.jpg)
Mention the Shakers—a radical sect of celibate Christians who emigrated from England to America in 1774—and their furniture likely comes to mind. The group was ahead of its time in many respects: gender equality, environmental stewardship, intentional community building. But the streamlined, essential objects they made for living—an extension of their spiritual practice—have left a lasting impression.
“The Shakers took common forms and stripped them down to the bare necessities—utility, harmony, order,” explains Mea Hoffmann, cocurator of “The Shakers: A World in the Making,” opening at the Vitra Design Museum in Germany on June 7. “It was about creating an organized, decluttered life for a large group of people.”
One such organizational tool recedes into the background of nearly every Shaker interior: simple, wooden peg rail. While there is little written description of Shaker designs, Hoffmann explains that the feature, like the 1820s pine variety with cherry pegs from Hancock, Massachusetts, on display in the show, was usually hung at six feet from the ground. Its primary intention was to free up space, whether for cleaning or when a room needed to be transformed for a different purpose. Chairs, brooms, textiles, even a clock or mirror might hang from the pegs. Like many Shaker designs, this one was likely governed by a set of Millennial Laws, which dictated how colors, stains, and varnish were applied.
These days, people love it for the same reasons the Shakers did, using the rail to hold clothing in a Southern California off-the-grid cabin or as a shower curtain tieback in Manhattan. “We’re always looking for hooks, and when we use pegrail, they integrate seamlessly into a room,” explains Frances Merrill, of the AD100 firm Reath Design, who has used it in mudrooms, closets, and bathrooms. She might match it to a contrasting door or trim, as in a coastal Massachusetts kitchen, pictured, tying the color story together. “Simply put, it’s attractive, very user-friendly storage.”
The Shakers’ peg rail storage solution is featured in AD’s June issue. Never miss a story when you subscribe to AD.
