- 1). Familiarize yourself with the Shaker aesthetic. Acquire some of the many well-illustrated books on Shaker furniture that are available. Better yet, visit some of the preserved historical Shaker sites in New England and see the furniture for yourself. When you visit, bring a camera and ask questions. Bring a tape measure and ask if you can take some measurements of any pieces that you particularly like. Carry a sketchbook and jot down ideas you have about furniture design as they come to you. Don't slavishly copy the pieces that you find; use their composition and their feel to inspire you in your quest for your own vision.
- 2). Formalize some of your favorite sketches, using pencil and graph paper or a computer and a CAD program. CAD programs are particularly useful for repetitive elements such as the many drawers that are evident in Shaker cabinetry. As you design, keep the Shaker ideals of simplicity and honesty in mind. The appearance of the piece should reflect what it actually is, and not depend on trim, veneers, or decoration for its appeal. Flat-panel frame doors, overlay drawer fronts with round pulls and straight-edged feet and bases are some of the defining characteristics that will give your furniture design a distinctly Shaker feel.
- 3). Draw your designs to scale from both a front and a side view. If you would like to get a better feel for your pieces before you actually build them, construct scale models out of cardboard. You don't need to build in every detail to get a sense of whether the composition and proportions work well. By building cardboard models that simply outline the height, width and depth of your designs, you can look at them in three dimensions and sense whether they will feel graceful and beautiful when they are done. If they don't, it's a lot easier to alter their proportions in cardboard than in wood after you have built them.
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