History of Furniture: Queen Anne

Although I covered chairs from the Queen Anne period here, and settees here, the style deserves to be discussed in my History of Furniture series as well!

Queen Anne furniture has long stood as a symbol of refined elegance, simplicity, and the graceful transition between ornate Baroque and the more restrained Georgian styles. This beloved style has remained a staple in traditional interiors since its emergence in the early 18th century (I remember seeing tables with cabriole legs at my Aunt's house in upstate New York!). But to understand Queen Anne furniture, let's explore its historical roots—both in monarchy and design.

So who was Queen Anne? She was the monarch of Great Britain, reigning from 1702 to her death in 1714, and was the last monarch of the House of Stuart. Her rule marked a significant time in British history: the Act of Union of 1707 united England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain. Though her personal health was frail and she experienced considerable political turmoil during her reign, Anne presided over a period of significant cultural, political, and architectural change.

Portrait of Queen Anne, circa 1702 from the workshop of John Closterman

Despite her limited direct influence on the design world, the style that bears her name became associated with the sophistication and domestic comfort that flourished during and after her reign. Queen Anne furniture reflects the shift in British society toward more intimate, livable interiors—a stark contrast to the more ceremonial and grandiose styles that came before.

Queen Anne furniture began to emerge in the early 18th century, around 1720, but interestingly, it wasn’t called by that name until over a century later. This style grew out of the William and Mary period (late 17th century), which itself was known for more rectilinear forms and Dutch and Flemish influences that featured heavier, more angular pieces with intricate marquetry and turned legs.

As craftsmen became more skilled in working with woods like walnut (a preferred material of the time), furniture design became more refined and the Queen Anne style gained immense popularity not just in Britain but also in Colonial America, where it inspired generations of American craftsmen. The style was embraced for its simplicity, making it relatively easy to replicate with local materials like cherry and maple. The Queen Anne style is known for its delicate proportions, gentle curves, and a greater emphasis on comfort. This evolution reflects broader cultural trends: an increasing emphasis on private life, leisure, and intellectual pursuits in the home. The Queen Anne style introduced several key design elements that would become hallmarks of 18th-century British and American furniture:

* Cabriole Legs: Inspired by animal limbs, these S-shaped legs end in pad or trifid feet and are perhaps the most iconic feature of the style.

* Curvilinear Forms: Chairs, settees, and tables began to show more graceful silhouettes, with rounded backs and smooth edges.

* Minimal Ornamentation: While earlier styles favored bold marquetry and carving, Queen Anne furniture emphasized restrained elegance—favoring line and form over lavish decoration.

* Veneers and Inlay: When ornamentation did appear, it was subtle—delicate fan or shell motifs, small inlays, or the strategic use of wood grain patterns.

As I have said before in this series, if you want to discover why a certain style or movement looks the way it does, you simply need to look at the styles immediately preceding it and you will see that, generally, the style is a reaction to and against its antecedent. However, the Queen Anne furniture style represents a pivotal transition in the history of furniture design. Preceding it, the William and Mary style featured heavier, more angular pieces with intricate marquetry and turned legs. Succeeding it was the Georgian period, which would reintroduce classical influences and symmetry, especially under the later guidance of designers like Thomas Chippendale. What makes Queen Anne style so important in the continuum of furniture history is its role as a bridge: it softened the excesses of Baroque design and paved the way for a more human-centered, elegant aesthetic. It marked a shift from ostentatious display to graceful domesticity--furniture that was not only beautiful but also functional and comfortable.

Happy designing!

Know Your Sofas: The Settee

For this Know Your Sofas, I want to focus on something a bit more traditional and classic since the last many installations have covered very modern pieces from the late 20th century. But it is in a way a very simple post...honoring The Settee.

But what is the difference between a sofa and a settee? Or a settee and a bench for that matter? There have been all kinds of pieces of furniture which function as a bench or settee, going back to the Greeks and Romans. But whereas the citizens of antiquity liked to lounge back on such pieces, it wasn't until the Medieval/Gothic period when a bench on which one would sit upright would be seen.

