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 Large French Bleached Oak Bookcase Display Cabinet
Located in Round Top, TX
19th-century large French bookcase crafted in bleached French oak. This impressive display cabinet features extensive hand-carved detail throughout, including vine and acanthus-style...
Oak
Carved Oak Open Bookcase. The bookcase is good quality
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Carved Oak Open Bookcase. The bookcase is good quality, with attractive carving on the front It is in good original condition, it has 3 adjustable shelves and it stands on bracket ...
Oak
Vintage 5-Tier Carved Walnut Etagere Shelf/Bookcase
Located in Wilmington, DE
Vintage 5-Tier Carved Walnut Etagere Shelf/Bookcase Offered is a beautiful vintage Etegere shelf. This piece is made of Walnut, features five shelves/tiers ...
Mahogany
Baltic NeoClassic Mahogany 18th Century Breakfront
Located in Queens, NY
"Continental (Probably Baltic-18th Century) Neo-classic mahogany breakfront cabinet with a lower section having 4 door under 4 drawers, all having an oval shaped inlaid pattern and an upper section with 4 Gothic style lattice glass door under a centered pediment Good; Wear consistent with age and use. Glass pane...
Mahogany
Reformed Gothic Hanging Bookcase, in the style of E W Godwin
Located in London, GB
A reformed Gothic hanging bookcase, in the style of E W Godwin with a turned gallery and shelf, the door inset with a Minton 8 inch tile 'Rob Roy in Glasgow To...
Oak
Important Gothic Pugin Style Victorian Walnut Dwarf Open Bookcase
By Pugin
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this very well made Gothic Pugin style very large dwarf open bookcase A very good looking and well made piece, the sh...
Walnut
Fine Quality 19th Century Carved Oak Glazed Bookcase
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Fine Quality 19th century carved oak glazed bookcase. This is a very attractive piece, it has 2 glazed doors which have a deeply carved border matching the top and base carving an...
Oak
19th Century Gothic Painted Bookcase
Located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Wonderful 19th Century English Gothic painted bookcase. 1880
Glass, Oak, Pine
Pair of French Mahogany and Bronze Open Bookcases
By Adam Weisweiler
Located in London, GB
A pair of Petit Bibliotheques in the manner of Adam Weisweiler constructed using a finely patinated mahogany, brass and bronze; rising from bronze shod turned and tapering circular ...
Brass, Bronze
$15,840Sale Price|20% Off
H 97 in W 94 in D 22 in
19th Century English George III Mahogany Breakfront Bookcase
Located in Tarry Town, NY
Beautifully crafted in the George III style large mahogany wood English breakfront cabinet / bookcase with four doors in the upper part. The...
Brass
$7,013 / item
H 78.75 in W 78.75 in D 15.75 in
Pontile Bookcase, in canaletto walnut, by Accardi Buccheri for Medulum
By Mauro Accardi & Silvia Buccheri
Located in Meolo, Venezia
Bookcase made of a series of solid wood poles with circular section, veneered shelves with solid wood edging, all made of Canaletto walnut finished with transparent paint. The head of the poles is coated with a blue protective paint. The system is completed by two storage compartments that feature sliding doors with integrated handle. The library is shipped semi assembled. Libreria costituita da pali continui a sezione circolare in legno massello. Ripiani impiallacciati con bordatura in massello. Il tutto realizzato in noce canaletto finito con vernice trasparente. La testa...
Wood, Walnut
$15,900
H 119.5 in W 71 in D 28 in
Large 19th Century French Directoire Period Painted Bookcase or Display Cabinet
Located in Birmingham, AL
This exceptional mid-19th century French Directoire period painted bookcase or display cabinet from Gordes, circa early 1800s, embodies the elegance and craftsmanship of its era. Han...
Wood
Small 18th Century Mahogany Secretaire Bookcase
Located in Lymington, GB
A rare, diminutive, late-18th century secretaire bookcase / cabinet. George III-period, circa 1790. Mahogany of very good rich color and well patinated. Inlaid and crossbanded throu...
Mahogany
French Late 19th Century Oak Corner Bookcase
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A breathtaking late 19th century Louis XV-style corner bookcase from France once part of a grand library, all hand-crafted in oak offering both open shelving and closed storage. The ...
Metal
$940Sale Price|20% Off
H 68 in W 68 in D 15 in
Vintage Oak 4 Tier Industrial x Frame Freestanding Bookcase Etagere Shelf
Located in Dayton, OH
An open frame industrial style x frame bookcase or room divider from the last quarter of the 20th century. Made from oak with four long shelves. The unit can be broken down folding u...
Oak
19th Century French Louis Philippe Bookcase ~ Display Armoire
Located in Dallas, TX
19th Century French Louis Philippe Bookcase ~ Display Armoire features a tailored architecture that allows it to blend with a wide variety of styles and decors! The classic arched b...
