Elizabethan: 1558-1603

The period when England developed its own national style of furniture, inspired by Renaissance ideals of proportion and ornamentation.

Key features: Little upholstery, wood favoured (particularly oak); heavy, turned shapes, often bulbous like Flemish and Netherlands styles; lacking the balanced proportion of Italian Renaissance furniture; exuberant and rich carving; glass becoming less expensive, often used in tessellated diamond patterns.