Plain Shaker cupboard with flat recessed-panel doors and small wooden knobs — The Metropolitan Museum of Art. CC0 (Met Open Access). View source

Shaker Cupboard (1800–1850)

A Shaker cupboard from the first half of the 19th century, with a plain case, flat recessed-panel doors and simple turned knobs.

This cupboard shows the Shaker principle that utility and beauty are the same thing. There is no applied ornament: the case is a plain box, the doors use flat recessed panels, and small turned knobs are the only hardware. What makes it beautiful is proportion and careful joinery. The so-called Shaker door, a flat recessed panel in a square frame, is now the most popular cabinet door in America, and this is where it comes from.

Have this made · Essential tier

Classic Shaker flat-panel doors and cases, Essential tier in paint-grade or stained hardwood.

A custom version typically runs $45–$75 per sq ft, shipped finished.

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Style: Shaker
Element: Cabinet Doors & Fronts
Date: 1800–1850
Maker or designer: United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing (“Shakers”)
Materials: Pine
Dimensions: 73 1/4 x 31 3/4 x 18 3/4 in. (186.1 x 80.6 x 47.6 cm)
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Shaker panel Pine

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Shaker Cupboard (1800–1850)

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