Furniture What-a?

There are fashionistas…

then there are furniture – istas?

Come again?

FURNITURE – ISTA!!!

I’m a self-proclaimed furnitureista.  My husband can attest to this fact.  Some women buy tons of clothes, but me, I buy furniture. (I’m also a Francophile, but that’s another story).

When I was in interior design school ages ago, my favorite courses were the History of Interiors I and II. I loved pouring over design books and learning all about furniture styles and their origins. I spent hours doing line drawings of every piece of furniture known to man, including legs styles, carvings, etc.

 

Although, I love to alter and rescue furniture  on occasion (furniture refinishing was also a course in college),  my real love comes in STUDYING furniture styles. I truly appreciate a quality piece of furniture. It is art in it’s own right.

Take the French commode, for example. When we hear the word commode, we tend to think of a toilet. But in France, it is a loosely defined type of chest or cabinet, not usually found in the loo!  It is usually low, used against a wall, and may have doors or drawers.

(How’s that for a quick furniture primer? Interesting stuff, right?)

This is the typical style we associate with the commode – the bombé.

Bombé means a swelling or convex surface with bulging fronts and sides, as found in furniture of the Louis XV period.

But, below is an example of an Empire period commode.

 

Both rooms below contain commodes flanked by chairs. The commode was a very important and 

functional piece of furniture used in French interiors and their decoration was plain to very elaborate.

 

The following photos are of the two commodes that I own.  They are both bombé and have burled and inlaid wood.  The first one below is in my dining room.

I absolutely love studying types of woods and the patina it develops over time.

I appreciate original marble and all the character marks and cracks it contains.

This petite bombé commode is in my sunroom.  It has the most gorgeous ormolu mounts, gray marble, and inlay.

I think at heart, I’ve always been a furnitureista. I guess if there can be fashionistas in the world, there can be furnitureistas, too.

So who’s with me?  Any other furnitureistas out there?

We should start a club…maybe I just did!  lol

Blessings,

Kim

I’m joining my lovely blog friends over at the following parties:

Newbie Party at Debbiedoo’s Blogging & Blabbing

Wow Us! Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

{Primp} Your Stuff Wednesday at Michele Raven Designs

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Voila! French Inspiration Thursday at French Cupboard

Show and Tell Friday at Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Potpourri Friday at 2805

Inspiration Friday @ At The Picket Fence