Each of us is accustomed to modern furniture and the way our homes look like. We see them on daily basis so stopped thinking about them as something special. But, are you ready to take a journey back in time and see what type of furniture the knights had? Can you even picture it?
It can be rather fascinating to think how people lived back in the medieval times. Still, the knights weren’t ordinary people. They had a special status in the kingdom and enjoyed a better lifestyle than the rest. Thus, it is worth taking a closer look at how their homes looked like and what kind of furniture was used to improve their living conditions.
It is worth mentioning that furniture in those days was made out of solid wood, manufactured and carved by carpenters. Everything was made by hand, of course, which includes the ornaments. Because the knights had a higher social and financial status, they were able to afford beautiful furniture, which was nicely sculpted and decorated.
During the medieval era, the houses of wealthier people were decorated with bright colors. The more colorful a house was on the inside, the richer its owner was. Yes, back then, only those that had a better and more stable financial situation could afford painting the walls of the property in bright and beautiful colors.
The furniture was the same, as items painted and decorated with bright colors, like blue, red, or yellow, were highly sought after and appreciated. Clothing items, curtains, rugs, and other elements followed a similar rule, as the possibility to obtain gorgeous colors was a sign of a high social position.
In terms of furniture items, the knights didn’t have very many objects in their homes, in spite of the fact that some of their properties were rather large. Thus, a large dresser, where they kept their clothes, a tablet and chairs, a bed, and probably a St. George’s cabinet could be found in the room of knights.
Compared to today’s living standards, these furniture items provide a minimum level of comfort, but back then people did not have too much furniture lying around their homes. Because medieval furniture was done by hand, even getting the wood needed involved manual labor, it took quite a while to make a piece of furniture.
Besides this, good furniture wasn’t afforded by everybody. If the knights were rather wealthy, apart from the previously mentioned furniture items, there might have owned additional pieces of furniture as well. So, chests, buffets, benches, and coffers were other types of furniture present in the homes of the knights.
An interesting aspect regarding the furniture used by knights is that it was light and portable in many cases, in spite of the fact that it was made out of solid wood. This enabled them to take their furniture along if they had to move from one property to another.
Considering that there were no furniture stores in those days, it was normal to hold on to your furniture once it was finished and delivered by the master carpenter. So, the knights were among those people in the medieval times that afforded to enjoy beautiful furniture in their homes, painted in bright colors and decorated with carvings or hand paintings.