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What do we mean by dark wood?
So what is it about dark wood furniture and dark wood blanket boxes in particular that holds such appeal?  Well perhaps the first thing is to determine what is actually meant by dark wood furniture.  Some regard it as anything darker than about the colour of white coffee, while to others dark wood furniture is at least the colour of dark chocolate.  The development of dark furniture is almost accidental as, originally, almost all wooden furniture would have been light coloured.  For example, dark coloured oak furniture from the Middle Ages or mediaeval times seen in museums, would actually have been quite light in colour when it was first made – because this is the natural colour of oak.  

Perhaps the only finish that might have been used to protect wooden furniture would have been a coating of wax ‘polish.’  This might have been beeswax or tallow made from animal fats but, in either case, it would not have made a significant difference to the colour of the wood.  This can be proved by taking a new piece of seasoned oak, applying a coating of wax and checking for any significant colour changes.

Getting down and dirty
What has happened to the furniture in museums is that as time passed the wood mellowed and darkened in colour.  There is also the fact that ancient wooden furniture has been subjected to hundreds of years of dirt, smoke and soot.  It is the cumulative effects of this patination that has resulted in the creation of dark wood furniture.  Of course it can look quite attractive and the desire arose to try and recreate this look - even producing dark wood blanket boxes.  This was particularly so during the Victorian age when there was a surge of public interest in the history of the middle ages, which became known as the Gothic revival.

Cabinet makers responded by producing furniture made from the same materials – usually oak – and staining it prior to varnishing, lacquering or waxing.  Another development – perhaps of even greater importance in promoting the popularity of dark furniture – was the fashion for furniture made of, or veneered with, mahogany.  This tough tropical hardwood enjoys an attractive mid to deep red-brown colouring that has remained popular right up to the present.

These two influences:  the arrival of mahogany from the Caribbean and the Gothic Revival are greatly responsible for the evolution of ‘dark wood’ furniture.

Out of favour: the dark wood blanket box
Following the Second World War, people grew tired of dark colours, dark wood blanket boxes and drab colour schemes – there’s only so much camouflage colouring people can tolerate!  So when the materials shortages of the 1950s ended, there was an explosion of design using light and colour.  The reaction was so pronounced that the very brightest colours, such as shocking pinks and day-glow greens were embraced (see the sleeve design for the Beatles Sergeant Pepper album).  

Dark wood blanket boxes and dark furniture in general might have been less popular, but brightening up interiors by letting in more light made it possible once again to enjoy the contrast of darker coloured furniture.

Did you know?
One of the first steps in the evolution of the simple medieval chest into the modern chest of drawers was the addition of a drawer to the base of the standard wooden chest.  This technological advance made it far easier to reach items that would otherwise have required the whole chest to be unpacked (rather like getting to the spare wheel in a fully packed car!).  These ‘hybrids’ were known as Mule Chests.

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