The image below shows an interior of a house in the 15th and 16th century with a bench and cushions on the left. Even though the illustration comes a few hundred years after the fact, such pieces of furniture were still in existence and could easily be traced to their Medieval origins.

From “Le costume historique” by Auguste Racinet

Then looking back at the Renaissance, we see a piece of furniture come into existence called a cassapanca in Italian, which translates into "chest bench." Often intricately carved, these pieces had a seat on a hinge that hid storage!

Florentine cassapanca at The Met, New York City

Over the next many decades of furniture styles, we see variations of benches, lounges, and daybed sofas. But when we get to the Queen Anne style, beginning in the 1720s and 1730s, we see furniture makers hit upon the idea of joining three or four seats together to make what would be considered a settee with a continuous upholstered seat.

Into the Regence and Louis XV periods, we see settees look more like what we think of when we hear the word settee: a delicate, elegant piece of furniture that seats up to three featuring a padded back and seat, open arms, exposed legs, and an ornately decorated frame. Although during Louis XV, the piece was called by the French word for "sofa": a canapé.

But for me, it is the reign of Louis XVI that shows the world what a classic settee looks like, with lovely Neo-Classical legs and perfect proportions. Et voilà , the settee was born!

Happy designing!

SALE! Burton James Furniture

I am happy to announce the Fiorito Interior Design September Burton James Furniture Sale*!

From now until the end of this month, my local Bay Area clients can save an additional 20% off my already discounted trade pricing on upholstered pieces from Burton James, a company who has been creating quality, bench-made upholstered furniture for over three decades. Their products include sofas, loveseats, settees, sectionals, chairs, ottomans, recliners, and beds.

With thousands of fabrics to choose from as well as the combination of myriad details below, we can create custom pieces like no other. For sofas, loveseats and sectionals, choose from:
* 10 arm options
* 4 back shape options
* 5 base options
* 9 leg options
* 7 nail head options
* 10 Standard wood finish options
* 6 Premium wood finish options

If you've been wanting to buy new upholstered pieces for your home, now is a great opportunity to save. Call or email to get started--visit my website for contact information!

This sale is for a limited time only! Orders must be paid for and placed by 5 PM, September 30, 2019.

Happy designing!

*Additional sale discounts do not apply to the Benchmark and Select II Burton James furniture programs.

The History of Furniture: Windsor

For this installation of The History of Furniture, let's look at a style of furniture that is such a part of our lives and the history of not only England but the United States as well, that we sometimes overlook this workhorse piece of furniture.

The Windsor chair is a classic piece of furniture that first appeared in the 16th century. The woodworking technique of steam bending in the 18th century allowed the advancement of rounded pieces of wood and these Windsor chairs were made in Windsor, Berkshire and shipped to London for sale. English settlers introduced the Windsor chair to North America, with the earliest known chairs being imported by Patrick Gordon who became lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in 1726

Below we have what I think of as the classic version of this classic style. The host chair at this table is what is known as a "sack back" Windsor chair...the rounded top dies into a chair arm...while the guest chairs are known as a "hoop back" or "bow back" style.

Here is another room by Kate Maloney which utilizes the "sack back" and "bow back" chairs. The space references traditional design, supported by the chairs of course, but there is something light and breezy and even contemporary about the feel of this room.

As we can see by the chart below, there are several variations of Windsor chairs that were made in Europe and the United States.

The chair in the photo below is called a "comb back" Windsor chair, and I think we can see why. The piece that dies into the arm does indeed look like a hair comb!

Now we come to a simpler design of a Windsor chair with a continuous arm. Instead of the hoop or bow coming down to meet the seat, it curls up into arms.

And lest you think that the only things "Windsor" are chairs, there were also Windsor settees. The concept was to put two or more chairs together to make a longer seat deck.

Happy designing!