Handsome, gracious, conservative, and bold. Karges has created a collection of furniture to reflect your own personality and tastes. Good design and timeless lines which blend into whatever décor you choose have been created by us. Many Karges designs are inspired by fine museum pieces and the finest antiquities. Some are taken from furniture found in Europe during Edwin Karges Sr.’s travels and some from research of fine pieces through the centuries. Each of the Karges pieces are original designs created by the Karges family and by in house designers, subduing some details of historic pieces, while still holding the classic beauty of the piece.
Each piece of Karges furniture is made to order, and like any art or antiquity worth owning, we put hundreds of hours into research, development, and design. With the ability to customize fabrics, finishes, accents, hand painting and often species we create a piece of furniture, some say art, unique to you. Learn more about what elevates Karges above the rest.
Because each piece is made-to-order, choosing between finish colors and textures, sheen, hardware, fabrics, and species is simply a matter of choice you make when you order. Finish and hardware can change the look of a classic traditional form to a more contemporary looking piece. We believe you should live with beautiful, meaningful objects that are tailored to you.
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.