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EMWA
FURNITURE
Emwa Furniture offers
a classic range of French Provincial Louis XV style
furniture, meticulously handcrafted in solid walnut
and oak, to suit a variety of interior styles.
Using traditional construction
techniques, including pegged mortise and tenon joints,
dovetailing, parquetry and doweling, each piece is carefully
finished to create the patina of a fine antique with
fittings appropriate to its style and period.
Emwa Furniture prides
itself on product quality and a dedicated commitment
to customer service.
Our warehouse is on
the main road of Parramatta
Rd located in Sydney's inner west surburb of
Croydon, only 8 kilometres from the Sydney city CBD.
French
Provincial Furniture
(Louis
XV Style)
The French Provincial
furniture we call Louis XV style flourished during the
period of 1730-1775. If the Louis XIV furniture style
was designed with the glorification of the Sun King
in mind and all in massive, masculine, square form,
the Louis XV furniture style is the complete opposite.
Designed for the comfort and glorification of beautiful
women, it has a romantic, sensuous and feminine look.
A flowing abstraction of unbroken curves is the guiding
principle of the Louis XV furniture style; the legs
are curved, the back is curved and the seat is curved.
Even the Louis XV architecture also adheres to this
principle. It abhorred straight lines. In typical Louis
XV architecture everything is curved - the ceiling,
the panel-designs on the walls, the panel designs in
the doors and even the corners of a room are curved.
The Louis XV style is sometimes referred to as the Rococo
Style. It is derived from two French words meaning rock
and shell. The rock and shell were the two popular motifs
for decoration of this period. The Rococo style features
extensive and elaborate ornamentation and decoration.
It was also during this period that France was captivated
with things Chinese. This fascination with Chinese motifs
was called Chinoiserie. A newly discovered Chinese method
of painting called Lacquering was usually used in painting
wood furniture. Fabrics and wall coverings were designed
with Chinese motifs as well. It is therefore not uncommon
to find some Louis XV furniture style bearing this Chinese
influence.
The Basic Characteristics of a Louis XV style of furniture
are:
1. Curved shapes and forms. This period abhorred anything
straight.
2. It bears an extensive rococo decoration. Everything
is elaborately decorated with intricate carvings. Wood
surfaces are decorated with inlays, ormolu mounts and
hand painted. With the cockleshell design as the point
of focus.
3. Louis XV furniture is symmetrical and incorporates
motifs such as shells, leaves, flowers and scrolled
toes. It's also known as the Rococo style, which is
derived from the French word "racaille" meaning
rock and shell work.
4. This period designed everything with an eye toward
lightness and grace. Delicacy is its guiding spirit.
Scale is delicate too as opposed to the very massive
previous style of Louis XIV. It is smaller, softer and
more comfortable.
5. Since it has become smaller and delicate in size,
the need for stretchers to support the legs is eliminated.
In conclusion, the style of Louis XV is commonly used
in today's homes. Its delicate shape and size is very
practical and it has both the scale and grace that are
the objective in most decoration today. It is in fact
one of the favorites among designers and homeowners
alike when decorating traditional homes.
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