The structure of the Louis XVI (1774-1793) period furniture changed from the curved lines, preferred by the previously reigning French monarch, to straighter lines. Elements were fine in scale and proportion and simpler than in the Louis XV period. During this period, a great deal of money was spent on furniture design as well as on other creature comforts. Louis XVI furniture, sometimes referred to as Neoclassical, was very feminine in all aspects and many pieces were painted using light and dainty colors and designs. Idealistic motifs, especially pastoral scenes with love birds, nymphs and cherubs were used as ornamentation.

Venetian furniture of the late Italian renaissance period was often flamboyant and elaborately painted, japanned and/or gilded. Venice, a seaport city which was a major trading center during the mid 18th Century, is where the Venetian style of furniture was created. Rococo style furniture of the late 18th Century produced in Venice also became known as Venetian style furniture. Bombe chests are a prevalent Venetian style as are the severe cabriole legs with the characteristic Venetian curl at the knee. The Venetian influence on other European styles was strong and different enough to warrant a classification of its own.