George I (1660-1727)was the king of Great Britain and Ireland from 1714 until his death. He was born in Germany, and spent most of his time there, and never learned to speak English. This made him unpopular, and his lack of interest in government led to Britain having its Prime Minister.The Georgian style
The period we know as the Georgian style (named after the English king George I) has had a significant influence on almost all other furnishing styles.
It was actually a combination of a number of other styles, such as rococo (lots of scrolls, flowers, ribbons - a particular favourite of the French). Rich young Englishmen did the 'Grand Tour' where they travelled in Italy visiting all the ancient and culturally fashionable towns. This in turn influenced English architecture (they especially admired the work of Palladio), which then went on to influence the fashions in North America.
The people of the time were just like us - they wanted to keep warm, and have as much light as possible in their rooms. Warmth was provided by fires, so they concentrated on making attractive fireplaces. Light came from windows, and so they built their houses with large windows. Mirrors reflect light, so they included mirrors in their decoration.
Another reason why Georgian style has lasted and had so much influence was the beauty of its furniture. Furniture designers such as Chippendale, Sheraton and Hepplewhite have had a lasting effect on furniture ideas and designs.
Georgian interiors put great emphasis on wall decoration. The wall panels were made of wood which was left in its natural state and stained, or painted. They were very keen on paintings, and the generous size of the wall panels allowed them to hang quite large paintings without them looking out of place. Floors were usually wood planks which were waxed, and often covered by area or oriental rugs. If the owners wanted to show their grandeur, they would have the floor of a hall or large room laid with marble or stone.
As regards fabrics, the key to the Georgian style is co-ordination. They made sure that everything blended together and that nothing was out of place. They used many of the popular fabrics of the time, such as damask, chintz, silk and velvet.
It was actually a combination of a number of other styles, such as rococo (lots of scrolls, flowers, ribbons - a particular favourite of the French). Rich young Englishmen did the 'Grand Tour' where they travelled in Italy visiting all the ancient and culturally fashionable towns. This in turn influenced English architecture (they especially admired the work of Palladio), which then went on to influence the fashions in North America.
The people of the time were just like us - they wanted to keep warm, and have as much light as possible in their rooms. Warmth was provided by fires, so they concentrated on making attractive fireplaces. Light came from windows, and so they built their houses with large windows. Mirrors reflect light, so they included mirrors in their decoration.
Another reason why Georgian style has lasted and had so much influence was the beauty of its furniture. Furniture designers such as Chippendale, Sheraton and Hepplewhite have had a lasting effect on furniture ideas and designs.
Georgian interiors put great emphasis on wall decoration. The wall panels were made of wood which was left in its natural state and stained, or painted. They were very keen on paintings, and the generous size of the wall panels allowed them to hang quite large paintings without them looking out of place. Floors were usually wood planks which were waxed, and often covered by area or oriental rugs. If the owners wanted to show their grandeur, they would have the floor of a hall or large room laid with marble or stone.
As regards fabrics, the key to the Georgian style is co-ordination. They made sure that everything blended together and that nothing was out of place. They used many of the popular fabrics of the time, such as damask, chintz, silk and velvet.
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