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 Victorian Carved Oak Foot Stool with Leather Upholstery
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Carved oak foot stool upholstered in leather. A lovely piece, this Victorian stool is made in carved oak, it stands on short carved hairy paw feet an...
Oak
Arts and Crafts Chesterfield Buttoned Leather Oak Foot Stool
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Arts and Crafts Chesterfield Buttoned Leather Oak Foot Stool A Lovely piece, this Victorian stool is made in Oak, it stands on short Turned legs and has gothic style carving around ...
Oak
Antique Gothic Style Carved Oak Chest Coffer, 24\" Wide, 1900
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Small carved oak chest or shoe box coffer The chest has 2 carved panels to the front and and decorative nailed and scalloped corners, inside is clean and it has blacksmith made hinges This small oak...
Oak
Late 19th Century French Gothic Style Hand Carved Oak Coffer Bench
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This late nineteenth century French Gothic style oak coffer bench features ten hand carved panels in the lower apron and seat back, each with alternating Gothic motifs. Gothic column...
Iron
Brown Leather Pouf with Sheepskin Shearling Foot Stool
Located in Dural, AU
What a great way to add a stylish addition to your living room comfort with this brown leather pouf. Featuring an Italian grained leather trimmed with Australian curly wool shearling...
Sheepskin
$1,036
H 13.78 in W 28.75 in D 13.59 in
1900 Little Rustic Chest or Coffer Gothic Carved Oak & Wrought Iron, French
Located in Labrit, Landes
French coffer or chest made circa 1900. Decorated with carved flowers style. The design of this chest is deliberately rustic. The interior is lined with fabric. Very decorative and ...
Wrought Iron
$1,700 / set
H 18.31 in W 16.54 in D 16.54 in
Pair of Antique Victorian Hand Carved 19th Century Asethetic Movement Stools
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this stunning pair of Victorian late 19th century hand carved pine stools in the Aesthetic movement taste This stools are very decorative and we...
Pine
19th Century Oriental Carved Wood Stool
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A wonderfully stylish 19th century Oriental style stool, with pierced fretwork decoration to the frieze, stuff over upholstered seat, raised on classical carved cabriole legs with my...
Mahogany
Antique Carved Louis XV Walnut Footstool
Located in New York, NY
Antique Carved Louis XV Walnut Footstool. Curvy shape newly upholstered in gray Chenille with double welting. Good overall condition, sturdy, ready to use.
Chenille, Walnut
$2,495
H 57.75 in W 26 in D 21 in
Late 19th Century French Gothic Style Hand Carved Oak Armchair, Throne
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This late nineteenth century French Gothic style oak coffer armchair features eight hand carved panels in the lower apron and seat back, each with different Gothic motifs. The two lo...
Oak
$440Sale Price|20% Off
H 16 in W 17.5 in D 17.5 in
Antique Stickley Arts & Crafts Mission Oak Splint Weave Footstool c1920
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique Stickley Arts & Crafts Mission Oak Splint Weave Footstool C1920 Measures - 16" x 17 1/2" x 17 1/2" This Stickley Arts & Crafts Mission Oak footstool features a classic ...
Oak
$600Sale Price|20% Off
H 18 in W 23 in D 21.5 in
Antique French Style Carved Walnut & Upholstered Foot Stool, C1920
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique French style footstool offers upholstered seat over walnut base having carved skirt and cabriole legs, C1920. Measures- 18'' H x 23'' W x 21.5'' D. A French style walnut f...
Walnut, Upholstery
George Smith Leather Upholstered Mahogany Foot Stool
By George Smith
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Raised upon four turned and handsomely finished legs with a wonderful black leather upholstered and tufted cushion affixed with a distinguished band of brass tack nailhead trim. Di...
Leather, Mahogany
Mid-Century Danish Hexagonal Oak Stool with Lambswool Upholstery, 1950s
By Viggo Boesen, Flemming Lassen, Henning Kjærnulf
Located in Odense, DK
This elegant stool is a fine example of Danish Modern design, crafted by a skilled Danish cabinetmaker in the 1950s. The piece features a distinctive hexagonal seat and finely carved...
Lambskin, Sheepskin, Wool, Oak
Victorian Hand Carved Walnut and Upholstered Foot Stool
Located in Germantown, MD
A Victorian Hand Carved Walnut and Upholstered Foot Stool Measures 20" in width, 14.75" in depth and 16.5" in height.
Upholstery, Walnut
Sold
H 17.75 in W 18 in D 11.625 in
Fantastic Pair of French Gothic Style Carved Walnut Tabourets, Paris, Circa 1895
Located in Dallas, TX
Hand-carved by the studio of Victor Aimone (circa 1895), this pair of tabourets from Paris have hand-carved Gothic-style motifs. The fantastic carvings a...
Wood, Walnut
Sold
H 20 in W 26 in D 15 in
Antique American Furniture Gothic Carved Oak Vanity Stool Desk Chair Piano Bench
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique American Furniture Company Gothic Revival vanity stool or piano bench. Made of oak featuring a rectangular zigzag upholstered seat o...
Oak
Sold
H 19.25 in W 15.5 in D 15.5 in
19th Century Sculpted French Oak Tabouret Stool in the Gothic Style
Located in Dallas, TX
Hand-carved in France in the 1800’s, this oak tabouret stool was sculpted by an immensely talented menuisier in the Gothic style. A rectangular seat with canted corners has an elongated elliptic cutout in the center. Below each canted corner is a shallow corbel that extends down to form the back of a figurative leg. There are two distinct characters, one being a woman genuflecting on her left knee and the other being a squatting woman. Both women have their hands on their knees with a cloak hood pulled down to their foreheads. The sides that are flanked by identical carvings have been left open, allowing a simple rectangular stretcher to be viewed. Each end of the stretcher passes through a connector, where it is secured with a dowel on the outside. Above the connectors is an inset quadrilateral panel that is adorned with several recognizable Gothic motifs. In the center of the panel is a two-tiered rosette set inside a geometric shape with concave sides. The curved edges have been embellished with ogee protuberances, like rose thorns. Similar ogees can be found along the thin molding that mirrors the panel’s edges. The frieze has been carved on all four sides with additional signature Gothic elements, such as cusping, foils, and counter curves. Once again, there are two distinctive sets of carvings: one featuring concave curves and the other having convex curves. Our 19th century French oak tabouret makes for a highly decorative seating option in a bedroom or powder room. It can be used as a footstool when paired with another highly carved chair.
Oak
Antique French Gothic Footstool
Located in Dallas, TX
Sculpted from dense, old-growth French oak in the timeless Gothic manner, this footstool features carved embellishment over the entirety of its facades, including the insides of the ...