Background
Before World War 2 country properties, and the lifestyle of most of their occupants, had remained largely unchanged since the 18th Century or earlier. But in post war Britain, public expectations changed and the archetypal ‘country cottage’ was shunned in preference to modern housing developments which offered such modern attractions as electricity, inside toilets and bathrooms.
During the sixties and seventies increasing prosperity, the developing network of mains utility services and greater private car ownership made these cottages more attractive and their prices started to rocket. More recently the desire for country properties has been fuelled by changes in agriculture bringing redundant outbuildings and farmsteads onto the market.
Options available
At Right Price Furniture there are several collections of furniture in our rustic group and elsewhere suitable for achieving the right look. Painted furniture is typical of the French country peasant look; perhaps emulating the Baroque styles of the 17th Century. Our
Victorian painted furniture is ideally suited to this look.
For a traditional English country furniture style, choose from the
Rustic Oak or
Cottage Cream collections. Going back further, to perhaps the late 17th Century, the timber changes from pine to oak and the choice becomes
Trafalgar or
Brampton. Our ranges combine the comfort and practicality of modern furniture with the look and feel of furniture from the 14th or 15th Century.
If the late Victorian / early 20th Century period is the aim, then consider the
Hampshire range as the overall style and finish is very in keeping with the period. Decorative touches include the ornate Victorian-style handles, while an unusual feature is the decorative ceramic inlays on some items that are perhaps reminiscent of the famous enamel signs for Pears Soap or Colman’s Mustard.
The New England look is more of an amalgam of early European settlers of America and austere religious sects, most notably the Shakers, Amish and Mennonites. Characteristics are an avoidance of ornamentation and a functionality that inspired the modernists in the 1930s. Plain styling, such as the
Devonshire Pine Old Mill range will provide bedroom furniture and there are several chairs from which to choose in our Chairs category.