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 Brocade (brōkād') fabric was perfected in the 16th and 17th century in France, Italy, and Spain. The name Brocade comes from the Italian broccatomeaning "embossed cloth". Brocade has a rich raised floral design, often styled after flowers which was introduced during the weaving process. In China the weaving of silk dates from the Shang dynasty which developed complex patterns such as moiré, damask, and brocade. Brocade often uses gold or silver in embossed or embroidered effects in the raised patterns that appear on the fabric face. Motifs often seen in Brocade fabric are of scroll work, flowers, foliage or other designs. The rich, fairly heavy fabric is frequently used for evening gowns, but can be used for upholstery, and has been used for drapery, hangings, throw pillows, and very high end evening wear. Traditionally brocade material was made of silk, but today we see it both in silk and cotton blends. Brocade is one of the most authentic choices for french furniture as it was a typical fabric used in home furnishing in the sixteenth century. Some of the most beautiful brocade fabric comes in bold colors making it a perfect statement for a french gold gilded chair. Brocade also comes in many velvet blends which also are perfect upholstery choices for french chairs. Brocade is great to use as upholstery as some patterns are quite heavy weight material but may require backing before being used as upholstery.
 Cape, second half of 16th century From the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York
Velvet brocade with gold ground and small set pattern of geometric motifs woven in tan velvet of cut pile
From the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York
 French Yellow Silk Taffeta Brocade. Circa 1735
 A Painted Louis XV Bergere From Miguel Meirelles French Furniture & Antiques Melbourne Australia A Painted Louis XV Bergere From Miguel Meirelles French Furniture & Antiques Melbourne Australia
 Mans Coat - Yellow Brocade with Elaborate floral and Leaf Patterns From Museum of Welsh Life
 French Brocade Chair - Suzanne by The Rothschild Collection This stunning Brocade Chair was Found on Style Hive
 French Robe 18th Century - Blue ribbed silk, brocaded in polychrome silks with metallic gold, and silver  17th century Brocade Shoes
 Mrs. Kennedy had this dress made from Mrs. Kennedy had this dress made from brocade fabric given to her by King Saud of Saudi Arabia
 Brocade French Bergere Chair By Cote France This stunning French Bergere Chair was found on Decorati through Style Hive
 French Wing Chair in Brocade Baroque Pattern
This Brocade chair is from Lorna Auerbach
 White silk brocade with polychrome birds and polychrome striped silk From Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York  White silk brocade with polychrome birds and polychrome striped silk From Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York
 Over the years of upholstering french chairs, I have tried every trick of the trade to use some of my favorite light weight fabrics as upholstery material and have learned over and over again that light weight fabrics just don't work on chairs. When shopping for textiles for your french chairs ONLY consider recovering your chairs in upholstery weight material. I have learned over the years of upholstering dozens of french chairs the expensive and time consuming lessons of picking the wrong material just because it was in the bargain bin at my local fabric store or happened to be on sale. Living in several cities through out the years I know how hard it is to find material that you love. I do think it is worth the time and effort in finding a pattern that you adore, because you will end up looking at it every day. Living in a small town, the selection of nice fabrics were quite limited. I didn't bother looking through the custom ordered fabrics because they were out of my price range in my 20's, so I opted for what I could afford. The same goes for today, as I tend to pick up project chairs, but never consider the cost of upholstery. My upholstery skills were not the greatest in my 20's, so in retrospect, I am glad I didn't spend the majority of my paycheck on fabric that would have been butchered because of my lack of skills. As I have gotten older and after dozens of chairs under my belt I am learning from the days that I bought fabric because I loved it, and it was on sale. I tend to look around for my french chairs on craigslist, or at flea markets, and I don't pay a lot for my chairs unless a statement piece comes along. Getting older I learning that less is more and often times a great chair can really make the room. After exchanging out some of my pieces for better ones through the years, the french furniture is what has stayed, as other pieces moved on and out the door. Who can go wrong with a gold leaf french accent chair? Ebay is reaching out to those people in smaller towns that are looking for something unique. Ebay has been my source for fabric as well. I love the convenience of staying home flipping through the pages of my targeted product, and as a bonus I get it at a discount and support a local home business. French chairs for the most part can be found at a bargain and so can fabric. You don't need to pay top dollar for either, but you do need to have time and patience for that one perfect chair or fabric to come along. With layers of paint and distressing, your chair frame can be improved to look like antique heirlooms passed through the family. What is left is fabric selection. Where do you go, and what do you avoid?
