The Historical Journey of Furniture - Middle Ages

The continuation of Roman art was Roman art, followed by Gothic art, which was dominated by religious influences and left its mark on the era. In addition, examples of furniture were seen in Byzantium, Arab countries, Anatolia and Far Eastern countries. Although the Middle Ages ended with the collapse of the Eastern Roman Empire, Gothic art continued to be influential for a while longer and gave way to a new understanding of art with the Renaissance

Although furniture forms were quite simple in Byzantium, they had a very ornate appearance due to the influence of Eastern art. Among the works made of wood by the Seljuks, meticulously carved and inlaid altars, pulpits, lecterns, doors and windows can be seen. During the Ottoman period, people mostly sat on low sofas, ate at floor tables and used semi-closed shelves lined up on the upper parts of the walls and built-in cabinets made of wood. Furniture with different characters such as Edirnekarı began to be made.

During this period, chairs in Gothic styles in Europe generally had ornate cut designs. Intricately designed chairs were often used by the wealthy at dinner parties. With the development of wood material joining and construction methods from the 15th century onwards, and the ability to obtain thin boards with sawmills, Gothic furniture became lighter, more elegant and richer. Since oak was the most commonly used wood during this period, the Gothic furniture era is also called the Oak Age.