Movements

1919–1933

The German school that fused art, craft and industry. Bauhaus furniture stripped away ornament in favour of tubular steel, geometry and honest function.

1945–1969

The optimistic post-war style of organic curves, new materials and open-plan living that dominated American and European homes.

1930s–present

A Nordic philosophy of warm minimalism, natural materials and democratic craftsmanship, prizing comfort and honest joinery.

1920s–1930s

The glamorous geometry of the interwar years — bold volumes, rich materials and streamlined luxury.

1837–1901

An eclectic era of decorative revivals, where machine production let the middle classes fill parlours with elaborate carved seating.

1730–1770

The playful, asymmetric ornament of the French court — shells, scrolls, gilding and cabriole legs.

1960s

Futuristic optimism expressed in moulded plastic, bold colour and single-form construction.

1780s–1860s

Furniture born of a religious belief that utility is beauty — light, honest and free of ornament.

19th century

The moment craft met the factory, pioneering techniques like steam-bending for mass production.

17th–19th c.

Regional, anonymous furniture shaped by local materials, climate and daily use rather than named designers.

1920s–1940s

The broad movement toward function, simplicity and rejection of historical ornament.

1970s–1990s

A reaction against modernist purity that welcomed colour, ornament, historical quotation and wit.

2000s–present

Today's plural design landscape, freely reinterpreting the past with new materials and sustainability in mind.

1714–1830

English restraint and classical proportion, home to enduring forms like the wingback and Windsor.

1901–1910

A lighter, more comfortable turn after Victorian excess, refining traditional English seating.