6. Meet the French Royal Style: Louis XVI
The last king standing (just before he wasn’t).
Ah, Louis XVI—France’s final pre-revolutionary monarch and, oddly enough, a man with a passion for… lock-picking. Yes, while the people sharpened their pitchforks, Louis was busy fiddling with tumblers and keys. Security enthusiast? Escape artist in training? Who’s to say.
But the most cutting detail? He actually helped perfect the guillotine a few years before losing his own royal head to it. Oh, the irony. And that rounded-tip dinner knife you're holding? Merci, Louis. In an effort to dull revolutionary fervor (and pointy cutlery), he had all knives in France blunted. Unfortunately, it wasn’t sharp objects the people were after—it was change.
During the last days of his reign, Louis dropped the titles and went by Citizen Louis Capet. Très democratic. Très doomed.
Furniture Style: Louis XVI - Neoclassicism never looked so polished
While the politics crumbled, the interiors soared. Louis XVI style is what happens when ancient Rome crashes the French salon. Think Greek god meets Marie Antoinette’s decorator.
Gone are the frothy Rococo curves—au revoir! In their place: clean lines, structured symmetry, and elegant restraint. But don’t mistake it for minimalism. This was still Versailles, darling.
Strongly influenced by the neoclassical mood that spread across Europe after the discovery of the Pompei sites, Louis XVI is adorned with ovals, arches, medallions, wreaths, garlands, urns and flourishes. Expensive woods are used, such as ebony, rosewood and mahogany.
The Greek key motif, a repeating pattern of interlocking rectangles, is a popular decorative element in Louis XVI furniture. It is often found on chair rails, table aprons, and other surfaces.
- Lines: Think straight, fluted legs—like tiny Corinthian columns under every chair.
- Shapes: Medallions, garlands, urns, and laurel wreaths reign supreme.
- Palette: Lighter woods like mahogany and fruitwood bring an airiness that feels fresh even now.
- Detailing: Carved flourishes, ovals and arches, and plenty of geometric Greek key patterns show up on everything from commodes to console tables.
New furniture forms debuted too: enter the salon table, made for actual conversation rather than royal posing. Louis XVI furniture was built for civility and elegance… even as civility outside the palace fell apart.
Final word?
Louis XVI might’ve lost his crown (and head), but his taste lives on in the world’s chicest interiors. It’s a style that whispers, “Order, poise, and just a touch of revolution.”
