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About Traditional/Queen Anne/Chippendale
What is traditional style furniture?
Traditional furniture is European-inspired elaborate furniture. It features dark woods, luxe fabrics, and intricate details. Mahoganies, maples, cherry woods in fine finishes give a stately elegance to these pieces. Traditional furniture is the precursor to modern furniture design. Design features include exquisite curved lines that don’t interrupt the function of the furniture, as well as scallops or shell designs, arched backs, and claw or ball foot and arm rests. Traditional furniture is a celebration of opulence. It hearkens to the homes of royalty. Colors used include warm jewel toned upholstery. Traditional style furniture generally includes Chippendale and Queen Anne styles.
Queen Anne Style
Sometimes called Late Baroque instead of Queen Anne, this style is characterized as being slightly smaller, lighter, and more comfortable than predecessors. It features curving shapes, cabriole legs, and cushioned seats. Some examples of furniture born of the Queen Anne style are wingback chairs and practical secretary desks. The emphasis is on line and form rather than ornament. They often use the C-scroll, S-scroll, and ogee shapes in the furniture’s structure itself. No inlays. The cabriole leg is the most recognizable element of Queen Anne. The Queen Anne style predates the Chippendale style.
Chippendale
Mainly characterized by the style of the legs and feet, Chippendale styles are frequently made with dark wood. The name comes from designer Thomas Chippendale, who made furniture in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. He was the first cabinet-maker to publish a book of his designs. Chippendale furniture is very ornate and may be painted. Unlike Queen Anne, it utilizes inlays and ornamentation.
Can you match traditional and contemporary furniture?
Creating your own aesthetic is one of the great joys of having a home to put furniture in! In our 20 years in the furniture business we have learned that when it comes to personal taste, there really is no right or wrong way to do it. Whatever brings you happiness and makes you feel comfortable is what you should do. Of course, there are always tips and tricks you can follow that would make even the pickiest interior decorator pleased with your style. For instance, you may not want to have a huge variety of wood colors for furniture in the same room, so you could pick your favorite piece and decide to match additional furniture to it. Another thing you may want to avoid would be splitting your room visually by having more contemporary styles on one side and more traditional styles on the other. Mix it up!