Chuck Melton Posted August 27, 2014 Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 Art Nouveau style furniture doesn't seem to get a lot of press in the woodworking world, and I am honestly curious as to why. It's far and away one of my favorite styles, but I don't see anyone building AN furniture or doing things that are inspired by it. I'd think that the live edge craze would have adopted elements from Art Nouveau, but I haven't seen anyone take it in that direction. Is this a natural function of how ornate many AN pieces are or is there a general disinterest in the style? https://www.google.com/search?q=art+nouveau+furniture I'd be curious to get some input from the WTO community on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted August 27, 2014 Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 I think Art Nouveau is kinda like the table Kev just built. I can admire the skill and effort it takes to pull it off successfully but it just won't work with anything in my house. It's interesting to look at in a magazine or someone else's house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Melton Posted August 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 I feel similarly about all the G&G furniture that gets made, it's just not attractive to me but I appreciate the craftsmanship. I am wondering if the woodworking community feels that the Art Nouveau stuff doesn't appeal to their sense of aesthetics, or is simply too difficult to mess with. And darn you for posting that Pantry project. I showed it to my wife in a "Hey, isn't this cool?" moment and now she is trying to talk me into building something similar. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted August 27, 2014 Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 I agree with Steve.. I don't think it has anything to do with the difficulty of the build but, the fact that it doesn't really go with anything more modern. You're either all in or it doesn't mix. In the case that Steve mentioned of the table I just completed for a client, it wasn't a difficult build, just a PITA finish. And it certainly wouldn't go in any living room that I know of. With that said, there is some cool stuff with it. I build a lot of live edge stuff and will definitely give it a closer look before my next design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted August 27, 2014 Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 I see a lot of Art Nouveau in UK antique shops and it doesn't seem to demand the higher premiums that the later Art Deco furniture does. I guess it just isn't as fashionable as the 1930s stuff which is going through something of a renaissance. Having said that the prices are still high ($$$ for AN against $$$$ for Deco). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 27, 2014 Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 Tiods, As neat as that table turned out, I hope your customer never reads some of the comments here about the particular style he favors . There is an older gentleman that works for me that he and his wife have a house full of this style furniture. When you completed it, I showed them the pic you posted and they immediately asked me to make them one. I told them that this was way beyond my capabilities Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted August 27, 2014 Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 lol, I don't think they read these forums but, they also know the style is not to my taste. Regardless, the build was done correctly and per their design so, they're happy. As for it being beyond your capabilities, I doubt that. Frankly, it's a fairly simple build. The finish is a bit tricky but, it's not hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Richardson Posted August 27, 2014 Report Share Posted August 27, 2014 I really like all things Art Nouveau as well. lamps, fixtures, art, furniture, etc. Who knows, it may re-emerge as a popular style again someday. These things are cyclical. I love Ruhlman, not sure if his work is classified as Art Nouveau though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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