French chairs often are pieces of art on their own, and finding the just right fabric, and pattern can be a very hard to find. If you are anything like me, you are very selective when it comes to color, and pattern. Pattern can say a lot about the design of your home, so sometimes it is best to upholster in a simple material in your staple color. As you update your home through the years, your french chairs can be there through the changes, and your accent pillows can be switched out.
Some of MY costly mistakes: (AND I have a lot of them!!)
1. Mistake ONE- Using Silk Material:
When I couldn't find a fabric that I truly loved, I would go down to my local decorating store like Ross Dress For Less and buy drapes that would then serve as my upholstery material. I upholstered 4 slipper chairs in a orange and yellow modern stripe, which took me several weekends to finish. After they were fully STUFFED, upholstered and trimmed with upholstery tacks, the final product was done, and I was exhausted. About 2 weeks after the fact, we were sitting at the dinner table, and I spilled water on the seat. It wasn't grape juice or ketchup, but simple water. The next day after they dried, it looked as if someone had accidentally wet them selves in our chair. The water stained the material, and there was no way of getting rid of the water mark. Silk has a lot of restrictions. In addition to being stained easily, they are almost impossible to clean. Silk WILL bleach out when exposed to light, and in addition are bound to stretch. Today those project chairs STILL sit in the basement, because the material over time has stretched and loosened making them look very badly upholstered. I will never ever again use silk, and I have another couple weekends of work to fix my mistake.
 French Settee - From Home and Garden Magazine This settee has a silk upholstered cushion, which was not apart of the original settee. I love the stripes, but it would be very hard to clean if it got dirty. This French Settee is from Peacock Feather Events
2. Mistake 2- Using Fusible Backing.
Backing is a coating applied to the back of the fabric, which gives fabrics more strength and stability. Acrylic backing is used for both upholstery and wall applications. Knit backing is most commonly used for upholstery and draperies.
Heavier fabric is always the very best for upholstery, but if you are wanting a fabric that is lightweight, backing could add strength. Lightweight fabrics could be used for draperies, and fusible backing often times is the perfect solution for drapery or clothing. Intefacing can be sewn into the fabric and the more popular of the two is iron-on, which one side has glue which molds to the fabric.
 French Chair Toile Gold Chairs In Progress  French Chair Toile Gold Chairs In Progress A good way to test whether or not the backing is needed is to take the fabric swatch in your hand and try stretching it diagonally. If the fabric stretches considerably then go with the backing. If it only pulls a little then you should be fine. Again, I would recommend you toss the light weight fabric aside and go with upholstery weight, and here is why:
I painted a set of Louis XVI chairs in gold and I used red toile fabric I found at my local Calico Corners fabric store for the upholstery material. I wanted something punchy in our home that consists of beige furniture and the red was the perfect solution. Fusible interfacing I thought was my solution to buying lightweight material, but after I ironed on the interfacing, it became almost too stiff to upholster with. I found pulling the fabric around the corners next to impossible that with all my might, the upholstery job still turned out very shotty at best. Today I either have to exchange out the fabric, or look for seat cushions, because guaranteed over time, the pattern will become pulled. So again, I am looking at another weekend project, if only I selected the right fabric in the first place.
Although Iron on interfacing seems to be a perfect solution, in the long run you will pay the price. Sitting on a piece of fabric over and over is much different than closing drapes at night.
