Discover the Shaker Style in 'The Testament of Ann Lee'

2 min read “A place for everything, and everything in its place” is a proverb often spoken by those familiar with the Shaker faith and style. Though the religious movement didn't coin the phrase, the association between the two has deep roots. It's an adage that's borne out by production designer Sam Bader in his sets for the historical-drama-meets-musical The Testament of Ann Lee. The movie tells the story of Ann Lee (played by Amanda Seyfried), founder of the 18th-century Shaker movement, and her quest to create a peaceful utopia under God. This mission led Lee to create a settlement of Shaker worshippers in Niskayuna, New York in the late 1700s, where Lee and her followers would create and hone the Shaker design—a still-popular style that eschews excess ornamentation in favor of utility and high-quality craftsmanship. Bader analyzed historical images of the design style and visited Shaker villages to capture the origins of the movement's interiors. He describes the style as stripped down, spare, utilitarian, and full of “compositional harmony,” he tells ELLE Decor. “There's a recognizable utility to just about everything you lay eyes on." Production designer Sam Bader visited Shaker villages and analyzed images of Shaker design to capture the decor style for the film. The film's depiction of Niskayuna is Shaker style brought to life. It showcases a design that reflects the Shaker beliefs, specifically the emphasis on a life filled with purpose. Wood pegs adorn walls, not for ornamentation, but to hang chairs and tools. Thoughtful inventions like apple corers demonstrate a constant pursuit of innovation that improves daily tasks. “It's the greatest exercise in branding,” says designer and architect Rafe Churchill of Hendricks Churchill, who incorporates Shaker details and philosophy in his designs. “Ann Lee was like 'this is how we're going to live. It's all related—the interiors, the architecture, the objects, the tools. We're going to make things that all answer to this one goal.” The resulting pared-down utility makes it a style that remains popular centuries later. Shaker-inspired interiors are still present and referenced by designers today. Churchill's design partner, Heide Hendricks, frequently incorporates Shaker elements in her work, including plaster walls, peg rails, and built-in cabinetry. “Shaker furniture and interiors are so distilled in form that they blend effortlessly with almost any style,” Hendricks says, “Their clarity, proportion, and honesty make them timeless—they can sit comfortably in traditional, modern, or eclectic rooms without ever feeling out of place.” Peg rails and simple silhouettes are popular markers of the Shaker decor style. But as Bader, Hendricks, and Churchill all say, the Shaker style isn't just about simple silhouettes, built-in cabinets, and wooden pegs. It's about emulating the philosophy behind the craftsmanship, and the belief in living a life of purpose. To Bader, it's the “ceaseless striving for perfection” apparent in all aspects of Shakerism, and, in particular, the earliest days of the aesthetic's development that he recreated on screen. To Hendricks, it looks like “woods that can patina, metals that age gracefully, textiles that breathe.” “Their spirituality expressed itself through perfecting tangible objects—inventing and making tools, furniture and environments that made living easier, clearer, more purposeful,” Hendricks says. “That fusion of belief and innovation produced a uniquely coherent design language.”