French Style Bedside Drawers
French style bedside drawers bring continental elegance to a room, offering compact storage with characteristic serpentine lines.
French Style Bedside Drawers
French style bedside drawers encompass bedside cabinets, commodes, and small chests originating across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Pieces span styles from French Provincial and French Chateau to Louis XV Revival and Louis XVI style, often appearing in matched pairs.
The selection ranges from marble-topped bombe shapes to marquetry-inlaid side cabinets and painted or bleached oak versions.
Materials and Construction
Cabinet makers utilised fine timbers including walnut, kingwood, rosewood, mahogany, and burr elm, frequently enhanced by intricate marquetry inlay.
Many examples feature shaped marble tops, alongside cast brass or ormolu mounts that accent the structural curves.
Many a midnight book finds itself safely housed inside a serpentine bombe drawer.
Craftsmanship and Proportion
Superior examples display crispness in the floral or geometric marquetry and precision in the fitting of marble tops to serpentine carcases.
The weight and detail of cast ormolu mounts, together with the fluidity of the bombe contour, distinguish finer workshops from simpler production.
The French Style Bedside Drawers Glossary
- Bombe
- A bulging or swelling convex shape characteristic of continental case furniture. This undulating profile requires considerable woodworking skill to execute properly.
- Commode
- A low chest of drawers or cabinet designed for domestic use. These pieces often feature marble tops and decorative veneer work.
- Ormolu
- Gilded bronze mounts applied to furniture for decoration. These metal ornaments highlight corners, handles, and apron mounts.
- Marquetry
- Decorative veneer patterns arranged in pictorial or geometric designs on wooden surfaces. Woods of contrasting colours create the visual depth.
French Style Bedside Drawers: Frequently Asked Questions
Are these drawers suitable for modern beds?
Bedside cabinets and chests from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries generally sit well beside contemporary bed heights, though measuring individual pieces is sensible.
Compact forms provide practical surface space and concealed storage without overwhelming smaller bedrooms.
How do I identify Louis XV style pieces?
Louis XV style furniture relies heavily on asymmetrical curves, cabriole legs, and naturalistic floral motifs. The absence of straight lines defines this particular aesthetic.
Bombe silhouettes and subtle ormolu mounts further signal this design lineage.
Do marble tops lift off easily?
Marble tops on commodes and nightstands typically rest unattached upon the wooden carcase, held in place by their own weight. Lifting them requires care during relocation.
This loose construction method allows the timber and stone to expand and contract independently.
What is the difference between a commode and a bedside cabinet?
Commodes generally refer to larger chest forms with multiple drawers, whereas bedside cabinets are scaled down specifically for placement next to a bed.
Both share similar stylistic traits such as veneered surfaces and shaped aprons.