Adorn your home with Victorian antique furniture

Victorian antique furniture is well known for its sophisticated and homely feel, making it one of the most popular themes in many homes today. The Victorian theme dates back to the reign of Queen Victoria, which was the longest reign in English history from 1837 to 1901.

Victorian antique furniture refers to pieces made during this period and includes work by designers such as the Herter Brothers, Allen and Brother, Merklen Brothers, John Henry Belter, Alexander Roux and R.J. Horner. Furniture made during this era was based on previous periods such as the Tudor and Elizabeth era, William and Mary and Queen Anne era and the Georgian and Regency era.

What made Victorian furniture unique was the use of floral designs, engraved finishes and beautiful mouldings, which gave this furniture a touch of sophistication and class, and a regal ambiance to its surroundings.

Furniture used in the Victorian era was mainly made of wood, with only a small portion of the furniture made with iron. The main woods favoured were of the darker kind such as dark mahogany, black walnut, bog oak, rosewood and satinwood. Chairs and sofas were made from wood and different cloth material - made up of brocades, velvets and tapestries. Iron was mainly used to provide support for bedroom furniture.



There are several and very different types of Victorian furniture styles. Some of the main styles include the Gothic Revival (circa 1830 - 1860) which had design elements consisting of arches, quatrefoils, trefoils, spires and crockets; the Rococo Revival (circa 1840 - 1865) which promoted high style feminine furniture with a French influence with the use of curved lines, C- and S- shaped scrolls and naturalistic flora; the Renaissance Revival (circa 1860 - 1890) which reversed the feminine elegance of the Rococo, and promoted masculine arches, animal and human figures, burl and inlaid panels and gilt incising; and the Eastlake and Aesthetic Movement (circa 1880 - 1900) which stylised natural elements such as flowers and leaves and shallow incising and turnings.

Regardless of the various types of Victorian antique furniture, this era produced some of the finest crafted and designed pieces of furniture. Victorian antique furniture is considered the epitome of luxury and sophistication and is widely used to decorate homes these days. This type of furniture adds class and elegance to many homes. You can find all kinds of furniture to adorn your home - cabinets, bookcases, beds, dressers, dining tables and many more at Ronald Phillips.

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Click Victorian antique furniture or William and Mary antique furniture or Queen Anne antique furniture if you need help to identify genuine antique furniture.