Madeleine Furniture
Simple yet elegant, our Madeleine Furniture reflects the subtle and understated style of rural France. Ornately carved and with a vintage finish this furniture will look good in any setting.
In the first half of the 18th century furniture design was mainly influenced by France and it was here that the rococo style reached its height. The new style took its name from the word for rockwork: rocaille (rococo in Italian). Its features included flowers, C and S shapes scrolls, cupids and scallop shells.
In keeping with the demand for more informal and comfortable interiors, new types of rooms were designed for specific functions: drawing rooms (salons) both large and small where people could converse; and rooms for music, games and reading. Rococo design included all the elements of a room, not just the furniture, to create an integrated interior. Rococo furniture was smaller and lighter and more curvaceous in form that earlier styles. Women became more influential in the design and wanted smaller more decorative pieces that were suitable for intimate salons and appealed to the 18th century taste for informality and leisure.
The style of painting furniture became very popular in the 18th century. Painting had advantages as it allowed more intricate detail to be added to a piece of furniture. The trend for painting combined with the Rococo style lead to a French country style.
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Madeleine Collection
