Aesthetic Movement Furniture
In 1880, polymath designer William Morris declared: “If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” His words encapsulated the Aesthetic Movement, which prized beauty above all and blurred the lines between fine art and the decorative arts, particularly through lavishly crafted furniture pieces.
The Aesthetic Movement, whose major proponents included author Oscar Wilde, flourished from the 1860s to the 1880s and was mostly popular in England and the United States. Design expositions like the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia, as well as the publishing of how-to books for interior design, helped disseminate Aesthetic Movement bedroom furniture, serveware, coffee tables and other items, especially to the middle class.
The establishment of new art museums, art clubs and a rising passion for collecting at the time contributed to a growing appreciation for art. Morris’s founding of Morris Co. in 1862 and the commercializing of this “cult of beauty” by the Liberty store in London, starting in the late 19th century, further disseminated the idea of a domestic space that was thoughtfully and floridly designed.
Leading Aesthetic Movement furniture designers included E.W. Godwin, who drew on Japanese influences and whose work reflected a wider enthusiasm for imported East Asian art. British designer Christopher Dresser created textiles, ceramics and more that were also inspired by Japanese decorative art but were representative of additional diverse design sources that ranged from Egypt to Mexico.
The Aesthetic Movement’s eclecticism resulted in dazzling interiors. Japanese fans were positioned on Renaissance-inspired cabinets with brass hardware, while mantels made of rich walnut or finely carved ebonized wood and adorned with painted Minton tiles mingled with cast-iron chairs against a backdrop of floral wallpaper. In 1881, in New York City, stenciled checkerboard motifs and painted floral murals could be found under an opalescent glass chandelier in a luxurious dressing room designed by German émigré cabinetmaker-decorator George Alfred Schastey. Amid the rise of the industrial age, the style’s promotion of art in everyday life would inform the Arts and Crafts Movement and Art Nouveau.
Find a collection of antique Aesthetic Movement seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture and antiques on 1stDibs.
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
1970s Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Marble
Late 19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather, Oak
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Giltwood, Mirror
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
19th Century Burmese Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Marble, Brass, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Mahogany
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Persian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century English Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Oak
19th Century German Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Moroccan Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1920s Austrian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Alabaster, Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
1870s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1990s Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Spanish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1960s Italian Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Stainless Steel
Late 19th Century Scottish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cowhide, Leather
2010s Chinese Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Fur
21st Century and Contemporary Pakistani Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
19th Century English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Leather, Bamboo, Lacquer
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Marble
Early 20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Ceramic
19th Century Austrian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bentwood, Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
2010s Botswanan Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Coade Stone, Art Glass
18th Century Indian Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Chestnut
Late 19th Century British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Giltwood
Late 19th Century American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century Turkish Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool, Angora
1880s British Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Cowhide, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Terracotta
1880s English Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Pottery
1880s French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Porcelain, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Persian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
20th Century Russian Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Lacquer
20th Century American Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Crystal, Sterling Silver
19th Century Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass, Enamel
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Gold
Late 19th Century Turkish Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wool
1930s French Vintage Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Wood, Oak
1870s American Antique Aesthetic Movement Furniture
Brass, Iron





