Middle English Renaissance

There were new standards set during the Middle English Renaissance.  Sir Christopher Wren started setting new standards for wall thickness, floor heights, and materials. He was the most renowned English architect of all time.  One of his most known masterpieces was redesigning St. Paul's Cathedral.  It had been neglected for almost two decades.  He studied modern design and construction in Paris.  Wren's first project was the chapel of Pembroke College in Cambridge, which his uncle asked him to design.

  

Queen Anne was the golden age of cabinetwork.  Queen Anne was neither interested nor influential.  There were several developments in social living.  People socialized over tea, coffee, and parlor games.  The interiors became simpler.  Paper or silk were put on the walls.  Queen Anne influenced English trade with China because of these trades the English ended up with authentic Chinese furniture, lacquer, Chinese porcelain, and small tea tables.  Mahogany was big during this era.  It was easier to work with than wood, firmer, easier to carve, absorbs polish easier, and available in wider boards.  Some Queen Anne furniture characteristics are curved lines as a dominating motif, Chinese forms, lacquer as a finish, feminine, cabriole leg, stretchers were eliminated, and furniture was smaller, lighter, and more comfortable.

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Extra Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HimqzQQ93vA