Brass
$6,376 / item
H 78.75 in W 78.75 in D 15.75 in
Pontile Bookcase, in canaletto walnut, by Accardi Buccheri for Medulum
By Mauro Accardi & Silvia Buccheri
Located in Meolo, Venezia
Bookcase made of a series of solid wood poles with circular section, veneered shelves with solid wood edging, all made of Canaletto walnut finished with transparent paint. The head of the poles is coated with a blue protective paint. The system is completed by two storage compartments that feature sliding doors with integrated handle. The library is shipped semi assembled. Design by Accardi Buccheri for Medulum Libreria costituita da pali continui a sezione circolare in legno massello. Ripiani impiallacciati con bordatura in massello. Il tutto realizzato in noce Canaletto finito con vernice trasparente. La testa...
Wood, Walnut
Antique English Victorian Walnut & Brass Open Bookcase
Located in Glasgow, GB
An antique English late Victorian walnut open bookcase bookcase in the Regency style, very nice quality and unusual in that the top has a pierced brass three quarter-gallery and reed...
Brass
English Satinwood Bookcase Cabinet in the Neoclassical Style
By Robert Adam
Located in London, GB
A petit bookcase in the manner of the Adam brothers. Constructed in Satinwood, with crossbanding, and polychrome hand-painted decoration; rising from tapering spade feet, the incurved lower section having a lockable cupboard door, extensively painted with a central trophy set...
Satinwood, Paint
Mahogany Bookcase With Secretary - 18th Century
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Superb English mahogany bookcase from the end of the 18th century circa 1780 with a secretary Very beautiful English work in mahogany which stands out by its very good quality, its ...
Mahogany
Gothic Barristers Bookcase Globe Wernicke Cabinet 1890
Located in Potters Bar, GB
Three tier oak Globe Wernicke bookcase with lift up leaded glass panel in the Gothic style Circa 1890 The Globe-Wernicke bookcase is a modular, stackable barrister bookcase known for...
Glass, Wood
Sold
H 63.5 in W 41 in D 15.5 in
Antique French Gothic Bookcase Cabinet Bookshelf 2 Glass Doors Oak c. 1920s-30s
Located in Tyler, TX
BEAUTIFUL Antique French Gothic Style Oak Bookcase or Display Cabinet with Double Glass Doors and Key~~c. 1920s~1930s PERFECT for your favorite antique books or collectibles 63.5" ...
Oak
Sold
H 45 in W 42 in D 12 in
Carved Oak Open Bookcase. The bookcase is good quality, with attractive carving
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Carved Oak Open Bookcase. The bookcase is good quality, with attractive carving on the front The bookcase is in good original condition and the shelves are adjustable This excelle...
Oak
Sold
H 83.5 in W 44 in D 14 in
Ballard Designs Aris Glass Door Cabinet Modern Dome Oak Bookcase Curio Vitrine
Located in Dayton, OH
The Aris Glass Door Cabinet was inspired by a graceful European Gothic window. The cabinet features a white washed finish with custom-welded, bronze metal frame doors and matching sp...
Glass, Oak
Pair of 19th Century Country House Oak Bookcases
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
Fine and impressive pair of 19th Century oak bookcases in the gothic manner. The upper sections with glazed doors enclosing an arrangement of shelves, the bases having twin doors to...
Oak
English Gothic Style Bleached Oak Bookcase
By Maple & Co.
Located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Very good quality late 19th C bleached oak Gothic style bookcase with linen fold cared doors. Made by Maple and Co. 1890 Reference: 8316 Dimensions 73 inches (185 cms) Wide 25 inc...
Oak
A Pair of French Carved Gothic Oak Bookcases
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
A Pair of French Carved Gothic Oak Bookcases The upper section of the Bookcases have a glazed door enclosing 2 adjustable book shelves, these have...
Oak
Breakfront Bookcase Gothic Chippendale Mahogany
Located in Potters Bar, GB
Wonderful breakfront bookcase in mahogany in the Chippendale style Great look with the gilt sections of the astragal glazing - in the Gothic style - gilded Top section comes apart fr...
Mahogany
Sold
H 107.25 in W 69 in D 22 in
Large Bleached Oak French Gothic Bookcase Display Cabinet, circa 1840-60
Located in Round Top, TX
This large bleached oak bookcase has intricate details such as the gothic trim that accents the crown and panel doors in addition to the dramatic turned co...
Oak
Oversized Antique Gothic Flame Mahogany Bookcase, 19th Century
Located in Big Flats, NY
A large antique Gothic bookcase offers flame mahogany construction with three glass doors having arched glass frames opening to shelved interio...
Glass, Mahogany
Swedish Gothic Bookcase
Located in Tetbury, Gloucestershire
Swedish 19th century bookcase with two glazed doors and gothic detailing, opening to four bookshelves. Below, two further doors open to more storage. This piece has been repainted in...
Wood
Victorian Green Man Gothic Open Bookcase
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Victorian green man Gothic open bookcase. The bookcase is the very finest of quality, the carving is very crisp, the bookcase has 2 shelves, the...
Oak