Antiques versus Reproductions

Dining room at Old Westbury Gardens

I’m frequently asked by budding interior design students – do I need to know about antique furniture? Many clients can’t afford it! Or another refrain:  I don’t understand the different styles of period furniture – help! To which I reply: Yes, you do need to know about antique furniture and yes, I can help you figure out the different nuances of the period styles. 

Antique furniture is very expensive – first, they are a limited supply, second, they’re usually made of rare (or even extinct) woods and finally because of their exquisite craftsmanship. Since antiques are limited but still sought after, furniture manufacturers have created reproductions of the popular styles. And this is where your expertise comes in handy. If you know how the original antiques looked like and how they were made, then you can better assess whether or not the furniture makers did a good job with the reproductions.

Let’s compare some originals and reproductions!

Louis XV Fauteuil from 1st DibsA popular French period style is the Louis XV style, also known as the Rococo style.  A Louis XV chair will feature a cabriole leg – an S-shaped leg – that is carved and decorated with shells or floral motifs.  The chair will also display the same carved motifs on its chair rail and seat rail. In the above photo, we have an original Louis XV antique fauteuil or armchair. Furniture of this period was made of expensive woods like walnut or oak. Chairs were typically upholstered in expensive silks.

Below we have a reproduction of the Louis XV style from Ethan Allen.  Their Chantel chair boasts of the same cabriole leg and the curved chair and seat rail but the details are simplified with none of the shell or floral motifs of the original. Also, the reproductions are made of a less expensive wood like maple or birch. In this case, the manufacturer did a wonderful job of recreating a Louis XV reproduction, albeit a simplified version.

Chantel chair from Ethan Allen

Stay tuned for next week's discussions on Antiques versus Reproductions!

Interested in learning more about antique furniture styles?  Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design.  At Sheffield, you will learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.