Associates at your local fabric store are going to suggest that if a chair isn't going to be used frequently then you don't have to worry too much about the fabric wearing down. With the amount of effort it takes to upholster a chair, it is better to invest in a fabric is strong enough, than simply guessing the chairs aren't going to be used. Fabrics should be strong enough to take a staple without visually seeing that a staple has punctured the material. That should be a measure to look for when considering fabric for upholstery.
Another reason why Iron-on Interfacing falls short is that the pattern will get distorted as you move the fabric around to iron on the interfacing. Even if you are careful, such as I was with my red toile chairs, today, the interfacing I used is separating from the fabric which is causing little bubbles in the fabric. For some reason I thought that the glue would stay put forever, but that simply is not the case. I have only sat on them once, so consider what would happen if you used them for every day use. It is not fair to tell family that certain furniture is only for display only. Chairs are meant to be used.
Consider just backing your fabric. When you sew two layers together the process is called "flatlining". If you are needing fabric backing, consider backing the piece of fabric with a layer of fabric that has the correct body and stability that the chair actually requires.
In summory go for the heaviest, sturdiest fabric you can find. If you go with a lightweight cotton, you will eventually pay the price . Upholstery weight fabrics look professionally done, where as lighter weight fabrics often have a texture or pattern that screams DIY, and often times signals that someone did not know better, or will be a dead giveaway of poorly done DIY. The right fabric can turn your OUTSTANDING French chairs into stunning statements for years of enjoyment!
 French Barrel Chair Photography by Elizabeth Lavin  French Chair & French Decor - Frederic Fekkai's Home By Elle Decor
 French Button Tucked Apple Green Vintage Victorian Chair
 Inside Frederic Fekkai's Home
 French Chair & French Decor - Frederic Fekkai's Home By Elle Decor Inside Frederic Fekkai's Home Found on Elle Magazine
 FRENCH Louis XVI Arm Accent Chair NEOCLASSICAL From Vintage Way Furniture on ebay  French Chair & French Decorating From Thibaut
 Close Up on Thibaut's French Chair
 French Chairs & French Decorating From Traditional Home Magazine
 French Settee From House and Leisure Magazine From House of Turquoise Blog Close Up of the French Settee
 French Chairs - Liz Williams From House of Turquoise  French Chairs - Liz Williams From House of Turquoise These beautiul pictures were from Erins House of Turquoise
 French Settee- Brocantegirl's Photostream Flickr.  French Chairs - House Beautiful Magazine/ French Pink Chairs Decor Pad  French Chairs - Homes and Gardens Magazine  French Chair & French Decorating - Stunning Lilac French Settees From Decor Pad  French Chair & French Decorating - Stunning Lilac French Settees From Decor Pad
 Valentina Gonzalez Wohlers Designer Valentina Glez Wohlers reinterpreted the classic Louis XV French style chair to incorporate her Mexican heritage. The London based designer debuted her Cactus prickly chairs at the designers block exhibition during Milan design in 09, and they were a hit. Valentina Glez Wohlers remarks on her redesigned chairs, “Prickly Pair Chairs respects the original 18th century chair, but concludes that its new, hybrid form synthesizes the ‘best of both worlds’; it evokes nostalgia for what was left behind and helps facilitate a sense of belonging in a new environment by fusing two powerful cultural symbols”. The classic french oval chair originated during the in the Rococo period of Louis XV and has since been a staple in many upscale homes through out the world.
 Pride of Owning French Furniture, Author: Ian Perryment -The Regency style is very much a transitory period in which pieces from the Louis XIV period were transformed by the use of bronze fittings rather than reinvented. This period refined Louis XIV designs to be more practical and comfortable for everyday use. The Duke of Orleans introduced an era of lighter, more graceful French furniture. The beginnings of the Louis XV style start here, with the flowing curves, scallop shell and acanthus leaf we associate with the Louis XV Rococo style becoming prominent.
Nowadays, Regency chairs are more fashionable than ever. They look fabulous in living-rooms and bedrooms. They are comfortable, yet elegant.
