Best Foot Forward
Posted on October 11, 2012 by mhorgan in Design Dictionary
When it comes to choosing furniture, you always want to put your best foot forward. The feet of a piece of furniture are a specific detail that can be overlooked. But, as you’ll see, with so many different styles of feet, this little detail can bring you one step closer to falling head over heels in love with your furniture!
For this week’s Design Dictionary, let’s look at a few different styles of feet – all beginning with the letter B.
Bracket Foot
This is a decorative right-angled foot shaped like a bracket and placed at each corner of the piece of furniture. Typically seen on wooden furniture (also known as case goods), bracket feet have a timeless and classic feel, as seen here on our Madison Cherry II Entertainment Center.
Our Madison Cherry II Entertainment Center
Bun Foot
Originating from the William and Mary time period, the bun foot is shaped like a slightly flattened ball and typically used on the bottom of chests of drawers, seating pieces and upholstered chairs. Here, bun feet are used on this Colusa Credenza Buffet Table from our Celladora Collection to give the piece a sophisticated touch.
Our Celladora Colusa Credenza Buffet Table
Block Foot
The block foot is a square foot at the base of a straight untapered leg. The Wilson Console Hall Chest from the Adaptations Collection is a great example of a piece with block feet. With so many intricate details, the block feet balance the elements of this piece and give it a polished finish.
Our Adaptations Wilson Console Hall Chest
Ball & Claw Foot
True to its name, this is literally a type of carving used at the foot of a chair, table or small chest that looks like a sphere grasped by a claw. This kind of foot has Oriental origin and is said to be a Chinese symbol of evil with a dragon clutching a pearl. The Wilshire Recliner from our LP Leather Collection has ball & claw carvings on the front two legs of the chair, giving the recliner a refined and almost regal feel.
Our LP Leather Wilshire Recliner
Design Dictionary
Posted on September 20, 2012 by mhorgan in Design Dictionary
After going through the whole alphabet, it’s time to start another round of Design Dictionary! With Design Dictionary, we explain and describe the design details and style trends of the season so you can become the furniture-fashion expert. Starting back at “A,” this week we are going to look at armoire and apron.
The armoire is a tall, upright cupboard or wardrobe with a door or doors closing at the front. Not only does an armoire give a room a sense of sophistication and French elegance; it can also serve many purposes.
Use an armoire, such as our At Home in Belle Maison Armoire of Prosperity, in your living room as an attractive place to stow away your television and media devices. In the dining room, it’s the perfect place to store china and linens used only for special occasions. And, of course, in the bedroom an armoire serves as a beautiful statement piece to use as your wardrobe.
At Home in Belle Maison Armoire of Prosperity
Beautiful but often overlooked, an apron is the horizontal banding or framing beneath a tabletop or chair seat. If you’re shooting for a classic, ornate design, consider pieces with a curved or scalloped apron such as our Gourmet Dining Provence Arm and Side Chairs (pictured below). For those with a taste for the more contemporary, the clean apron of our Essence Side Chair from our Synchronicity Collection may be the right fit for you.
Gourmet Dining Provence Arm and Side Chairs
Sideboards vs. Sofa Tables
Posted on May 31, 2012 by jbutler in Design Dictionary
It’s time for another Design Dictionary exploring the age-old question: what’s the difference between a sofa table and sideboard?
Sofa tables and sideboards are long, narrow tables that are functional and attractive pieces to add to your home’s dining room and family room.
Break up a long wall in the dining room with a sideboard—a table with a wide drawer at the center flanked by drawers and cupboards on the sides. Because of its narrow width, this table fits comfortably along any wall in the dining room and is ideal for storing and serving food for big family meals.
Our Beecham Sideboard
The Beecham Sideboard is from one of Drexel Heritage’s newest collections, European Market, and we love it for its warm finish and practical storage (two front drawers plus an extra bottom shelf).
Like the sideboard, the sofa table is a long and narrow, often featuring drawers and drop leaf ends for maximum function. Designed as a place to store game boards, car keys, etc., this piece fits snugly behind the back of a sofa for easily accessible and stylish storage.
So what’s the big difference between the two pieces? Well, aside from built-in storage components like silver liners in a sideboard, it can often be hard to tell the difference. Here’s an idea: take advantage of our custom upholstery options to create a piece that can be used as both!
The Drexel Heritage Console Table (pictured below) gives this timeless classic a modern facelift. The custom upholstery options add texture and visual appeal. Add a glass top for easy cleanup when you’re serving food.
One of our upholstered console tables straight from our High Point Market showroom.
Likewise, our Encounter Sofa Table, featured in a durable leather fabric, (we also recommend an easy-to-clean Sunbrella fabric) will look fabulous in the living room and dining room. Plus, who doesn’t love nail head trim for a little extra pizzazz?
Our Encounter Sofa Table
Tell us about how you’re doubling a sofa table as a sideboard, or vice-versa!
Design Dictionary
Posted on March 1, 2012 by jbutler in Design Dictionary
It’s the details that take a piece of furniture from just blah to voila. For this design dictionary, we’d like to introduce you to some types of decorative detailing (beginning with the letter R) that make our Drexel furniture one-of-a-kind.
Relief Carving
Relief Carving
This ancient style of woodcarving has been used to create sculptural details on furniture throughout history and is still popular today. In this technique, the background material is carved away allowing the design to be prominently raised above the surface. Depending on the depth of carving and the prominence of the projection, there are several styles of reliefs including: low, bas, deep and pierced. Our Armoire of Prosperity employs this relief carving technique, giving the piece more depth and visual interest.
Rope Molding
Rope Molding
Resembling the twists of a rope, this type of decorative molding is a classic technique used to add intricate detailing to a variety of types of furniture. When added to a cabinet or armoire, rope molding instantly adds a touch of elegance. If you want to dramatically display this detail, try our Celladora Celo Poster Bed or Colusa Credenza buffet.
Rosette
Rosette
This design detail is characterized by its carved or pointed circular decoration, formed by rows of leaves in a circle around a bud or center. It has been a common design detail since the early fourth millennium BC, and has been seen in various civilizations throughout history including: Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece and Egypt. The rosette is easy to incorporate into your home with our Casa Vita Russo End Table. And the best part? The piece customizable, so it will blend seamlessly with the rest of your furniture!
Design Dictionary: Queen Anne
Posted on February 3, 2012 by jbutler in Design Dictionary
Queen Anne’s reign might have ended in 1707, but her legacy lives on through every chair, secretary and china cupboard that is inspired by her iconic style.
Curvaceous features were a sign of wealth in the 1800s, and that build certainly carried over into Queen Anne-style furniture. Rich woods, soft lines and rotund-bodied furniture are benchmarks of this classical era that can still be seen today.
This Queen Anne Side Chair was recently highlighted for its parrot slat, but it also features the soft lines and curves indicative of Queen Anne style.
With its rich finish and rounded edges, the Greco China cabinet is another great example of a Queen Anne piece.
Queen Anne will forever be found in history books, as will the decadent furniture inspired by her personal style.