100 of My Favorite Timeless & Classic Home Furnishings!

Hi Everyone,

This post features 100 of my favorite timeless and classic home furnishings!

A while back, I received the most darling email from a reader named Patti. And this note was the spark I needed to develop today’s topic about classic and timeless home furnishings.

Although “classic home furnishings” is the overriding theme of this entire body of blog posts, I’ve never actually put a list this large in one place.

 

Here’s what Patti said:

 

Dear Laurel,

I want to say thank you for everything that you’ve shared with me (and others). I’m one of those people who took a little longer to discover my unique style (I’m 52). But, I guess, that’s partly because I’m notoriously thrifty and love a “good deal.”

However, I’ve learned that a good deal for me is something that I guess one would call classic home furnishings. (are those the same thing??)

 

To me, they are!

 

And, that I won’t have to replace, because the quality is poor or the items are so darn trendy that we all get sick of it quickly.

 

Anyway, we recently moved into our dream home, and I want to decorate it in a way that truly expresses who we are.

 

To that end, I did an internet query where I began the search for “my style.” You might not think I’d have to get help with that, but I do. And, I like to think that what I love are classic and timeless home furnishings too! 😉

Luckily, your blog was one of the first things I came across. And, what a find it’s been! Your pictures are gorgeous, your advice is helpful, and your humor aligns with mine. So, I find myself laughing out loud at times.

 

I’m so glad you’re enjoying my silliness!

 

And please know, I’m not writing to you to get advice or ask for a paint color or anything like that.

 

Thank you. I very much appreciate that. :]

 

You’ve already given me so much, so I want to take a few minutes to say THANK YOU!

 

Thank you, too, for being willing to work on this blog and share your talent, insight, and experiences! I love your blog, and I especially love the search box! Lol!

I hope you have a lovely week! Thank you again for adding beauty to my life and developing my unique style along the way!!

xoxo,

Patti

 

*********

 

Thank you so much, Patti! I so appreciate the kind feedback!

 

But, let’s jump into the timeless and classic home furnishings because there’s a lot to see and discuss.

 

First, what constitutes timeless and classic home furnishings?

 

Classic can mean different things in terms of home furnishings, but a great place to begin is with the origins of classic design.

And that is in Greece and Rome. This is an excellent post that explains a lot about that.

Anything created in that manner after the classical Greek and Roman period is referred to as neo-classical. The heyday of the neo-classical period was in the late 18th century into the early 19th century. There are different terms you’ll hear, such as:

Louis XVI

Swedish Gustavian

Georgian

Adam

Chippendale

Hepplewhite, Sheraton

Directoire, Empire

Regency (English and French)

 

via 1st Dibs

 

All of these terms are part of the neo-classical period.

 

What about HOLLYWOOD REGENCY, Laurel?

 

Well, that’s a 20th-century style that incorporates mid-century with Chinoiserie, and tropical themes one would’ve found during the mid-century Hollywood time period.

 

my pics above and below from the High Point Market in 2016

 

Interior designer Ruthie Sommers is known for her Hollywood Regency style.

 

Neo-classical furnishings were also inspired by exotic lands in the East, from Greece to Egypt, India, China, and Japan.

 

The term “Chinoiserie” was coined during the 18th century. Chinoiserie was as wildly popular then as it is now. This is much like the renewed popularity of composers like Mozart (click here if you’d like to check out some gorgeous Mozart music), who was also part of the neo-classical music period in the mid-to-late 18th century.

 

Therefore, anything created in this period. OR, a faithful contemporary reproduction is, in my opinion, timeless. And that includes all of the architectural elements of the period.

 

For more about classical architectural elements, please check this post out.

This time in history is the basis for all classical architecture and design.

There was a resurgence of the neo-classical style in the early 20th century. This is known as the Beaux-Arts style. One of the finest examples of that period is the New York Public Library at 42nd and 5th in New York City.

 

 

The Bronxville home I was privileged to work on was built around 1910 and embodied the neo-classical Beaux-Arts style with its perfect proportions and classical design elements throughout the home.

 

 

Sounds pretty simple. So, what’s the problem?

 

That is an excellent question. Thank you for asking. ;]

The problem is that there are well-meaning folks, I’m sure (well, actually, I’m not sure), who design home furnishings. Sometimes, it appears that they’ve just made up some weirdtastic thing. Other times, it appears that they have taken the classical designs and either made something up that should not be there or blown the basic idea up to be about 30% larger than it should be.

OR, the proportions are bad.

 

In short, it’s wrong. It’s not in any way classical.

 

It’s Laurel’s favorite word to describe abominable furnishings?

Yes, ERSATZ.

Fake.

The thing is… Many people don’t realize it’s wrong because a glut of bloated, badly proportioned, flabby furniture is prevalent in the marketplace.

In the widget, I include much furniture that is in the manner of the 18th-century neo-classical style. None of it is that old, although many of these pieces are antiques. If you don’t already know, it is called the Chippendale style if a piece of furniture was not made at the precise time the original style was made. Or, neo-classical style.

Below is the widget. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did putting it together. Please click on any image to find out more. Some of these are one-of-a-kind pieces.

 

 

Most of these pieces were heavily influenced by the neo-classical period of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

 

Below are some posts that further expand on classical home furnishings.

• Traditional mahogany furniture is actually pretty easy to find these days.
• Classic art
• Oriental rugs – Hand-knotted if you can swing it.
• Porcelains
• A strong influence of Chinoiserie and Chinese Chippendale

 

There are also some contemporary classics, such as:

 

• English roll-arm sofas,
• swing arm lamps,
• woven baskets
• sisal rugs
• seagrass rugs.
• Lighting

 

Well, I could’ve kept going. There are hundreds of classic and timeless home furnishings. The idea of this exercise was to choose items you hopefully won’t think about in ten years: “Ugh, what was I thinking?”

 

Neo-classical style has been my favorite since beginning design school in 1988.

 

One of my first assignments was to design a room. I had no idea where to begin. So, I went to the library and got a book. Somewhere in that book, I found it. It was in this neo-classical style. The space was beautifully symmetrical and filled with shades of green. At the time, my design idols were John Saladino, Victoria Hagan, Stephen Sills, and Vicente Wolf; I still admire them today.

xo,

 

***Please check out the recently updated HOT SALES(They’re especially awesome this weekend!)

There is now an Amazon link on my home page and below.

Please note that I have decided not to create a membership site. However, this website is very expensive to run. To provide this content, I rely on you, the kind readers of my blog, to use my affiliate links whenever possible for items you need and want. There is no extra charge to you. The vendor you’re purchasing from pays me a small commission.

To facilitate this, some readers have asked me to put

A link to Amazon.com is on my home page.

Please click the link before items go into your shopping cart. Some people save their purchases in their “save for later folder.” Then, if you remember, please come back and click my Amazon link, and then you’re free to place your orders. While most vendor links have a cookie that lasts a while, Amazon’s cookies only last up to 24 hours.

Thank you so much!

I very much appreciate your help and support!