questions do you have about our Amish furniture? You can ask us on Facebook and Twitter, and keep checking our blog for more information on our methods!

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Where Is Reclaimed Wood Furniture From and Why Should We Use It?

Old Barn Star barnwood furniture is artful, sturdy, classic and comfortable to the eye. It’s an interesting choice, though. Why opt for something reclaimed when it’s so easy to purchase new lumber? Let’s talk about the reclaimed wood meaning.

Seasoningreclaimed barn wood

It’s easy to adopt the misconception that something used is tarnished and somehow less worthy than something new. With wood, the reverse is true. Wood ages beautifully. Since the wood was harvested a while ago, its independence and exposure give it a lovely, classic texture that’s guaranteed to be sturdy because it has supported another structure for a long time.

Sourcesreclaimed wood furniture

Just as we promote, most reclaimed wood comes from unused barns and porches. It’s stripped and tastefully re-appropriated for use in our reclaimed wood tables because it’s time-tested and gorgeous from its contact with the elements.

Conservation

Naturally, it’s better to recycle! We’re conserving and preventing the unnecessary felling of trees by using beautiful reclaimed wood.

Try a piece of reclaimed wood furniture today and see why we’ve chosen to use the Amish method of re-appropriating wood and using it, rather than letting it decay and wasting more lumber. You’ll feel the power of the years as the piece of furniture changes the space of your home, and its durability will guarantee its presence for years to come.

What is your favorite kind of wood and why? Tell us about it on Facebook and Twitter, and keep checking in with our blog for more information on the subtle art of our process.

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How Our Reclaimed Wood Furniture Company Measures Up to Big Corporations

wood furnitureAt Old Barn Star, we pride ourselves in quality, Amish made reclaimed wood furniture. In our modern market, it can be difficult for smaller, mom and pop shops to compete with larger corporations, so you may wonder how we succeed without sacrificing the individual touch we instill into every piece of furniture. The answer is in our attention to detail and excellent customer service.

A recent Huffington Post article put the spotlight on Decatur, Georgia’s Intown Ace Hardware for its ability to survive, and even flourish, as Home Depot set up shop a mere two miles away from it. Intown is a small business in every sense of the word, which sells products comparable to the big box store. After Home Depot came into town, co-owner Dave Jones decided to differentiate his store by showcasing the diversity and quality his store offers and refocused his energy on the customer. From their colorful wrapping paper, large garden center, and excellent customer service, Intown is still the go-to-place for hardware goods in Decatur today. reclaimed wood furnitureIt’s the little things that earned Intown Ace Hardware the distinction of “Coolest Ace on the Planet.”

We understand that need for destination at Old Barn Star. Every piece of reclaimed barnwood furniture we produce has the personal care and personality of a single craftsman. That’s probably why our family-owned business is so popular. Our beautiful, custom-made reclaimed wood furniture pieces retain that old value: quality service that makes people happy.

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