French Furniture – How To Identify Styles Which Complement Each Other
by: Justin Arnold
There is no doubt at all that introducing items of French furniture into the home can generate a fantastic, beautiful and very evocative look. French furniture has a style that is unmistakable, and can really transform a room fairly easily. A bedroom, for example, can be entirely transformed by introducing a French style bed, perhaps with a chaise longue at the foot, an armoire in the corner, a large ornate French mirror on the wall reflecting light from the window, crisp white linen and gently wafting cotton curtains at the open window, all adding up to a fantastic look that’s a world away from a suburban high street look.
But before you head out to buy any French furniture it’s worth remembering that there is no such thing as a single style. French furniture is not a style in itself, but a category of styles, and if you start mixing them together without really understanding the differences in style, then you could find your classic French look becoming rather awkward and inelegant.
It’s easy to imagine in your mind what French furniture looks like, and perhaps already you have an idea in your mind of what such a bedroom would look like. But there is as much difference between Baroque and Rococo as there is between Rococo and neo-Classicism. Then again, all of these styles are worlds away from the extraordinarily inventive and eclectic look of contemporary French furniture.
You simply can’t mix the styles or periods together and hope they’ll work together nicely. They won’t. It’s also worth remembering that there was a French Revolution between Rococo and Neo-Classicism, and the change in style of furniture and decor was directly influenced by the Revolution and the rise of Napoleon.
The Baroque style of Louis XIV was all about strength and power, with bold architecture and French furniture that was strong, powerful, chunky and a dominant feature within a room. For many people this simply isn’t appropriate because unless your room is fairly sizeable, large baroque furniture will simply overpower anything else in the room, quite apart from taking up space. In a large room, baroque furniture can look stunning, but you need the space for it to work.
When it comes to French furniture most people tend to think of the Rococo period which flourished during Louis XV’s reign. This style was full of decadence, fancy artwork, frivolous decoration and asymmetrical creativity. Ornate gilt edged mirrors with floral engravings and carvings spilling out all around, armoires with cherubs and flowers carved in carefree abandon and even the table legs were designed without a single straight edge to be seen.
Chaise longue were decorated in exquisite material, decorated with an abundant collection of intricately embroidered cushions and with every delicate piece of wood carved, engraved, decorated and painted in stunning detail.
This certainly makes for a great look, and can be achieved today by buying the right style of French furniture. But remember that after the Rococo period French furniture entered the Neo-Classical style, harking back to Greek and Roman architectural styles, with a more formal, linear and symmetrical approach. Trying to combine Rococo with Neo-classical would be a disaster, and certainly one to avoid.
Today there are many contemporary styles in French furniture, and modern designs and styles include nods towards a variety of previous styles, all with a modern twist. Bold colours, the use of striking, sometimes linear patterns on fabric and the use of black and white contrasting together all result in a style which is both eclectic, and all its own. When choosing French furniture try to stick to a single style or period, rather than mixing, or you could find your French furniture feels awkward and ‘à sa place’.
About The Author: Sweetpea & Willow are a leading supplier of stunning French Furniture including a wide selection of beautiful Chaise Longue chairs. The author invites you to visit: http://www.sweetpeaandwillow.com
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