Furniture has a long memory. Since the beginning of written history humans have created furniture pieces in different ways using different methods, which are called ’styles’. Today, a piece made in one style can be much more valuable than a piece from another style. If the piece was made when the style was originally fashionable, chances are the piece is an antique and almost priceless. That doesn’t mean that pieces made in older styles today are any less valuable, especially if they’re made from good wood. Looking for them at unfinished furniture stores or any other furniture store is a hard road to take, however.
So, what are some of the styles and the eras they came from? They are usually divided into three categories: Traditional, Contemporary, and Mission. The Traditional-style room is organized, planned, and peaceful. There is nothing random or wild about a Traditional room. A Contemporary-style room is simple, using only the fundamentals to achieve a space. A minimalist view of furniture arrangement characterizes a Contemporary room. Finally, a Mission-style room isn’t likely to be seen anymore, since it was only popular from 1890 to 1920, and they’re mostly to be found in California. These rooms were distinguished by their elegance of design and a harmonious unity between purpose and form.
Specific styles, on the other hand, are a lot more varied than the three general categories. For the rest of this post, we’ll go through the styles one by one and discuss which one goes with what particular style of room.
The earliest style known is Gothic, first appearing in the 17th century. Many Gothic pieces were made of oak and featured simple but heavy designs. Most Gothic design principles were influenced by the architecture of the time, with right angles being a prominent element and curved lines being noticeably absent. A Gothic-style piece of furniture goes best with a Traditional-style room.
As buyers of Gothic furniture began to decline, the Early and Late Colonial styles rose to prominence. These styles mainly used pine and relied upon square lines with heavy decoration. An Early Colonial furniture piece goes best with a Traditional-style room and a Late Colonial goes best with a Contemporary-style room.
By the early 18th century, a style known as Queen Anne became popular. Queen Anne designs were known by agile lines and curves, with natural detailing. Common wood types used for Queen Anne pieces were oak, mahogany, walnut, cherry, and maple. Queen Anne designs generally go well with a Traditional-style room.
At the end of the 18th century, four kinds of Georgian styles replaced the Queen Annes’ in popularity. Georgian Chippendale, through the addition of baroque carvings, added to already well known designs. Georgian Adam made use of straight lines; Georgian Hepplewhite exhibited straight, thin legs that complimented Georgian Adam’s straight-edge lines; finally Georgian Sheraton created designs that utilized straight lines even more than Georgian Adam. The majority of Georgian designs used mahogany. All Georgian styles go well with either Traditional or Contemporary rooms.
The Regency style first appeared in the 19th century. Mahogany remained the wood of choice but new curves were added, creating a boldness unseen in previous styles. In the U.S., the Federal style was commanding attention, creating American interpretations of common English pieces. Throughout the 1800s, mahogany slowly yielded to rosewood walnut. Detailing on pieces underwent a change from simpler patterns to heavy, dark ideas. This heralded the ascendancy of the Victorian styles, one of the most (if not the most) popular and enduring styles available today. Regency goes best with Traditional as well as Federal, but Victorian can be used with any of the three types of rooms.
