Last Wednesday I talked about Furniture Styles Part 1… why they are helpful to know when hunting down a good deal on furniture. Then I showed and described 5 styles. Well, today I am finishing off that post and showing you the last 5 major furniture styles!
Here they are!
6. Neoclassic: I must admit, this is a sort of broad name since many styles could be considered neoclassic, but I’m specifically talking about the neoclassical style in America, also referred to as Colonial Revival. Classical lines, ornate pulls, rarely is there any applique, as it would detract from the clean, straight lines. Legs were not curvy, and a popular pull is the drop pulls in brass or the bail pulls with fancy backplates (pictured above, top right).
Sources: Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left: Shades of Blue, Bottom Right
7. Mission or Arts & Crafts: This style was popular around the same time Craftsman style homes were popular. Natural dark woods were used a lot, simple, straight-forward design, and excellent construction. This is the type of furniture your grandpa would built. Nothing too fancy, but beautiful all the same. Pulls were usually rectangular brass or cast iron, often with the hammered look. NOTHING is round or curvy. This one is still quite popular today with furniture manufacturers.
Sources: Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Right
8. Depression Era & Waterfall: Depression Era- During the Depression, solid wood was harder to come by and more expensive. So wooden veneer was developed because you could get something very beautiful and ornate with a much lower cost. Curvy turned legs, wood applique, and inlay work is usually always found with this style. Brass pulls are usually just brass plated, so not as heavy, and they are often single post pulls. The wooden veneer developed in the 30’s was essential for the next style…. Waterfall- Probably the easiest to spot, the waterfall style always has a curved edge, making it look like a waterfall! Each piece was covered with all kinds of veneers to get designs and the “V” shape was commonly seed by joining veneers together. Bakelite (a type of plastic) was often found as an insert in the original drawer pulls.
Sources: Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Right
9. Mid-Century Modern: Right after the war people had a lot more money. That meant expensive hardwoods, that were previously used for aircrafts only, was being used to make furniture. Straight clean lines, nothing ornate, minimal pulls (if any), and often inset legs were popular characteristics of this style. One of my favorite types of MCM furniture is the Campaign style (also one of the most expensive). Think of it as a sub-catagory of MCM furniture. The top left pictured above is a Campaign chest. They always have the little brass “T”s between drawers and anywhere the lines meet a perpendicular line, and they always have rectangular pulls that sit flush.
Sources: Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Right
10. French: This style goes in and out of popularity more than any other style it seems, which means this style is commonly found and rarely you will find a REALLY old french piece. They got really popular in the 60s and 70s so they were mass produced then. REGARDLESS, I love them. They are incredibly ornate, curvy, all kinds of applique, carvings, serpentine drawer fronts, etc. Fancy, almost floral/vine-like pulls are a dead give-away for french dressers.
Sources: Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Right
I hope this has been helpful or informative for some of you out there! I know some of you already know most of this or more! And I’m sure there are some styles I left out, but these are the major ones I have most commonly seen since I’ve been refinishing furniture the past few years.
So. I really want to know now, what style is your favorite?
Mine is a toss-up between Empire and Hepplewhite! 🙂
Empire, Hepplewhite, and French – I’ll take them all! Great post! 🙂
These posts are so informative! Pinned and shared on Facebook! ~Lisa @ Practically Perfect Home
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