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Historical Design Movements

Sheraton Style

Thomas Sheraton (1751-1806) published "The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book" from 1791 to 1794, presenting a refined neoclassical style that emphasized straight lines, geometric precision, and delicate decorative painting. Unlike the curved shield-backs of Hepplewhite, Sheraton favored rectangular chair backs, straight tapered legs (often reeded), and furniture decorated with painted flowers, classical urns, and fine cross-banding rather than carved ornament. Sheraton furniture represents the culmination of 18th-century English neoclassical design, achieving a remarkable balance between geometric discipline and decorative refinement. Sheraton style offers contemporary interiors a vocabulary of refined geometric elegance that feels remarkably modern in its emphasis on clean lines and structural clarity. The style's straight-legged furniture with delicate surface decoration bridges the gap between 18th-century classicism and modern design. Incorporate Sheraton through rectangular-back dining chairs, writing desks with tapered reeded legs, pembroke tables with elegant drop leaves, and furniture featuring painted or inlaid decorative panels. Sheraton's emphasis on lightness and geometric precision makes his designs particularly compatible with contemporary interiors where they add historical depth without visual heaviness.

Key Characteristics

  • ✓Straight geometric lines and rectangular forms
  • ✓Tapered legs often with reeding
  • ✓Decorative painted panels and medallions
  • ✓Fine cross-banding and stringing inlay
  • ✓Rectangular chair backs with vertical bars
  • ✓Contrasting wood veneers for surface interest

Types & Variations

Painted Sheraton with floral and classical decoration
Inlaid Sheraton with geometric banding
American Sheraton in Federal period interpretations
Regency Sheraton transitioning toward heavier forms
Sheraton Revival in Edwardian period reproductions

Common Materials

Satinwood as the preferred woodMahogany with satinwood cross-bandingPainted decoration on lighter woodsBrass gallery rails and hardwareSilk and printed cotton for upholsteryRosewood banding for contrast

Works Well With These Styles

NeoclassicalFederalTraditionalTransitionalContemporary

Placement & Usage Tips

Sheraton furniture has a rectilinear discipline that pairs naturally with modern architecture. Straight-legged tables and desks complement contemporary rooms without the stylistic tension that more ornate period pieces can create. A Sheraton pembroke table works perfectly as a side table in a modern living room, its clean lines reading as almost contemporary.

💡 Pro Tip

Sheraton distinguished between "parlour chairs" for formal rooms and "drawing room chairs" for more relaxed settings. This distinction is worth maintaining—use his more formal rectangular-back chairs in dining rooms and his lighter painted chairs in bedrooms and sitting rooms. The right Sheraton chair in the right room creates a sense of effortless propriety.

Related Terms

Hepplewhite Style

A late 18th-century English furniture style attributed to George Hepplewhite, known for light elegant forms, shield-back chairs, delicate inlay, and a refined neoclassical simplicity.

Federal Style

An American neoclassical design style from 1780-1830 inspired by ancient Greece and Rome, featuring delicate proportions, patriotic eagle motifs, oval rooms, and refined classical ornamentation.

Neoclassicism

An 18th-century design movement inspired by archaeological discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum, reviving ancient Greek and Roman forms with refined symmetry, classical motifs, and noble simplicity.

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