The Queen Anne period was considered the age of elegance perhaps because it was a time of transition from the flamboyant English Baroque style to a more dignified, queenly style.
Though there were no great innovations in architecture or art during Queen Anne's reign, somehow this regal lady had such influence that the period is known as one of desirable elegance.We're all familiar with the Queen Anne look. Perhaps a brief but all-encompassing description of typical Queen Anne furniture is simple elegance with a domesticated flair, set up on graceful cabriole legs.
Colors typical of this era are strong and dark. Paints at that time were limited to olive greens, browns, grays and off-whites. The printed fabric colors were reds, browns, purples and blacks.
Picture this wall: Plain, but rich paneling with a chair rail or dividing line from about 1/3-length from the floor, crown molding, some arch-topped niches and a fireplace. Typical Queen Anne? The main giveaway is the arch-topped niches so popular to that style.
Floors were usually covered with wood and topped with a very large area rug as opposed to wall-to-wall carpeting. The rugs were intricately patterned with fringe on two or four sides.
Velvet has had its ups and downs in the fashion circles of interior design, but it was quite popular in the Queen Anne era. Coarse cottons and damasks fit in here well also.
All this describes a heavy look, yet the furnishings managed to have an airy look about them, perhaps because they were all up on those cabriole legs.
Besides those curly sort of bowed legs, wing backs on chairs and small sofas also were popular.
Ornamentations of that day included pictures in gilt frames and these pictures were portraits (very popular), landscapes and hunting scenes. Pottery and porcelain was most often blue and white and there was always a vase with flowers somewhere. In summer, the floral graced the front of the fireplace since it was not in use.