Have you been wondering about the French Rococo Style? Do you want to get French Rococo styled furniture for your home? Read our guide to get more information and facts…
The French have been responsible for introducing several architectural, art and furnishing trends to the world. Among them on of the more popular trends is Rococo. This trend was introduced in the 18th century and is poles apart from its predecessor the Baroque. Where the Baroque used dark and heavy, Rococo used lighter colors, grace and elegance; It is a very distinct furnishing period of France. But even today after 200 years it is still as popular as it was in the 18th century.
The word Rococo is a combination of two words; rocaille and baroque. The word rocaille means shell in French. And true to its meaning, the style incorporated the beauty of the sea shell with delicate curved shapes that looked very elegant. It was a distinct shift from the heavy designs used in the baroque period. Unlike the baroque furniture pieces which were designed for indoor and outdoor usage the rococo style pieces were exclusively made for indoor use. The style was used in various mediums and besides furniture you could also see its influence in metal work and porcelain artifacts.
Furniture pieces designed in the rococo style were complex pieces as opposed to the simple sturdy designs of the baroque style. Rococo style furniture is famous or rather is characterized by the absence of square shapes or flat areas in the design. They are full of irregular shapes, swoops and curves. The artist who worked on rococo style pieces wanted to convey a sense of movement, a flow through their pieces. This gave birth to beautiful pieces full of vitality, creativity and innovations. The designs were truly unique with each peace displaying its own exclusive design.
However, when using rococo style pieces in your home this feature may pose slight problems. If you are going to just use a single piece it will contrast well with the other furniture in your home. But it will be extremely difficult to find rococo pieces that sit well together in one room. Since the style is very over powering you need to contrast it with something simpler to make that one pieces stand out but using too many rococo style pieces can create a clash and an excessively busy look in your home.
Even though there are no distinct or visible influences of Chinese designs on rococo it is actually heavily inspired by the Asian feel. To put it simply it was the French version of the Asian style or rather a Frenchman’s interpretation of the Chinese designs created to suit that tastes. The French Rococo is a very distinct style but not all houses can look good with a rococo piece in them so you need to choose wisely because the style is quite over powering.
