Do you often wonder what furniture styles properly describe your tastes? Unless you took a furniture history course in school you might not know what style particular furniture pieces are. Here is a quick guide to help you recognize the characteristics from certain time period pieces.

Art Deco is a popular furniture style, originating in the 1920’s. Once you know what to look for it is easy to spot this type of furniture styles. Look for bright red, blue, orange and teal finish colors. This style used bold geometric patterns with sharp angles and the use of zig zag patterns.

Modernist was prevalent during the 1930’s and 1940’s. This particular furniture style uses simple and clean lines as well as contrasting colors. This style also uses contrasting textures as well. Popular color choices of this time are black, white, red and orange.

Mid-Century Modern is made up of clean lines. Minimalist design was very popular back then. Surprising colors were used. Look for pastel colors as well as blues, greens and especially rust colors.

Minimalist was the style for the 1960’s. Furniture design was heavily influenced by Japanese styling. The focus on negative space became apparent. Popular colors for this time period was the primary colors, red, yellow and blue; as well as black and white.

The 1970’s was a time for self-expression. There was a combination of hi-tech and natural elements. Bold patterns were used with earth tones. Brick red, avocado green, pink and rust were all very popular colors.

The 1980’s was an age of over indulgence and comfort. The furniture was large and upholstery pieces were overstuffed. Floral patterns and prints were very popular with bold colors. Jewel tones and pastels were popular color choices. Burgundy, mauve and gold were also popular color choices.

The 1990’s was a time where previous furniture styles were kind of fused together. There was a mix of Art Deco, Minimalist and Modern elements in furniture. Greys and beiges became really popular as well as the use of hunter and mint green. Peach was a popular color that was often paired with grey and beige. Natural elements such as metal and glass were incorporated as accents.

Have fun with this new knowledge!  What decade best describes your tastes?