The Middle Ages in Europe followed the end of the Roman Empire, and in this time of change, which preceded the Renaissance, furniture was simple and utilitarian, with most homes having only the necessities like chests and benches. Much of medieval furniture, which was often made in oak or walnut, was built for the elite, particularly the emerging merchant class who owned multiple homes.
Life for many in the medieval era was unstable, and furniture was designed to be functional and portable. Peasants worked the fields for affluent landowners and didn’t have access to literature in the way that nobles and people of the church did (women less so than men). The furniture in their modest dwellings was typically limited to cookware and a handful of stools. Foldable chairs, while uncommon in homes of the early Middle Ages and emblematic of wealth, like all other furnishings of the time, allowed for easy transportation of a household. Trestle tables with detachable legs and collapsible beds were designed to be simply moved from place to place.
Medieval blanket chests were among the most important furniture objects and could further serve as tables or even beds. Some ancient traditions were carried forward to build this sturdy furniture, such as turnery. Although the furniture was minimally designed, embellishments like carvings added elegance to the heavy wood pieces. These details sometimes reflected trends in religious art like rose windows.
By the later Middle Ages, storage pieces like chests of drawers were often adorned with high relief carvings, such as geometric and floral motifs. By the 14th and 15th centuries, design had developed to include more involved pieces like cupboards and desks, while benches frequently doubled as chests with hinged seats. Beds also changed in this era from basic boards to four-post designs with large drapes to keep the sleeper warm. These beds and other medieval bedroom furniture were significant status symbols, passed down through families and used as places to conduct business and receive visitors.
Surviving examples of medieval furniture are very rare, yet its distinctive aesthetics influenced later styles like William and Mary and Arts and Crafts.
Find a collection of medieval seating, garden elements, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
19th Century Heraldic Lion Tile by Minton
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
This 19th century Minton heraldic lion tile design is after a 13th century tile found in Westminster Cathedral. Produced by Minton circa 1842. The lion is a common theme in heraldry...
Clay
Antique Soignies Black Stone Tiles, Medieval Style, Belgium, 1860
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
This set is composed of around 2500 of Soignies black stone square tiles. Each side be 35 cm. Total surface about 280m².
Stone
A Set of Nine Reclaimed Encaustic W.Godwin Tiles
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A set of nine reclaimed encaustic W.Godwin tiles. Dating from the mid 19th century, these reclaimed encaustic tiles were prodcued in Lugwardine, Herefordshire. They are of a neo-med...
Clay, Terracotta
Set of 9 Antique English Gothic Style Encaustic Tiles
By Minton
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A striking set of nine ecclesiastical antique English encaustic tiles. Stamped with maker’s marks to the reverse, this collection includes eight buff and red terracotta tiles in the ...
Clay
Set of 9 Craven Dunhill & Co. Glazed Post-Medieval Encaustic Tiles
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A set of 9 matching late 19th/early 20th century glazed encaustic antique tiles with a post-medieval design by Craven Dunhill and Co. These tiles are likely unused with very clean b...
Clay
A Set of Nine Reclaimed Encaustic W.Godwin Tiles
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A set of nine reclaimed encaustic W.Godwin tiles. Dating from the mid 19th century, these reclaimed encaustic tiles were prodcued in Lugwardine, Herefordshire. They are of a neo-med...
Clay, Terracotta
Set of 9 Reclaimed Gothic Style 6-Inch Geometric Tiles
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A set of nine 6-inch reclaimed tiles in the gothic style, decorated with interlinking circles, foliate roundels and stylised fish. Possibly in the style of Christopher Dresser, circa...
Clay
Reclaimed Encaustic Tiles by W. Godwin of Lugwardine
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
These reclaimed encaustic tiles by W. Godwin of Lugwardine are presented as a set of twenty-five in a repeating foliate design. Dating from the mid 19th century, these reclaimed en...
Clay, Terracotta
English 14th Century Terracotta Medieval Encaustic Floral Tile
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
An English terracotta Medieval encaustic tile of exceptional rarity. This tile would have been found in a monastery, church or abbey around the 14th to 15th century. With a distinc...
Terracotta
Set of 9 Antique Gothic Encaustic Tiles by Minton & Co
By Minton
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A set of nine vibrant antique gothic encaustic tiles by Minton & Co (stamped), circa 1840- 1860. Each 6-inch tile is detailed with buff and red terracotta tones to create an ornate o...
