Blowhard, Esq. writes:
The basic standards that defined both the buildings and their interiors were simplicity and utility. The Shakers frowned on any kind of decoration, and they favored pure, clean forms that were highly functional and economic to make. The house interiors were bright and airy, well-heated and clean, uncluttered and serene.
…As the Shaker movement developed, they began to systematize the layouts of their communities…What enabled the Shaker style to grow and develop was the fact that all unknown artisans involved were able to innovate, providing they held to the group’s essential tenets. “This freedom to experiment in the interest of betterment,” says [design writer Richard] Shepherd, “saved Shaker architecture from the blight of institutionalism or stereotype.”
— Building Without Architects: A Global Guide to Everyday Architecture
Blowhard, Esq.
Callowman
Sherbrooke
Eddie Pensier
Enzo Nakamura
Epaminondas
Fabrizio del Wrongo
Fenster
Brundle Guy
Glynn Marshes
Paleo Retiree
Atypical Neurotic
Question Lady
Sax von Stroheim
Sir Barken Hyena
The Mistaken
Uncouth Reflections 
Love that stuff. Here are some pix of Alasa Farms, a former Shaker settlement on Sodus Bay, off Lake Ontario.
Our summer place is a mile down the dirt road heading left from the farm to the bay. The kids used to walk up the road to the shelter for large animals there. There’s also a ramshackle “museum” of Shaker farm equipment, which amounts to an old creaky barn filled with this and that. The simple pleasures of upstate NY–suitable for Shaker style..
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I guess that when you don’t believe in sex, you’ve got lots of time to design cool buildings.
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Amazing how much of the appeal of these structures depends on the quality of the paint job. Have a nice clean paint job, especially with contrasting trim, and they look great. Let them get dirty and dull, and they look like miserable boxes.
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Reblogged this on Will S.' Sunny Side Blog and commented:
When I lived in the Capitol District (Albany, NY and the surrounding area), there were Shaker references everywhere; apparently there had been Shakers in the region, back in the day. And I learned about Shaker furniture, gained an appreciation for its beauty, and simplicity. I like Toddy Cat’s theory, in his comment. 😉 Hey, it’s as reasonable an explanation as any other! 🙂
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