Relevant categories: Dressers and Sideboards,Cabinets and Chests
(Above photo - Sheraton Bow front chest of drawers )
Do you know how and where the bow front chest of drawers originated? The shape might have become so common that little thought is given to find out when it first emerged. It was during the Georgian period that the bow front chest of drawers first emerged. It was a confident, functional design meant for the middle class of that time. Soon it grew into a popular piece of furniture because of its practicality and functionality. It is still quite popular today.
(Above photo - Regency mahogany bow front chest of drawers )
Lasting between 1714 and 1837, the Georgian period was defined by different furniture styles, with the most popular being the feisty neoclassical styles. Furniture pieces made using these styles featured quality materials and great craftsmanship. Furniture makers preferred mahogany in making chests and other pieces of furniture. The drawers were characteristically made using the Chippendale style or serpentine or fat fronts, bracket-shaped feet, keyholes, and ornate brass handles.
(Above photo - Antique bow front chest of drawers )
As the centuries progressed, the growing middle class began to demand good-quality furniture that was also highly practical. Soon, the Hepplewhite style superseded the former Chippendale style. That is how the bow front chest of drawers first came into existence. The principal material for this type of furniture was mahogany, even though some pieces featured marquetry or a mixture of other types of wood.
The chest had splayed feet, graduated drawers, brass handles, and a brushing slide or pull-out shelf. It was a highly functional, beautiful piece of furniture that soon attracted the attention of homemakers. Today, it is a design that a lot of people still admire. That’s why it is not uncommon to find people flocking to antique shops in search of these pieces of furniture.
Who Was Behind the Brand of Chests?
(Above photo - Mahogany bow front chest of drawers )
The Georgian design was advanced by several furniture designers including Thomas Sheraton, Thomas Chippendale, Robert Adam, and George Hepplewhite. Now, about George Hepplewhite, very little is known about him. People believe he first served as an apprentice in the Lancaster Gillows before moving to London as a cabinet maker. He lived concurrently with Chippendale only living longer than the latter by seven years. In 1788, The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide was published posthumously by his widow, Alice. It featured close to 300 designs by Hepplewhite.
It was mostly a graceful, elegant style that favoured geometric shapes, as well as straight, tapered legs. The style featured decorative motifs such as wheat sheaves, urns, feathers, and swags. He is one of the first designers to have popularized the sideboard as well as the small chest of drawers.
If you are looking for an antique bow front chest of drawers, don’t hesitate to check out the antique shops. You might just be lucky to find a piece of furniture dating back to the period when they were first made. However, don’t insist on that. If you find pieces of furniture made during the later centuries, go for it. Or, you might want a contemporary chest made in the same style. If you manage to find one, use it to effectively decorate your home.
We will be glad to help you find exactly what you are looking for.
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