Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Egyptian
Greek
Renaissance
Jacobean
Queen Anne
Colonial
Rococo
Shaker
Victorian
Arts and Crafts
Art Nouveau
Bauhaus
Art Deco
Modern
Scandinavian
Egyptian Furniture
When we think of Egyptian furniture we imagine the intricate gold gilded ornate furniture found
in the tombs of the Pharaohs as opposed to the simple chairs, tables and baskets of the ordinary
Egyptians.
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Greek Furniture
Ancient Greek furniture is possibly still most remembered for the famous klismos chair, shown
above.
Renaissance Furniture
Along with the other arts, the Italian Renaissance of the fourteenth and fifteenth century marked
a rebirth in furniture design, often inspired by the Greco-Roman traditions.
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Jacobean Furniture
Jacobean Style Furniture
After the Renaissance there was a gradual change to a less ornamented, quieter style of
furniture.In general furniture profiles became lower and more rectangular.
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The Queen Anne style is a style with a moderate proportion and graceful appearance. It is named
after Queen Anne of England who reigned from 1702-1714.
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Colonial furniture
Colonial Style Furniture
These pieces were generally sturdy and heavily carved, many with turned legs and bun feet. In
the harsher environment of some of the Colonies these pieces were simpler representatives of
their parent styles, befitting the more straightforward and utilitarian life of the settlers.
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Rococo Furniture
Rococo Style Furniture
In the eighteenth century, furniture design began to develop rapidly and styles such as Rococo
and Neoclassicism were commonplace throughout Western Europe.
Natural motifs
Elaborate carved forms
Asymmetry
Curved forms are common in Rococo
Rocaille carving
Acanthus leaf
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Shaker furniture
Shaker Style Furniture
The Shaker style was produced by the religious group the United Society of Believers in self-
contained communities in the United States.
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Victorian furniture
Victorian Style Furniture
The Victorian style draws its influence from previous Gothic forms. It is named for Queen
Victoria of England who reigned from 1837-1901 and was the first furniture style of mass
production.
heavy proportions
dark finish
elaborate carving and ornamentation.
somber appearance
balloon-shaped chair backs
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Arts & Crafts furniture is simple, with straight lines and little ornamentation.The terms Mission
and Craftsmen can also used to describe Arts and Crafts furniture.
rectilinear design
simple, straight construction
exposed joinery
using medium or dark stained oak
bail handles with rectangular back plate
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The name "Art Nouveau" is French for 'new art', and it emerged in the late 19th century in Paris.
The style was said to be influenced strongly by the lithographs of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha,
whose flat imagery with strong curved lines was seen as a move away from the academic art of
the time.
intricately detailed
lines and curves used as ornamentation
inlays and veneers also used
hard woods and iron commonly used
strong yet slim furniture pieces
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Bauhaus Furniture
Bauhaus Style Furniture
The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar in 1919. In spite of its name,
and the fact that its founder was an architect, the Bauhaus was founded with the idea of creating
a 'total' work of art in which all arts, including furniture would eventually be brought together.
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The Art Deco movement began in Paris in the 1920s and it represented elegance, glamour,
functionality and modernity. Art deco's linear symmetry was a distinct departure from the
flowing asymmetrical organic curves of its predecessor style Art Nouveau.
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Modern Furniture
Modern Style Furniture
The forms of modern furniture sought newness, originality, technical innovation, and ultimately
conveyed the present and the future, rather than what had gone before it as revival styles had
done. This interest in new and innovative materials and methods produced a certain blending of
the disciplines of technology and art.
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Scandinavian Furniture
Scandinavian Style Furniture
Simplicity and function are the guiding principles that have shaped the design sensibilities of
Nordic Europe.