Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
In 1880, polymath designer William Morris declared: “If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” His words encapsulated the Aesthetic Movement, which prized beauty above all and blurred the lines between fine art and the decorative arts, particularly through lavishly crafted furniture pieces.
The Aesthetic Movement, whose major proponents included author Oscar Wilde, flourished from the 1860s to the 1880s and was mostly popular in England and the United States. Design expositions like the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia, as well as the publishing of how-to books for interior design, helped disseminate Aesthetic Movement bedroom furniture, serveware, coffee tables and other items, especially to the middle class.
The establishment of new art museums, art clubs and a rising passion for collecting at the time contributed to a growing appreciation for art. Morris’s founding of Morris & Co. in 1862 and the commercializing of this “cult of beauty” by the Liberty store in London, starting in the late 19th century, further disseminated the idea of a domestic space that was thoughtfully and floridly designed.
Leading Aesthetic Movement furniture designers included E.W. Godwin, who drew on Japanese influences and whose work reflected a wider enthusiasm for imported East Asian art. British designer Christopher Dresser created textiles, ceramics and more that were also inspired by Japanese decorative art but were representative of additional diverse design sources that ranged from Egypt to Mexico.
The Aesthetic Movement’s eclecticism resulted in dazzling interiors. Japanese fans were positioned on Renaissance-inspired cabinets with brass hardware, while mantels made of rich walnut or finely carved ebonized wood and adorned with painted Minton tiles mingled with cast-iron chairs against a backdrop of floral wallpaper. In 1881, in New York City, stenciled checkerboard motifs and painted floral murals could be found under an opalescent glass chandelier in a luxurious dressing room designed by German émigré cabinetmaker-decorator George Alfred Schastey. Amid the rise of the industrial age, the style’s promotion of art in everyday life would inform the Arts and Crafts Movement and Art Nouveau.
Find a collection of antique Aesthetic Movement seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture and antiques on 1stDibs.
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Bamboo, Lacquer
Early 1900s European Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Birch, Birdseye Maple
Early 20th Century North American Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Birdseye Maple, Cherry
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Birdseye Maple
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Birdseye Maple, Maple
19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Maple, Wood
19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Brass, Wrought Iron
1870s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Oak
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Walnut
Late 19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Marble, Brass
1820s German Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Walnut
19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Wood, Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Giltwood
1890s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Maple, Pine
1820s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Birdseye Maple
2010s American Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Brass
Early 20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Metal
1930s English Vintage Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Birdseye Maple, Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Bentwood
Late 20th Century Vietnamese Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Grasscloth, Bamboo
Late 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Wicker, Rattan
Late 20th Century Italian Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Brass
Early 20th Century European Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Marble, Ormolu
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Pine
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Wood
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Wood, Mahogany
Late 20th Century Unknown Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Maple
20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Mahogany, Oak, Burl
1890s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Birdseye Maple
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Beds and Bed Frames
Faux Bamboo