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The Enduring Designs Of Antique English Furniture
By Eddie Bent
Desirable
What is it that makes antique English some of the most desirable in the world? Craftsmanship is one answer. But designers also played a vital role. They worked and studied hard to create great that would long outlive them.


Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale (1718 – 1779) was one of the best-known designers of his age. His work has been popular for more than 200 years, and it remains influential even today.

Many of Chippendale’s designs first appeared in his book “The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director” of 1754. Within a few years, factories in Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Ireland and America were using the book as the basis of their production.

Robert Adam
Robert Adam (1728 – 1792) gave antique English unique, highly decorative designs. Although he was an architect, Adam drew plans of interiors and as well. He used ancient Roman decorations as his inspiration to create a style called classical rococo.

Robert Adam, together with his brother James, published a book called “The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam”. It shows many of Robert Adam’s designs at their best.

Thomas Sheraton
Thomas Sheraton (1751 – 1806) was a maker who, like Adam, used classical motifs in his designs. He

made his style of antique English famous when he published “The Cabinet Maker’s and Upholsterer’s Drawing Book”.

Some 600 cabinetmakers across England used this four-volume book to produce in the Sheraton style. Most antique experts believe that Thomas Sheraton never made any of the himself. But his designs became very fashionable in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

George Hepplewhite
George Hepplewhite (circa 1727 – 1786) designed very elegant furniture, particularly chairs. It’s fairly easy to spot a Hepplewhite chair: it often has curved arms, a back in the shape of a shield, and straight legs. There’s also very little carving on a Hepplewhite piece. He preferred to use inlaid wood and paint.

A book called “The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide” appeared two years after Hepplewhite’s death. It contains 300 or so of his designs.

Further reading
The books of the above four designers are still in print. They’re a fascinating record of 18th century design.

Nothing can quite match, however, the pleasure of actually owning an original piece of antique English furniture. There’s still a reasonable amount around based on the work of Chippendale, Adam, Sheraton, Hepplewhite and others. Perhaps it’s time to start or expand a collection?
For more information about antique English furniture visit www.ronaldphillips.co.uk/ .

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