Club chairs owe a lot to Victorian advances in upholstery techniques. Earlier padded chairs just had a light layer of horsehair stuffing – kept in place by quilting in the 17th century, or by tufted deep stitches for the 18th century’s thicker padding. As the 1800s progressed, chair makers explored ways of adding more stuffing [more...]
The Georgian era was when four kings all called George were on the British throne one after another – a period lasting more than a century (1714-1830). Even though fashions in architecture and interior design didn’t stand still, there was an overall Georgian style favoured during this time – in North America as well as [more...]
It’s always been a difference between English-speaking countries and France. Bidets have just never caught on on the USA or the UK, except for an occasional “trend” that never really went very far. But in France there’s a bidet in every bathroom, isn’t there? Not any more. In recent years the bidet has been disappearing from [more...]
Until the 18th century ladies used to keep their needlework projects in a work-basket or bag. Then furniture designers started to create elegant little tables for the drawing room with a silk work-bag or box-holder hanging beneath. You have only to look at one to understand why Sheraton, the famous cabinet-maker, called his designs pouch [more...]
A coromandel screen is a Chinese folding screen coated in black or dark lacquer. The dark background is richly decorated with painted scenes from life or literature, or landscapes, and a variety of trees, flowers, and birds. Wooden panels are coated with pale clay followed by several layers of lacquer. The design is carved into [more...]
When you go hunting for furniture, you may see an antique day-bed or sofa, fall in love with it, and not care what it’s called. Or you may want to know which of the various French names for different designs suits it best. Is a récamier the same as a chaise longue? And what about [more...]
In the 18th century wealthy men with private libraries in their grand houses wanted elegant furniture around them. The upmarket cabinet-makers of the period created fine desks and chairs, but how could they design new, improved versions of the step-ladders needed for reaching books from the highest shelves? One idea was to conceal steps under the [more...]
A modern featherbed is a mattress topper filled with down, or a down and feather mixture, designed to add soft cosiness over a sprung or foam mattress base, and may even be laid on top of a firm orthopedic mattress. The featherbed is stitched carefully with pockets or channels to keep the filling evenly spread [more...]
Wing chairs are sometimes called fireside chairs, and for good reason. Their design is perfect for enjoying the warmth of a fire while your back and sides are protected from chilly draughts. These chairs (also called wingback) were not the earliest furniture to use this approach to keeping warm. Wings were also used on some of [more...]
Sleeping under a duck- or goose-down comforter, or duvet, means you can keep warm under one of the lightest, most luxurious kinds of bedding. It will settle round you like a cosy cocoon – but not too cosy. You are less likely to over-heat when sleeping under down than with synthetic alternatives, as the natural [more...]