Regarded by many as the Golden Age of French furniture, Louis XV’s reign was a time of peace and prosperity, and soon became one of the greatest periods in French furniture design: Rococo style.
It was frivolous, frothy and decadent, just like the King Louis XV and his official mistress Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, also known as Madame de Pompadour. The Parisian aristocracy embraced new furniture items, such as the chaise longue and the “bergere chair”. Frames were usually gilded or painted. The rococo style featured love, music and nature-inspired motifs and themes, including shells, waves, birds, foliage, vines, flowers, seaweed, rocks and serpents.
Anybody who is passionate about French furniture will have a Louis XV chair on top of their style list. Moreover, nowadays, there are fantastic Louis XV reproduction chairs. You will be able to find them in different finishes and colours. You could even break the rules and have yours re-upholstered with a vibrant and modern fabric: classic with a twist. Whether you go for a classic look or a contemporary one, a Louis XV chair is the must have piece in the living-room, a statement item with lasting appeal. Bergere chairs and chaises longues are also incredibly popular these days.
For the bedroom, a Rococo style bed is the dream of every girl. It’s beautiful and frivolous, exactly what you want in a bedroom! There is no doubt our homes wouldn’t look the same if Rococo style has never existed!
When Rococo began to be considered too frivolous, a classical revival was inspired by the discovery of Pompeii in 1748 – the resulting style became known as neo-classicism or the classical revival. Designers also looked back to the more architectural French furniture of the Louis XIV period.
Gilded wood became popular again, and was used for ceremonial chairs and mirrors.
In our modern homes, a gilded mirror is the perfect focal point for a living room, above a fireplace or a console table. There are so many manufacturers of Baroque, Rococo and Neo-classical style mirrors that you will be spoiled for choice. They are elegant and gorgeous, and a mirror is always a great way to add depth and light into a room.
So why are we crazy for French furniture? Furnishing our homes with French furniture brings us back to those times of royalty and beauty, decadence and glamour. Our lives are complicated; we have stressful jobs and hardly any time for ourselves. That’s why a beautiful and elegant home, full of stylish French furniture can bring a bit of joy and glamour to our existence!
About the Author:
Ivory Pearl Interiors is an online shop that sells French furniture and home accessories. Explore this adorable yet affordable range of painted furniture, delightful chandeliers and mirrors, shabby chic furniture and mirrored furniture. You will fall in love with this fabulous range. For More Information Visit: - http://www.ivorypearlinteriors.com/
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Pride of Owning French Furniture
French Chair ~ Thibaut Wallpaper & Fabrics
Pair of Louis XV Armchairs Seller Les Pierre 
French Chair ~ Designer Stacey Brandford, French Sofa and accompaning french chair Designer Miki Duisterhof, Louis XV Period Walnut Fauteuil Seller Tradesmen
Sexy French Chairs Computer Wallpaper From WallCoo
French Chairs
Louis XV Desk and French Chairs....
 Know Your Sofas, By Ron Jordan - A sofa is a word adapted into English from Arabic, by way of Aramaic. These days it refers to any couch, though originally it referred only to the luxuriously cushioned seats of esteemed guests in the royal palaces of Arabia. Sofas are always upholstered and designed for reclining and relaxation. A love seat or loveseat is a small, compact couch that seats two. Small couches have existed at least as long as large ones, but the love seat, as we know it, was designed in the 1700's to seat one woman wearing a wide bustle. As time passed, the little couches became known as intimate rendezvous spots for lovers (these were the days of Casanova, remember). Scandalous! Responding to this, furniture designers crafted love seats as two connected chairs in an S-shape, with the two sitters facing in opposite directions. This separated the couple’s bodies, though they were still able to steal kisses if they wished.
The S-shaped love seat remains a stylishly old-school choice, though its use has diminished due to its large space requirements. The small couch-style love seat is more common, though, and is now a standard feature in modern living room sets. Casanova would be proud.
