Cabinets
ETYM. Middle French, small room, diminutive of Middle French dial. (Picard) cabine gambling house
DATE: c. 1550
A cabinet was originally a small room. Later it became a piece of furniture with a network of small drawers, commonly enclosed by a pair of doors.
schools of design
- Scandinavian
This style of design is typified by clean horizontal and vertical lines. Compared to other designs there is a distinct absence of ornamentation. While Scandinavian design is easy to identify, it is much more about the materials than the design. Hans J. Wegner (1914-2007) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He trained as a cabinet maker. He and his contemporaries defined a whole new Scandinavian furniture design movement.
- French Provincial
The French style of design is very ornate, often stained or painted leaving the wood concealed. Corners and bevels are often painted in gold leaf or another type of gilding. Artwork such as landscapes is often painted on the cabinets. Beech is a commonly used wood.
- Early American Colonial
Emphasising form and materials, early American cabinets are often constructed with turned spindles. Wood choices tend to be deciduous hardwoods with a particular emphasis on the wood from fruit bearing trees such as Cherry or Walnut.
- Rustic
The rustic style of design is the least finished – very utilitarian. It also often uses whole logs or branches including the bark of the tree and is often made from Pine, Cedar, Fir and Spruce.
- Mission Style
Mission Design is characterized by straight, thick horizontal and vertical lines and flat panels and most commonly made in oak. Early mission cabinetmakers often used white oak, which they often darkened through a process known as “fuming”. Hardware is often visible on the outside of the pieces and made of black iron. A style popular in the early 20th century; it was popularized by designers in the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveaux movements.
- Oriental
Characterized by its use of materials such as bamboo and rattan. Red is a frequent colour choice along with landscape art and Chinese or other Asian language characters on the pieces.
- Shaker
Shaker furniture design focuses on function and symmetry. Because it is so influenced by an egalitarian religious community and tradition it is rooted in the needs of the community versus the creative expression of the designer. Like Early American and Colonial design, Shaker craftsmen often chose fruit woods for their designs.
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