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CIRCA Chippendales

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Chinese Chippendales

English furniture designer Thomas Chippendale was the first non-monarch to have a style named for him in the mid-18th Century. Chippendale was already well known for his elegant mahogany furniture when he applied the newly popular Chinoiserie style to his classic English look. Early Chinese furniture was boldly linear with little carving. Chinese Chippendale designs were embellished with all sorts of architectural details from temples, palaces, and pavilions. The seamless blending of English, Rococo and Chinese styles and the intricate details and fretwork of the Chinese Chippendale chairs set a new standard in furniture design and created a classic still coveted more than 250 years later.

via The Gentleman and Cabinetmaker’s Director by Thomas Chippendale, 1754

The renovation of Brighton Pavilion in the early 19th Century under Prince Regent (later King George IV) reinforced the popularity through the extensive use of brilliantly lacquered faux bamboo elements.

The Chinese Chippendale chair regained popularity again around the turn of the 20th Century, from around 1870 through the 1930s.

The Chinese Chippendale chair was enthusiastically revived in the 1960s. The faux bamboo, fretwork and vibrant lacquered hues made these chairs stylishly FAB once again.

CIRCA WHO FAB Finds!

CIRCA WHO Item #2283