A davenport originally referred only to a series of sofas produced by the A.H. Davenport Company of Boston in the mid-1800's. Due to that company’s success in America, the term has become synonymous with sofas in a large part of the modern United States, especially in the Midwest. Original Davenport Company sofas are only found at antique auctions, but if you call any couch by that name, it’s okay.
A settee has recently come to mean any kind of couch, but the name originally applied only to double-seater benches with wooden backs and arms, such as those you might find on a porch or in a hallway. On settees, upholstery can vary; most modern settees are as cushioned as any couch, but unlike a couch, some styles of settees feature minimal or absent upholstery.
The word settee is thought to be a variation on settle, though they are two different things. A settle is a large, heavy wooden-backed bench of a style used in European castle halls since medieval times. A settle is typically made entirely of wood, devoid of upholstery, and thick and heavy thanks to its development history (they were originally made from wooden chests). Ah, the luxurious castle life.
A chaise lounge is an upholstered couch designed like a very long-seated chair which you can stretch your legs on. It comes from the phrase ‘chaise longue’, which simply means ‘long couch’ in French. This style of sofa has a long history in Europe and was a standard feature in the manor houses of the aristocracy. A chaise lounge is typically thought of as a ritzy Rococo-style design, but these days they are available in a huge variety of styles, from historical to ultra-modern.
In Victorian England, a chaise lounge was often called a fainting couch. These items were installed in wealthy houses for aristocratic women to collapse on, thanks to the stress put on their bodies by the too-tight corsets of the time. No kidding.
This bizarre trend has not survived into modern times, thank goodness, but the name lives on. Originally, fainting couches were simply chaise lounges, though some featured a non-upholstered foot section which made them more similar to daybeds. As time has passed, the phrase ‘fainting couch’ has expanded to encompass a variety of chaise lounges and beds with raised headspace. It’s more a colloquial term now, since not many chaise lounge manufacturers include “great for collapsing unconscious upon” in their ad copy.
There are many more furniture terms out there that we haven’t covered -- look for a Know Your Sofas, Part 2 soon. In the meantime, for more information and a great variety of sofas, davenports, settees and lounges, check out Every Sofa.Com, a proud part of the Cymax Stores Inc. network of online furniture retailers.
Ron Jordan is a marketing associate for Cymax Stores Inc, a premiere online furniture distribution company.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Jordan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Know-Your-Sofas&id=775868
(Pictures Brunschwig Filsgreen Wallpaper)
JaysonHomeandGarden French Settee
French Louis Settee Francois Halard
French Provincial Sofa Recovered Upholstered - John Gould Bessler This Scan didn't come in too well, but you can get an idea how beautiful a french provincial sofa can look once it is professionally upholstered.
French Settees ~Ankasa ~ Aren't these pillows lovely? It looks as if it is 3 D Embrodery
I this Antique French Settee didn't come in that well when I scanned it, but isn't it stunning? The pale green and white stripe is outstanding~ Very Shabby but quite french looking.
French Settee ~ Very Beautiful Antique Paint Finish ~Picture Credit Bliss Living
Merida Meridian
Louis Sofa Settee Keith Scott Morton
French Bed Jean-Paul Beaujard
Again another french provincial sofa recovered. Just stunning.
Louis XVI Style Settee Antique Seller Ceylon et Cie
Louis Settee Dana Oatley Ortego
19thC Italian Settee ~ Antique Dealer Parc Monceau
Brunschwig&Filsgreen Wallpaper~ I just love all the colors!
Animal Print French Settee. Lovely Settee, but too large for the end of the bed,.......still lovely~
Antique French Louis Settee ~ Gray or Beige Paint over natural wood which has been distressed. Just Lovely~
 Wing chairs first appeared in the late 17th Century. Designed to trap the heat from a fireplace in historic times, these chairs were beautiful but not always functional. Wing chairs were built tall to provide a comfortable protection from cold drafts, especially on chilly nights during the winter. Wing chairs are now very much back in style, and hopefully this article will give you some great ideas for how you can use them.
