Rococo Furniture
Rococo was an aesthetic movement in the fine and decorative arts in the 18th century that found its inspiration in nature and fostered an overall lightness and delicacy of form, construction and ornament in interior design. Rococo furniture, while greatly influenced by trends in Italy and Germany, is often called Louis XV style — the movement having reached its best expression during that sybaritic French king’s reign.
The term “rococo” is thought to be a portmanteau of the French words rocaille and coquilles — “rock” and “shells” — organic motifs frequently used in architecture and design of the style.
When it comes to authentic Rococo furniture's characteristics, it is above all sensuous and social. The furniture of earlier eras in Europe had been heavy in every sense; the Rococo period saw the appearance of light-framed upholstered armchairs, side chairs and occasional tables that could easily be moved to form conversational circles.
The signal detail of Rococo furniture design is the gently curved cabriole, or S-shaped chair-, table-, and cabinet-leg. It imitates the bend of a tree limb or a flower stem. In a further reference to nature, furnishings were often asymmetrical and painted white, or in soft, pastel shades. Rococo has become a timeless style, and as the furniture pieces presented on 1stDibs demonstrate, its playful, sculptural forms can provide visual excitement to contemporary, clean-lined spaces.
Mid-20th Century French Rococo Furniture
Gold Leaf
1960s French Vintage Rococo Furniture
Mirror
Early 1900s French Antique Rococo Furniture
Marble
1950s French Vintage Rococo Furniture
Bronze
1940s European Vintage Rococo Furniture
Marble, Bronze
20th Century French Rococo Furniture
Brass, Steel
Early 1900s English Antique Rococo Furniture
Marble, Brass
20th Century Italian Rococo Furniture
Brass, Steel, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Rococo Furniture
Marble
1970s French Vintage Rococo Furniture
Brass, Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century French Rococo Furniture
Marble, Brass
Mid-18th Century German Antique Rococo Furniture
Marble
1940s French Vintage Rococo Furniture
Marble
1950s French Vintage Rococo Furniture
Marble, Brass, Bronze
1960s French Vintage Rococo Furniture
Beech
Mid-20th Century French Rococo Furniture
Marble
1940s French Vintage Rococo Furniture
1940s French Vintage Rococo Furniture
1960s French Vintage Rococo Furniture
1940s Argentine Vintage Rococo Furniture
Brass