"THIS IS NOT A "Louis XV style" piece, it is actually from the 18th century, probably around the 1760s or 1770s. " I see construction methods that were not possible then, and motifs from other styles. What you have is an early 20th Century fantasy piece, "in the style of" a blend of things. My edumicated opinion is that it's a 1920s-30s version of the "Rococo Revival". The first "Rococo Revival" started in the 1830s ... it was revived again in the 1880s or so and once more in the 1930s ... by then they were reviving the revived pieces, and blurring of styles happened. 1 - The back and the scrollwork is a smooth cut-out from a single sheet of material, slotted into the legs. That construction isn't 1700s style, it wasn't even possible then. French Rococo furniture encrusted the wood with gesso ornaments, but they couldn't make that kind of large openwork in structural pieces. 2 - The ornate "pie crusting" moldings appear to be made of a wood-based composite, where the 1770s style used gesso (a white plaster glue mix). 3 - The small painted motifs are very characteristic of Art Deco, or the related "California Mission" style and not at all the delicate floral you would find in a 1770s piece. The manufacturers weren't careful about stylistic purity. The people look wrong - I can't put my finger on why - for that period. Also, the "paintings" on furniture of the 1770s was usually a fired enamel or porcelain plaque, not painted directly on the furniture. 4 - The front legs are the flattened scroll characteristic of macine-tooled furniture. If this were a real 1770s piece, the scrolling would be deeply carved. 5 - The back legs are completely plain, when they should match the front ones, or at least be more elaborate. ******* It's a very pretty piece, probably came from a high-end furniture manufacturer as part of a larger set. But it's not from the 1770s.

Your sister's furniture is absolutely lovely! I'll bet she's thrilled. I'd say the dates you're getting here sound about right, 1920-1930ish. It does have an Art Nouveau flair. Here are two that may interest you: This one is more deco than hers: http://www.french-warehouse.com/FW1365.htm This one is more true art nouveau and is dated much earlier: http://www.burchardgalleries.com/auctions/2004/oct1704/01images/l8.htm

Thank you! Now... just what era IS the chair?! My son looked at it and said it reminded him of something from Star Trek or the Jetsons! Maybe that's why I liked it - I always loved those shows. Chairs seem to be my achilles heel at this point. I'm still not sure about the other chair in the photo, either. I want a pair to sit side by side there - but this is what I already had so I put it there just to see how that style would look. Seems to do ok, but there just seem to be so many other styles out there (slipper style, chinese chippendale, regency, etc.?) that might look as good or better. I admit to just getting overwhelmed sometimes with all the decisions! What chairs, what drapes, what rug, what furniture...! Oh - and what size and scale, too! Obviously it's an art to be have a vision and make it all come together. Which is why I'm sure good interior decorators are worth their weight in gold - unfortunately,however, I don't have much of that precious commodity laying about! So, I'm hoping you more experienced members here will be willing to nudge me along as I continue on with this decorating endeavor!

I don't think it was actually about trends for me. I suspect I'll like what I like now for most of the rest of my life. I think it was more that I'd never really considered kitchens before. Or my home. I'd just bought my first home when I started pinning and had never had the choice to decide how my kitchen looked before or flipped through kitchen pictures before. For instance, I don't think I'd seen an all-white kitchen before, which is a clean, crisp, appealing look. So I pinned a bunch of those. And then later I found some multicolored kitchens I liked so much more, and now I could never go back to all white. So it was more of a you-have-to-kiss-a-lot-of-frogs thing at work. With no perspective and nothing to go on, I had very little idea of what worked for me and what makes me happy, and I'd seen very little of what was out there. I also knew nothing about kitchen function. But now I've seen a bunch, learned a bunch, and thought a bunch, and I think I can happily marry this general concept for the long haul: lots of windows, green view, decidedly informal low-to-mid-range finishes, overall light and bright in tone, some wood, and some actual color on the walls or cabinets (yellow, green, or a warm blue). The real problem is that my husband hates yellow and green and prefers dramatic, dark, and fancy stuff, and I'm also married to him for the long haul.