Gothic Furniture

Gothic Furniture has become popular in recent years, possibly due in part to the influence of Gothic fantasy novels, television and cinema. Today's Gothic style is less severe and uncompromising than its predecessors; delicate ironwork and simplicity replace the heavy dark oak and walnut pieces of the past.

Gothic Furniture became popular in the 19th century as the Victorians abandoned the neo-classical roman and greek forms beloved of the Georgian period and embraced the designs based on European architecture of the 12th to 15th Centuries. Gothic Revival, as it became known, is a style sober, substantial, often heavy, and characterized by vertical points or spires. It is often carved with plant forms or religious representations. In its original Medieval form, it was simple and portable; wealthy nobles needed to take their furniture from place to place as they moved around the country, so furniture was easy to dismantle and reassemble; consisting mainly of wooden chests and bench tables. The Victorian revival included four-poster beds, huge sideboards, cabinets and tables, ornate coat and umbrella stands, although sofas and chairs were often lighter and more comfortable in style.