Our Nanny bench was inspired by a circa 1790-1810 New England cradle in the collections of Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum. It features a rounded end that flows from a Sack-back bench design. It has a hand-carved New England style continuous plank seat with a single rain gutter surrounding all the vertical parts socketed in the seat. It features Philadelphia-style legs and arms characterized by a tall baluster ring and cylindrical turnings ending in a blunt arrow foot (circa 1740-1790). The back curves around slightly to the left to cradle the sitter. This also provides a comfortable position for keeping an eye on a sleeping child snug in the cradled right side of the bench.
Each chair begins with locally milled green lumber. Every seat is hand-carved from Eastern White Pine. We do all of our turnings by hand on a lathe out of maple or black birch. Every spindle is rived and shaved on a shave horse to ensure the grain is left unbroken from end to end. This traditional process is repeated on the chair's back before steaming and bending. The legs are set using a traditional tapered lock joint which increases the chair's stability. Finally, everything is wedged, hand sanded, and finished with your choice of colored lacquer or milk paint. Every piece is custom made to order allowing us to tailor each commission to your specific needs.
Sizing varies slightly by piece, see individual pieces below for variations and sizing by style.
Price: starting at $3500