For such a small sect, the Shakers have left quite a legacy. When the movement was at its height in the 1840s, there were some 5,000 of them. Their name has become synonymous with a whole sphere of design and a unique style of furniture.

It would be hard to quantify their influence on the Arts & Crafts movement and the contemporary furniture scene of today, but there are plenty of noteworthy references – handmade kitchens, chests, tables and chairs bearing the hallmarks of "Shaker-style".

The Shakers grew out of Quakerism, establishing colonies in North America. They were hardliners with tough core beliefs – living their faith (preparing for the second coming), obsessively cleaning, pulling as a community and working extraordinarily hard. They were innovators, their interest in utility and efficiency leading to their discovery of labour-saving devices.

We have the Shakers to thank for the circular saw, the sash window mechanism and a method of waterproofing clothes, to name but a few. They were masters at applying technology to problems they had.

Within their communities, the Shakers built amazingly comfortable homes. They were beautiful buildings with pleasing symmetry, all set at rights angles to one another. The architecture was made distinct by the extraordinary proportion of window space. Owing to an absence of window tax, coupled with a fear of fire, they maximised their daylight.

Communities were painted in bright homes of brick red, ochre and white, all colour coded to determine who lived where. Their buildings and interiors evoke an extraordinary sense of peace – a rarity by today's standards. They were urged to "approach every task as if you were going to live for 1,000 years and as if you were going to die tomorrow". Such perfectionism may be hard to achieve but in terms of the aesthetic quality and longevity of one's architecture, furniture and furnishings, there is something worthy of note here.

Inside, their buildings were plain and simple, yet elegant. Form followed functions. The internal symmetry met the Shaker ethos. Double staircases (for men and women to use separately) were common features, exquisitely designed and produced. Large archways helped to maximise light and there were endless arrangements of cupboards and drawers to satisfy the need to tidy away one's belongings. No clothes thrown at the foot of the bed overnight!

Loft space would have been lined out with yet further drawers – for summer clothes storage (and vice versa in the winter) – with yet one more staircase to lead one there.

The peg rail is a Shaker peculiarity. Positioned at picture rail height, this clever (and now widely used) hanging device was born out of sheer practicality – a method to hang furniture when cleaning. A spring clean for us, but for the Shakers, it was a daily task, and rather than sweep in and around a chair, one cleans the floor in order to do the job properly!

The Shakers were skilled craftsmen who chose woods with care. Exquisitely grained cherry, walnut and poplar were favoured, with pine used for lining cupboards and drawers.

Shaker furniture is elegant and slender, it is without ornament and is above all, exquisitely crafted.

"The peculiar grace of a Shaker chair is due to the fact that it was built by someone capable of believing that an angel might come and sit on it," observed Trappist monk and poet Thomas Merton.

The ladder back chair, the epitome of Shaker style, would grace both period or contemporary home. The ball-joint on the two rear legs is a unique design – enabling one to lean back in the chair without scratching the floor! Once more, function takes precedence. Side tables designed with long slender legs were made with the peg rail hanging in mind.

Every furnishing and object was cleverly designed. The infamous round Shaker boxes were originally made as ovals, to allow for a better fit on shelves; they were colour-coded to indicate their contents and finished with copper nails that wouldn't rust. Baskets, pails, brushes, combs and even a pin cushion that could be secured vice-like to the table top – all beautifully crafted everyday, objects in their own right.