How to Decorate with Vintage Depression-era Furniture

Looking for a way to add some historical detail to a room? Depression-era furniture is a terrific way to give a room a historical vibe in a subtle way. Following are ways to take the furniture reminiscent of the Jazz Age and make it work for you in your environment

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• An interest in recognizing Vintage Depression-era furniture and how you may use it in your living arrangement.

1. First you will want to gain a little background on the evolution of charming Depression-era furniture. The furniture-style combines elements of possibly every style that came before it.
   
   Let us take a glimpse back: The Century Furniture Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1929 offered the following furniture styles: Hepplewhite, Greek, Roman, Elizabethan, Spanish, Jacobean, Queen Anne, Empire, French Louises (three of them), Colonial, Early American and the list goes on and on!
2. Secondly, to understand Depression-era furniture of the 20s and 30s from a design standpoint, you must be made aware of two important trends: The final days of Romantic Revival Style and the beginning of Modernism. Such styles as Queen Anne, Duncan Phyfe, Chippendale, Hepplewhite as well as other designs from the late 1700s and early 1800s were placed in the middle-class homes of the 1920s.
3. The next insight you will want to recognize is the construction of Vintage Depression-era furniture. Most pieces were bult of mahogany or walnut woods, usually with excessive applications of matching veneers.
   
   Also, to further confuse you and complicate matters, the new style of Art Deco became part of this mix creating yet another hybrid.
4. During the time period (of the twenties and thirties), styles from much earlier periods became in style, the result being Jacobethan. This was a mix of Elizabethan, Jacobean and William-and-Mary. The untrained eye assumed these pieces were late Victorian; however, when viewed in a more deliberate manner it was easy to see the style developed during the Depression era.
5. Although, upon examination, you will find heavy moulding and somewhat intricate carvings and design, the furniture definitely has a 20th century vibe. The carvings are rounded and shallow and in place of raised panels on the facing of drawers, there are patterned grooves that emulate the raised veneer panels found in the last quarter of the 1800s.
   
   Additionally, Art Deco was frequently mixed with Elizabethan styling and applied to kitchen tables and bedroom suites.
6. The aforementioned styling was the new styling of the period. It was known as Art Deco.
   
   Its trademark was geometric shapes and it was found everywhere during the era from small appliances such as toasters to architecture.
7. The most prevalent Art Deco furniture you will want to look for pertinent to the time period is known as Waterfall. The distinguishing characteristics are as follows: A heavily rounded drop at the edge of all horizontal surfaces. This look is intended to mimic a flowing cascade.
8. Here is something else to look for in Depression-era furniture: The Waterfall pieces were normally embellished with oversize round mirrors with etched trim.
   
   The pieces were usually finished in a beautiful blonde and a smaller percentage appear with a nice dark walnut finish.
9. Also know, the veneer will be plain in less expensive suites; and the facings on drawers of premium-style will feature decorative cross-banding and book-matched style panels.
10. Other decorative features to make note of include: Orange Bakelite is many times inserted in the brasses and (some) vanities have illuminated spheres or panels that are frosted.
11. In decorating your own home, you may go with a look reminiscent of the twenties and thirties. For example, you could furnish your dining area in Sheraton or Duncan Phyfe and then perhaps go modern with a beautiful three-piece Art Deco suite in your living room. This suite might consist of a heavily upholstered sofa in a red mohair with two accompanying arm chairs in cobalt.
12. During this time period, the expanding dining table could be compressed into a narrower console. This style came into being due to the size of apartments and houses becoming smaller. Additionally, the coffee table was being introduced for the first time-its purpose was to display objects of art.
13. One common theme passes through the entire era of Depression furniture: That is its enormous use of decorative veneers on all flat surfaces.
    
    The furniture makers of the 20s and 30s made an art of laminating beautiful cuts of wood onto the faces of cabinetry.
14. Also note the following when seeking out Depression-era furniture: A normal practice and indicator of date was the use of book or diamond-matched veneers. Cabinet makers used a method similar to folding a piece of paper, cutting it out and creating a snowflake. The cabinet maker would take two to four pieces of decorative veneers, cut in consecutive order from the same log, and position them end to end and side by side to create a large panel mirroring the grain of the wood in a diamond "X" shape.
15. There is an enormous amount of veneers in Depression-era furniture and as a result there may be some pieces that may show glue failure. In order to test and make certain the veneer is solid, tap with your finger. If the thump is solid, the veneer is fine; if not, a paper-clicking sound will be present.
16. Also, in decorating with such a style, since historic styles of second and third generation re-revivials were copied-you may find creating an interior that is authentic a bit of a problem. In other words, few makers of furniture are out there recreating the Depression era styling except for lighting manufacturers who have initiated design details of the era.
17. Seating pieces are generally easiest to find in way of the rounded design of the 30s. You will find this look in the always popular club chair and sofas, now currently on the market.
18. Lastly, most furnishings were left to interpretation. Instead of creating a Elizabethan, French or completely Colonial interior as might have been the case in the 1800s, the Depression-era look is much more eclectic.