Thursday 17 December 2015

Modern Furniture: Revisting Renaissance-esque design

Wooden Carved Doors

Home is the place we all dwell in. From our very first memories to probably even the last ones, we all tend to be possessed with this eternal affinity for our homes. Besides being the epicenter of our intimate lives, it is also a part of our social identity. And what else, other than furniture, plays a detrimental role in defining the milieu that surrounds us. The aesthetics and look of our house has a bearing on our professional and personal lives. These days, all modern households boast of Modern Bedroom Furniture and Wooden Carved Doors.

Also, the semblance of office replete with Modern Office Furniture and Solid Wood Panel Doors is a reflection of our standing in the corporate arena.

 Yester years were defined by the architecture and style of furniture that adorned the courts and palaces of aristocracy. Travelers and visitors from other kingdoms would often extol the design and craftsmanship of the wooden masterpieces. No wonder, those palatial handiworks would soon be in vogue with their commercial spin-offs trickling down the social hierarchy.

Renaissance period is particularly noteworthy in the history of furniture. It is a well known fact that Renaissance was a socio-cultural movement that heralded in Florence and later swept the whole of Europe. The era marked the reincarnation of Greco –Roman philosophy and ideas. What began as a revivalist movement, Renaissance also had an indelible impact on the domiciliary ambience. The Renaissance era furniture was a fusion of subdued Greco-roman design blended with the Byzantine high-refined embellishments. The furniture was characterized by large and stately proportions, rectilinear forms, and impressive decorations.

One piece of art that characterized the era was the cassoni. Despite the fact that it was exorbitantly expensive, cassoni was a household item that was owned by members of all social classes. Although meant for the professed purpose to store goods, they were in reality used simply for decoration. The relic, often dark and elaborate, was made from gesso and wood. The chest would be emblazoned with intricate design and artwork. The noble families of those times often employed the best sculptors to produce the finest cassoni for them.

 Other pieces of furniture were similarly rich in style. Wooden Carved Doors had square lintels and were generally set within an arc. Door Designs were dwarfed by an overhead triangular or segmental pediment. Home furniture, made from willow or walnut wood, would be bedecked with inlays of gold, ivory, marble and other precious elements. It is also worth mentioning that some of the furniture was also relatively grotesque, often sculpted to resemble odd-looking gargoyles and monsters, to make them seem amusing. Chairs used to be the hallmark of wealth and prosperity in those days. They were usually designed to suit the grandeur and opulence of the elite who owned them.

With the passage of time, everything has very much changed. Just like all other things, newer and contemporary furniture designs have dislodged their revival style counterparts. Aristocracies might have faded into oblivion but the love for the bygone-era artifacts associated with them has withstood the test of time as it continues to draw awes and oomph’s from the patrons and critics.