Restoration furniture is English furniture made during the period following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, when Charles II returned from exile, and particularly during his reign until 1685. It is also known as Carolean furniture, and it marks a decisive shift away from the solid oak of earlier generations towards a more luxurious, continental taste.
Charles II and his court had spent their exile in France and the Low Countries, and they brought back a taste for richer furnishings. Walnut became the fashionable timber, used both solid and as veneer, and Dutch and French craftsmen influenced English workshops. Characteristic pieces include tall-backed chairs with caned seats and backs and elaborately carved crestings, spiral or barley-twist turned legs and stretchers, chests on stands, cabinets veneered with oyster veneers or floral marquetry, daybeds and lacquered or japanned cabinets on gilt stands. The rebuilding of London after the Great Fire of 1666 also encouraged demand for new furniture. Genuine Restoration pieces are rare and much later copying exists, so collectors examine construction, wear and surface closely. The term should not be confused with the French Restauration style of 1815 to 1830, which followed the fall of Napoleon.
