What’s put me in mind of my blog title today is the December issue of World of Interiors. The magazine’s lead feature is a pictorial of some superb gilded English antiques offered by mostly London dealers. Frankly, I love gilding, and indeed all manner of decorated furniture. With the survival of so much mahogany from the 18th century, the common presumption is that it was all brown in the day. The Georgians loved color and the brown furniture of today was much, much brighter in color 2 or more centuries ago. However, arguably the greater proportion in most houses of the quality was painted and/or gilded furniture, carved from vernacular woods, mostly deal and beech. Surprisingly, given how mahogany gives itself to crisp carving, we have sometimes found considerable original gilding on top of mahogany.
Of course, the gilding itself in its original incarnation was meant for purposes of display. No consumption like the conspicuous variety, is there? It did serve a practical function, as well. With a number of rooms of state in use at times when the light levels were low, the gilding, sparkling and reflective, served to accentuate the furniture to which it was applied. What is not always apparent today was how varied was the gilding applied originally, with burnished water gilding picking out carved enrichments, with flat oil gilding forming a background. This would serve to enhance the relief carving of furniture that might not otherwise have been seen. 
Further, one forgets in the case of soft furnishings how expensive were the fabrics that covered them. The fabrics, until the very end of the century, were handed loomed of costly materials. Naturally, one would only apply exquisite furnishing fabrics to frames the show-portions of which would be of a quality commensurate with the fabrics they supported.