From Chippendale to Hepplewhite: A Guide to Identifying 18th Century Furniture Styles
Walking into a room filled with 18th-century antiques can feel a bit like stepping into a history book. It’s a world of elegance and grandeur, but also one of intricate detail and specific design rules. For many, the names—Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Sheraton—are familiar, but telling them apart can feel like a daunting task.
Was this mahogany chair made for a Georgian gentleman’s club or a Victorian library? Is that a Rococo curve or a Neoclassical line? Understanding the differences is like learning a new language; it unlocks the stories behind the wood and allows you to appreciate the craftsmanship on a whole new level.
The 18th century was a period of massive change in Britain, from the Baroque grandeur of the early Georgians to the refined Neoclassicism that followed. Furniture design evolved dramatically, reflecting these shifting tastes. Let’s unravel the key styles and give you the confidence to identify them.
The Grandfather of English Furniture: Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale was less a solitary designer and more a brilliant publisher and influencer. His 1754 book, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, was the ultimate pattern book, defining taste for a generation.
What to Look For:
The Styles Within the Style: Chippendale’s work is famous for borrowing from three main influences:
Gothic: Look for pointed arches, trefoil patterns, and quatrefoils carved into chair backs and mirror frames.
Rococo: This is all about flamboyant, asymmetrical carving. Think swirling shells, acanthus leaves, flowers, and C- and S-scrolls. It’s playful and naturalistic.
Chinese Chinoiserie: Lattice-work patterns, pagoda-like structures on cabinet tops, and scenes depicting imagined Chinese life.
The Cabriole Leg: This is a hallmark. It’s that elegant, S-shaped leg that ends in a distinctive foot—often a ball-and-claw (gripping a ball) or a simpler pad foot.
The Wood: Mahogany, mahogany, and more mahogany. This rich, dark, imported wood allowed for deep carving and became the signature timber of the period.
In a nutshell: If it’s made of mahogany, has a cabriole leg, and features elaborate, showy carving from any of the three styles above, you’re likely looking at a piece in the Chippendale manner.
The Elegant Successor: George Hepplewhite
Following Chippendale’s more flamboyant era, taste began to shift towards something lighter and more refined. George Hepplewhite’s posthumously published The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide (1788) captured this new mood perfectly.
What to Look For:
The Shield-Back Chair: This is Hepplewhite’s crowning glory. The back of an armchair or side chair is shaped like a delicate shield or a heart. They are often filled with elegant, delicate motifs like wheat sheaves, urns, or three Prince of Wales feathers.
Straight, Tapered Legs: The curvaceous cabriole leg is gone. In its place are straight, square legs that taper elegantly towards the bottom, sometimes fluted (with vertical grooves).
Lighter Elegance: The feel is less about heavy carving and more about inlay. Look for delicate marquetry using contrasting woods like satinwood, tulipwood, or holly to create patterns of ribbons, bellflowers, or shells.
The Wood: While mahogany was still king, it was often used as a canvas for lighter woods. painted furniture also became fashionable.
In a nutshell: If a chair has a graceful shield-shaped back and the piece feels light, elegant, and decorated with fine inlay rather than heavy carving, think Hepplewhite.
The Neoclassical Master: Thomas Sheraton
Sheraton was a contemporary of Hepplewhite, and their styles are often grouped together as "Hepplewhite-Sheraton." But Sheraton’s designs, published in The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing-Book (1791-94), took Neoclassical refinement even further.
What to Look For:
Rectilinear Precision: Sheraton loved straight lines. His pieces are architectural, with a focus on precise, geometric forms. Think square-backed chairs and clean, rectangular tables.
Painted & Decorated: Sheraton embraced painted decoration even more than Hepplewhite. Pieces were often painted in cream, grey, or green and adorned with neoclassical motifs like urns, swags, drapery, and arabesques.
The Sabre Leg: A key identifier is the front leg on his chairs—a graceful, outward-curving sabre leg, often reeded (with parallel convex grooves).
Technical Ingenuity: Sheraton was famous for designing multi-functional furniture: tables with rotating tops, writing desks with complex interior mechanisms, and ingenious storage solutions.
In a nutshell: If the piece is intensely geometric, looks almost architectural, and features painted scenes or intricate, technical details, it’s likely in the Sheraton style.
Why Does This Matter?
Knowing these styles transforms how you see antiques. That Chippendale chair tells a story of a Britain confident and curious about the wider world. That Hepplewhite shield-back speaks of a move towards refined, domestic elegance. That Sheraton desk reflects the Age of Enlightenment’s love of reason, order, and invention.
It’s not about putting things in boxes; it’s about understanding the language of design. And once you know the words, you can start to read the story in every piece you see.
Spotted a piece you think might be 18th century? Share a picture with us on social media and test your new knowledge!