Also known as classic furniture, traditional furniture originated in Europe in the 17th century and hasn't gone out of style since then. As people paid furniture manufacturers by the hour, the most intricate designs were a sign of wealth and status, making well-crafted furniture with these details increasingly popular and sought after. European furniture design styles and North American furniture styles generally follow the main divisions and divisions of European and American culture, mainly the historical interaction and the struggle between the classical and romantic views of life, as can be seen in the history of English furniture. To better understand the different styles and value of antique furniture auctioned, here is a brief history of the periods that marked the world of “design”, before it became what it is today.
While colonial furniture could be said to be a form of traditional furniture, it encompasses a wider variety of styles from the British colonial period. Here's a summary of historic furniture styles and the key characteristics of these traditional furniture styles, many of which were influenced by classic furniture styles. Most period or pre-modern furniture can be defined as classic or romantic in terms of design and meaning. Classicism, rooted in the era of antique furniture and with a weak echo in the period of medieval furniture, in relation to the history of furniture design, is symmetrical in its lines, serious and grandiose in its appearance, rigorous and balanced in its construction.
The 18th century Rococo furniture style is the best expression of the romantic vision in the field of home decoration. In fact, we would say that mixing furniture styles is one of the most outstanding interior design trends of the last decade. Welcome to the Furniture Styles collection of essays and images on the history and development of the enduring traditions, periods and eras of home furniture styles around the world, both major and minor. As you'll see in the list of furniture styles below, modern and contemporary are actually different types of design in and of themselves.
While traditional 21st century furniture styles simply borrow elements from traditional antique furniture, the characteristic craftsmanship, warmth, and attention to detail continue to define the style to this day. While you can find historic furniture styles in specialty stores, today's styles are very different. But as the name suggests, traditional furniture and traditional style in general have never been concerned with trends; the style is firmly rooted in classic pieces that stand the test of time. This historical look at the manufacture, art and design of furniture is an attempt to relate the meaning of styles and the history of furniture to the current needs of furniture and decoration for the home, in order to familiarize the reader with the knowledge and understanding necessary to accurately express their own tastes in furniture.
Starting with the Jacobean era, approximately 1550 to 1650, traditional furniture goes through the colonial, Rococo, Renaissance, Victorian and Art Nouveau eras before evolving into modern design styles of the 19th century, such as Bauhaus, Art Deco and Mid-Century Modern. Louis XVI furniture is characterized by Greco-Roman influence, straight lines, classic motifs such as stretch marks and richly carved details.