Aesthetic Movement Stools
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 Stools
Elm
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Stools
Beech
1890s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Stools
Oak
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Stools
Beech
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Stools
Walnut
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Stools
Wood, Paint
1880s Antique Aesthetic Movement Stools
Beech
Late 19th Century European Antique Aesthetic Movement Stools
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Stools
Pine
2010s Brazilian Aesthetic Movement Stools
Fabric
2010s Danish Aesthetic Movement Stools
Aluminum
2010s American Aesthetic Movement Stools
Brass
Early 20th Century Asian Aesthetic Movement Stools
Wood
2010s American Aesthetic Movement Stools
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary European Aesthetic Movement Stools
Leather, Oak
19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Stools
Elm
Early 20th Century Czech Aesthetic Movement Stools
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak
2010s Brazilian Aesthetic Movement Stools
Fabric
1970s Swedish Vintage Aesthetic Movement Stools
Pine
1960s Scandinavian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Stools
Leather, Wood
2010s Mexican Aesthetic Movement Stools
Ceramic, Fabric
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Stools
Beech
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Stools
Beech
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Stools
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Stools
Walnut
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Stools
Sycamore