Clay
A Set of Nine Reclaimed Encaustic W.Godwin Tiles
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A set of nine reclaimed encaustic W.Godwin tiles. Dating from the mid 19th century, these reclaimed encaustic tiles were prodcued in Lugwardine, Herefordshire. They are of a neo-med...
Clay, Terracotta
Set of 9 Reclaimed Minton & Co Gothic Encaustic Tiles
By Minton
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A set of nine vibrant reclaimed gothic encaustic tiles by Minton & Co (stamped), circa 1840- 1860. Each 6-inch tile is detailed with buff and red terracotta tones to create an ornate...
Clay
Set of 4 Minton Tiles Attributed to Edward Hammond
By Minton
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A set of four 19th Century Mintons tile attributed to the artist Edward Hammond. Modelled in relief, each 8-inch tile is decorated with a different musician in medieval dress picked...
Clay
A Set of Nine Reclaimed Encaustic W.Godwin Tiles
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A set of nine reclaimed encaustic W.Godwin tiles. Dating from the mid 19th century, these reclaimed encaustic tiles were prodcued in Lugwardine, Herefordshire. They are of a neo-med...
Clay, Terracotta
Encaustic Tiles
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful encaustic tiles with borders (Measures: 3" x 6").
Cement
Encaustic Tiles
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful blue and orange encaustic tiles.
Cement
Encaustic Tiles
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful blue and gray encaustic tiles with borders. We have 150 sq ft of the field and 96 linear ft of the borders. We only sell the entire lot.
Cement
Encaustic Tiles
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful colorful encaustic tiles.
Cement
Charcoal Tumble Sandblast Harringbone Tiles
Located in Dallas, TX
Lovely charcoal tiles imported from Europe. Measures 8.6 x 2.3 in.
Limestone
Encaustic Tiles
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful blue and grey encaustic tiles. Long borders are 2.75" x 5.5".
Cement
Encaustic Tiles
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful grey encaustic tiles with floral borders. We have 290 sq ft of the field + 151 linear ft of the borders. We only sell the entire lot.
Cement
19th Century Encaustic Tiles
Located in Dallas, TX
Colorful encaustic tiles with beautiful borders.
Cement
Reclaimed Beach Tone Tile Sample
Located in Dallas, TX
This beautiful, hand painted, reclaimed antique, cement tile flooring was imported from France, circa 1890.
Stone
Encaustic Tiles
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful blue and grey encaustic tiles.
Cement
Café Taupe Hexagon Tile
Located in Dallas, TX
Beatifully finished hexagon tiles in the color cafe taupe. These tiles are imported from France.
Limestone
Reclaimed Antique Carrara Marble Floor Tiles
Located in Udenhout, NL
These beautiful reclaimed antique Carrara marble floor tiles are recuperated out of old castles and mansions. They are from the 18th, 19th and 20...
Carrara Marble
14th Century Medieval Encaustic Slip Glazed Floor Tile
Located in Pease pottage, West Sussex
Encaustic Medieval Floor Tile, with impressed and inlaid slip filled decoration. 14th Century, wear and condition commensurate with age, minor loss to one corner.
Stoneware
Rare Pair Of 15th Century Terracotta Tiles
Located in BARSAC, FR
Pair of tiles and their decorative elements in spandrels with molded decorations of medieval figures: a bearded man wearing a Phrigian cap on one and a woman with a headdress and bun...
Terracotta
Reclaimed English Encaustic Tiles by W. Godwin of Lugwardine
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
These mid 19th century antique encaustic tiles with fleur de lys pattern were reclaimed from a local Herefordshire church. We have around 125 tiles in the same design available, available for purchase in panels of 9 as pictured. Please enquire for more details. Dating from the mid 19th century, these reclaimed encaustic tiles are by W. Godwin of Lugwardine, Herefordshire UK. They are of a neo...
Clay
Late Medieval Terracotta Tile with Fleur De Lis Pattern
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A late medieval encaustic floor tile decorated with a fleur-de-lis design and dating from the 15th century. The tile is thickly made in a terracotta clay inlaid with a cream clay to ...
Clay, Terracotta
Cottageviertel Oak Parquet Panels
Located in London, GB
Reclaimed oak parquet panels from Cottageviertel, Vienna. Available to view at LASSCO Ropewalk