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 French Gothic Enfilade
Located in High Point, NC
19th century French gothic enfilade with a plank top which has a beveled edge, following down to lovely hand paneled sides and four drawers ...
Oak
$2,543Sale Price|20% Off
A Superbly Carved Green Man Oak Side Board or Buffet
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
A Superbly Carved Green Man Oak Side Board or Buffet The buffet is similar to a court cupboard and has a counter top with a carved edge beneath a higher plate shelf, there are two ...
Oak
Antique French Carved Ornate Walnut Figural Server Buffet Cabinet
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique French Carved Ornate Walnut Figural Server Buffet Cabinet Stunning Antique Imported from France Hand Carved Ornate Walnut Chateau Marble...
Marble
17th Century Furniture Important Supposedly from Northern Italy, Antique Art.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
17th century furniture important supposedly from northern Italy, great decoration, carved walnut on all faces. Measures: H 2m53, W 1.76m, W 69cm.
Wood
19th Century French Gothic Walnut Buffet
Located in Dallas, TX
19th Century French Gothic Walnut Buffet is a refined expression of the style which is considered one of the oldest furniture styles from France, dating back to the mid-12th century....
Bronze
French Charles X Birds Eye Maple Mirrored Console Table
Located in Queens, NY
French Charles X birds eye maple and ebonized trim and inlaid Gothic design console table with platform base and mirrored back with gilt floral carved edge on top.
Gold Leaf
19th Century French Cupboard with Dish Rack or Vaiselier in Oak
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
A lovely early 19th century country French buffet in oak with open dish rack above cabinet housing two drawers and two doors with interior shelves. With mort...
Oak
Antique Renaissance Revival Oak Buffet, Hunt Board
Located in Oakwood, GA
Antique Renaissance Revival Buffet, Hunt Board, Oak, 57"W Antique Buffet Antique Hunt Board Renaissance Revival Circa 1880’s Solid Oak Beautifully carved sides and front Top has two ...
Wood, Oak
French 19th Century Walnut Louis XVI Style Enfilade
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This 19th century Louis XVI style walnut enfilade is topped with an exciting slab of Verde Patricia marble that beautifully contrasts the linear formality and rich brown tones of the...
Marble
19th Century French Carved Oak Buffet
Located in High Point, NC
19th century oak buffet from France with a beveled edge around the top with nice hand carved details on the corners and front, following down to raised paneled sides which have carve...
Oak
French 19th Century Solid Walnut Louis Philippe Enfilade
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A beautiful, solid walnut enfilade from the 19th century, Louis Philippe period. The top surface is simply constructed in four pieces to frame a wide central plank and narrow boards ...
Brass
$6,540Sale Price|30% Off
H 90.95 in W 67.33 in D 34.26 in
17th Century Italian Louis XIV Walnut Carved Wardrobe or Armoire
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
Rare and important antique wardrobe in solid walnut made in the late seventeenth century in the seventeenth century Italian Baroque Louis XIV. The line is in fact typical of this per...
Walnut
$3,860
H 66.875 in W 35.75 in D 19.375 in
17th Century Painted Oak Homme Debout Cabinet from Southwest France
Located in Dallas, TX
A Homme debout is a two-bodied cabinet with a drawer separating the sections. This handsome Homme debout from southwest France was hand carved from oak in the 1600s. The period Louis...
Wood, Paint
19th Century French Renaissance Henry II Walnut Buffet
Located in Forney, TX
A most impressive antique, circa 1880, French carved walnut marble-top top buffet- sideboard server with nicely aged patina. Born in France during the late 19th century Renaissance Revival, hand-crafted of warm, rich solid walnut, exceptionally executed in 16th century King Henry II...
Marble, Brass
$3,775
H 32.49 in W 66.93 in D 14.45 in
19th Spanish Baroque Carved Walnut Tuscan Three Drawers Credenza or Buffet
Located in Miami, FL
From Northern Spain, constructed of solid walnut, the rectangular top with molded edge atop a conforming case housing two drawers over two doors, the doors paneled with solid walnut,...
Iron
19th C Enfilade
Located in Vista, CA
A sweet painted small hand painted sideboard with bun feet in the front and block legs in the back.
Wood
19th Century French Oak Buffet
Located in High Point, NC
19th century oak buffet from France. The top is banded and has a beveled and hand carved decorated edge, following down to paneled sides, which...
Oak
$7,825
H 37.6 in W 63 in D 20.87 in
Dudouyt - Spirit - Buffet - Carved Oak - 1940 - France - Brutalist
Located in Split, Splitsko-dalmatinska županija
A façade of rhythmic geometry and tactile relief, this French sideboard from the 1960s asserts itself as both furniture and sculpture. Its carved ornamentation—hypnotic bullseye meda...
Oak
French church sideboard 1910s gothic enfilade unique piece rare
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Gothic sideboard from the 1910s/1920s. Entirely hand-carved in solid wood, this work of art was certainly commissioned for a church. Superb detail in the figures and rosettes that ad...
Wood
18th Century, Oak Carved Gothic Buffet/Armoire
Located in Beaune, FR
Large buffet / armoire richly carved in oak, late 17th early 18th century. It opens to a door at the top and a door at the bottom. The sides are carved with napkin folds. Good gener...
Oak
Early 19th Century Flemish Gothic Cabinet, Low Buffet, Console
Located in Dallas, TX
Early 19th century Flemish Gothic cabinet, low buffet, console was sculpted from solid old-growth oak, and features an intriguing Gothic-inspired carved tri-panel on the door, flanke...
Oak
Antique Gothic Oak Whitewashed Buffet
Located in Dallas, TX
Antique Gothic oak whitewashed buffet features solid oak construction designed to last for generation after generation! Hand-forged iron strap hinge...
Steel
Antique French Gothic Buffet
Located in Dallas, TX
Antique French Gothic buffet boasts carved detail across the facade and even on the supports underneath, enhanced by the bold steel strap hinges ...
Wrought Iron
Small Gothic Carved Oak Green Man Buffet with Cupboard
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Small Gothic carved oak green man buffet with cupboard. This is a very fine and beautifully carved example of furniture in the Gothic style or Green Man Oak...
Small Gothic Victorian Carved Oak Green Man Buffet
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Small Gothic Victorian carved oak green man buffet. This is a very fine and superbly carved example of furniture carved in the Gothic style or Green Man oak...
18th Century Carved Oak Buffet Sideboard Dresser
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
18th century carved oak buffet sideboard dresser This is a handsome piece with a wonderful patina, the carving is of very fine quality...
Antique Rustic Washed Stripped Oak Gothic Low Buffet
Located in Dallas, TX
This handsome antique rustic washed oak Gothic low buffet makes a great choice as a Credenza for your office, as well! Handcrafted from old-growth oak to last for centuries, it featu...
17th Century Furniture Important Supposedly from Northern Italy
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
17th century furniture important supposedly from northern Italy, great decoration, carved walnut on all faces. Measures: H 2m53, W 1.76m, W 69cm.
Wood
Sold
H 53 in W 95 in D 22 in
Antique Rustic Stripped Oak Gothic Raised Buffet with Forged Iron Hardware
Located in Dallas, TX
Fitted with oversize hand-forged iron strap hinges, this impressive antique rustic Gothic Buffet stretches almost eight feet in width, and is perfect for a large wall in an office or...
Oak
19th Century French Gothic Revival Cabinet, Buffet
Located in Dallas, TX
Displaying stunning detail across the facade, this 19th century French Gothic revival cabinet ~ buffet can serve equally as well as an antique bookcase or perhaps an antique storage unit...