Renaissance Furniture Information

Furniture continued to evolve throughout the renaissance period. Two of the most popular types of furniture during this time were the chest and the bed. As evidenced by wills wealthy individuals would often own hundreds of chests. They were extremely versatile furniture pieces since they could be used to store items inside the home and when traveling. Chests came in all different sizes and shapes, some with legs, and some laying flat on the ground.

Beds were the other popular type of renaissance furniture. Beds had many different types of designs and constructions, the most common of which was the rope bed. The rope bed was a fine piece of furniture that consisted of a rectangular wooden frame with ropes. Sometimes individual slept directly on the ropes, while in other instances they were used to support a mattress of some type. The renaissance time is known for its major enhancements to beds and other kinds of furniture.

While the most common kinds of furniture during the renaissance period were beds and chests there are many other types that existed during the era. Chairs and benches began to gain more prominence throughout this time. Public furniture, such as the benches, started popping up in more and more locations.

Furniture started to have fewer jewels or stones embedded into its borders. Rather banding, paneling, and carving were the primary forms of ornamentation. Banding was simply the addition of thin strips to the borders of furniture. Furniture with paneling was slightly more complex to build. Paneling involved using recessed and raised pieces of wood to enhance the furniture’s appearance. Carving designs into the furniture, is arguably the most artistic of all types of ornamentation. Carvings included simple items such as palmettos in addition to more complex designs depicting everything from trees to animals.

When thinking about the renaissance period, the topic of furniture is oftentimes overlooked. As outlined above, the people of this period created beautiful furniture using an artistic approach that was not explored by past generations. Next time somebody mentions the renaissance period ‘furniture’ may not be the last topic on your mind.