 Beautiful Traditional Wing Chairs ~Country Living Magazine
Country Living, and Ralph Lauren Home Decor Wing Chairs~
Traditional Home White Armchairs ~Photo Credit Tim Clarke Medricks Photo Stream
Beautiful Wing Chairs French Styled ~ Designer Fiona Newell Weeks
Country Living Wing Chair
Beautiful Traditional Home ~ Arm Chair Wing Chairs
Lice Blue French Armchairs ~ Designer Palmer Weiss
Charles Faudree's French Country Living ~ Crewel Fabric Wing Chairs
Antique Gilt Arm Chair & Empire Furniture Veranda Magazine
Stunning Pink Interior White Arm Chair~ Country Living Magazine
 Antique Reproductions are very hard to find, but it seems like Ebay has pulled together stock from around the world, so that particular chair that you are looking for is within reach. The Louis XV chairs without the cushions are relitivly easy to upholster yourself. All you need is a T50 Staple Gun from Home Depot and upholstery nails. The trick to upholstery is to pull your fabric tight. With these chairs, you have access to all the areas you need to tack down, which makes it a very easy fix. The Louis XV Chair is quite a extravagent chair, with a refined style that would work with any fabric, abstract, bold colors, or traditional fabrics. With the carved looks and the rounded features, it surely can stand alone and be the feature of the room in an understated way. These XV chairs are the perfect accent chair for your hallway..... or that small wall that needs filling. With low shipping costs, or free shipping with some sellers, it saves time than checking out every garage sale for the summer.
French Louis XV Chair Designer Paul Costello
~ French Louis Chairs ~
French Louis Chair Designer Hendrix Allardyce
French Chair ~ Designer Carolyne Roehm
French Louis XV Chair~ Ballard designs & Ralph Lauren
French Louis Chair Nina Campbell
Louis XV Chair Duralee Fabrics and Furniture
French Louis XV Chair ~WaverlyFabrics
French Louis Armchair ~Creative Home Magazine
French Louis Arm Chair ~ Country Living Magazine
French Louis XV Chair ~ Charles Faudree's French Country Living
Louis XV Chair
French Arm Chair ~ Sewing Room ~This Old House Magazine
Louis XV Chair ~ (Scanned From Traditional Home or Charles Faudree's French Country Living?)
French Louis XV Chair
French Louis XV Chair Designer Betty Burgess
Louis XV Chair ~ George Smith
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French Louis XV Chair
 The Baroque style developed in the 1620s which appeared very ornate, with heavy carving, and extended into the 17th century. Toward the end of the 17th century, baroque furniture tended to become simpler and the use of ornament was somewhat refined and simpler. There are varied styles of baroque as the elements of the french styles gradually work their way down from excessively ornate to simpler looks. Common Baroque chairs were found highly ornate, with velvet, silks, and needlework were the common fabrics, held together with leather and nails. They often were bulky and richly ornate with detail in the wood carving. I couldn't even imagine how long one chair would take in hours to produce.
Tony Duquette Classic Baroque Interiors with many french influences such as French Louis Chairs
The Hotel Splendide Royal Classic Baroque French Interiors with French Chairs
French Baroque Interior Versailles’ chapel
Donald and Milania-Trump have decked out their home in classic Baroque french details. Marble floors and walls, and gilt chairs fill there home for that striking elaborate interior.
Milania-Trump with a French End Table
House Beautiful French Baroque Louis XV Dining Chairs
Stunning Baroque Headboard Bed ~ HW idesign's Photostream
Baroque French Louis XV Chairs Country Living Magazine
Louis XV Chairs Peter M. Trapolin Interior Design by Alexa Hampton
Home Beautiful features antique french dining chairs, and featured in brown tones is a Louis XV Chair From the Style Court Blog
The Spa at Villa Marie Hotel, & Antique French Baroque Chair Raymond Goins
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