Or so proclaims an article in Bonhams Magazine, the house organ of Bonhams Auctioneers. Well, it never really went out, though, did it? Certainly the notion of a period interior composed entirely of brown furniture has gone the way of the do do bird- and it should. A so-called ‘period’ room, with items all of a piece from the same historical period is a contrived notion, that has very little basis in historical reality. Eclecticism has always been the rule, whether in an 18th century or 19th century interior. The prevalence of suites of matched furniture came into fashion in the Edwardian period in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when mass production made suites of furniture affordable to the mass market. If you wonder why a so called ‘period room’ is redolent of something your grandmother had, it is because it is. Suites became the rage beginning in the 1880’s. Our notions of Chippendale and Sheraton, unfortunately, are heavily informed by the revivals of those styles and the sales of huge numbers of very affordable suites of furniture from the late 19th century onward.
Still, the occasional piece of Georgian brown furniture, relieved by a bit of chinoiserie or the strategically placed piece of mid century design, comes together very nicely, thank you, and makes for fascinating interior design. Frankly, this mix of periods and styles is what our clients, both interior designers and private collectors now demand, without exception.
Not to say, as certainly the item in Bonhams Magazine makes clear, are all these items inordinately expensive. We always have to watch price points, and in our galleries, compare our prices to those at the better new furniture showrooms. A good case in point is a George III period chest on chest we presently have in inventory. A lot of wood for the money, this piece is in excellent original condition, of fine quality Cuban mahogany, with all its original brasses. The price? We are asking $15,000. Can you find the same thing for less money in a new piece of furniture?