Walk into any furniture boutique or showroom and you’re likely to find something with a French Empire influence. Architectural console tables, lush brocade wallcoverings, chairs with wings, the ubiquitous sleigh bed. These are all derivatives of the early reign of Napoleon. They reflect a time when furniture and decorative objects eschewed the hautiness of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette for cleaner, neoclassical silhouettes and symbolic use of decoration.

Perhaps that’s what is so enduring about French furniture. This period of interior design has a grandeur and an opulence that encompasses the structure of the Romans, the mythology of the Greeks, the detail of the Egyptians and produces one cohesive vision: French Empire.

“What you see in this kind of French furniture is the legacy of monarchy, harnessed by simplicity,” said David Conradsen, curator for St. Louis Art Museum exhibit “Symbols of Power.”

That’s not to call it plain. “Napoleon, himself, was very restrained, but he wanted to express grandeur,” Conradsen said.

Furniture and object designers used brass or gold appliqués to make mahogany, ebony and rosewood look rich and grand.

The dark woods continue to be a backdrop for Empire shapes. The ornamentation techniques are sustained by brass hardware, the reproduction of inlay patterns and the silk fabrics that mimic floral motifs created for Empress Josephine.

“We emphasize the Empire style by using fabrics of gold with black and startling French blue hues with bees and fleur-de-lis motifs,” said Henessy Wayser of French Heritage furniture.

What remains of Empire is a luxurious, yet subtle, chic quality that is so unmistakably French.

Sleigh bed

The boat bed was designed to be placed against a wall. Contemporary incarnations range from simple pieces of wood to the ornately carved.

Wallpaper

French manufacturers perfected the block-printing process, which allowed intricate patterns for walls. Many of these ornate 18th-century patterns continue to be reproduced.

Wing chairs

The concave design of the gondola chair has evolved into wing chairs. The legs range from the stout and carved to neoclassical pillars.

Dinnerware

The realistic renderings created by the artists of Sevres, a porcelain factory near Versailles, continues to inspire dinner-service patterns.

Console tables

In the balanced style of Napoleon’s designers, furnishings gilded with bronze or gold details evoke the richness and symbolism of Empire.

Upholstery
Josephine was the inspiration for many fabrics in gold and silk with flowers, which are still favorites for sofa and chair coverings.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, July 7th, 2007 at 8:51 pm and is filed under Furniture. Tags: Century, Design, Egypt, Furniture, Grand, Lifestyle, Oman, printing, St. Louis, Table, Today, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.