Gothic Style vs. Country Style Oak Bedroom Furniture
When you go shopping for oak bedroom furniture, which type do you like: the gothic style or the country style? The gothic style offers plenty of Old World sophistication, especially with the classic favorites like the Victorian sub-style and Queen Anne sub-style. On the other hand, the country style has its strong points, with its strong clean lines.
However, selecting the style of oak furniture is not just about your taste. These two major schools of furniture style have some very special properties when placed into your bedroom, properties which are not obvious in the showroom. Gothic-styled bedroom furniture tends to give a heavier feeling, especially the massive and ponderous Victorian-type furniture. This weightiness has the tendency to make a room feel small and cramped. It might even make you feel small, if your ego is not strong enough. The more graceful, arching lines of Queen Anne-type furniture is not nearly so weighty, but can still have a noticeable effect if you buy it in dark colors.
Gothic-style oak bedroom furniture sets are best bought for large bedrooms. Because they make the empty spaces seem smaller, they can make an over-large bedroom feel more cosy. This is the opposite effect of country-styled furniture. The country style and its major variations, the rustic and Mission styles, prize simplicity. The original country style is the Mission style, and it was a reaction against the heavy and ornate Victorian-style furniture that was its immediate predecessor. It eschewed the complex moldings and ostentatious carvings that were common, instead preferring to leave large surfaces in their original condition, with only clean lines along the edges used for decoration.
If you are buying beds and wardrobes made from the highest grade oak wood, you may want to choose unpainted (i.e. finished with wax or clear varnish) country-style furniture. The large expanses of “plain” wood show off the fine grains of the high quality quarter-sawn oak boards beautifully. If you have a larger bedroom, you may want something with a darker stain. If you have a smaller, cramped bedroom, get unstained white oak to make your bedroom feel more spacious.
With modern precision manufacturing processes, it costs the factory pretty much the same amount of money to make both styles of furniture. When you buy from furniture stores, how much you pay depends on the brand. You can get both styles. However, if you get your oak furniture custom-made, you can only get it in the country style. Not many furniture craftsmen have enough skill to hand make the complex carvings that characterize the gothic-styled beds and wardrobes.
Oak furniture does not come cheap. Properly cared for, it can last you a lifetime. Make sure you choose the right style for you as well as your bedroom.