Chippendale

Chippendale refers to Thomas Chippendale (1718–1779), an English cabinet-maker whose workshop and pattern books were highly influential in 18th‑century furniture design. Based in London, Chippendale published The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Directory in 1754, a widely circulated collection of designs and construction patterns that helped define a furniture style that would come to be known as Chippendale.

The Chippendale style draws on Rococo, Gothic, and Chinese decorative motifs (often called Chinoiserie). Typical elements include scrolls, shells, acanthus carving, pierced fretwork, and feet that are bracketed or ended in a ball-and-claw design. Pieces commonly featured substantial mahogany construction and architectural silhouettes, such as desks, bookcases, chairs, and sideboards. The Directory provided patterns for both whole pieces and decorative fittings, enabling many makers to produce work in the same style.

Impact and legacy: The pattern book helped spread the style in Britain and across the Atlantic, where colonial cabinetmakers in cities such as Philadelphia, New York, and Boston produced many Chippendale-inspired pieces in the late 18th century. The term "Chippendale" later extended to describe the broader family of mahogany furniture with elaborate carving, and continues to be used to categorize antique furniture and to inspire modern designs. Thomas Chippendale remained a prominent figure in English furniture by the time of his death in 1779.