Thomas Sheraton - English Furniture and Cabinet Maker

Thomas Sheraton was one of the pre-eminent English furniture and cabinet makers of the 1800s and is considered - alongside Thomas Chippendale and George Hepplewhite - one of the 'big three' in terms of furniture design. With it's classically refined look and clean designs Sheraton furniture is perfect for contemporary interiors.

Sheraton was born in County Durham and lived from 1751 - 1806 first starting as an apprentice to a local cabinet maker eventually moving to London in 1790 where he set himself up professionally. In 1791 he first published his famous 'The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book' which is still influential this day for it's distinctive aesthetic and as a style guide. Some of the plates are features below and on this page and show his designs for chairs, secretaires, bookcases, cabinets, mirrors and other items of furniture.

(Above photo: illustration of a sideboard from The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book )

In tune with the influences of his times - the first discoveries of Greek and Roman ruins and the subsequent influence of classical antiquity on furniture design specifically and the arts in general - a lot of the designs have a very architectural quality. Clean design lines, use of columns and capitols, acanthus leaf motifs, fluting, tapered legs, swags husks, festoons, rams heads and rams heads and other classical themes are common. The style can also be seen to be inspired by the French Louis XVI style in his favoured woods of satinwood and mahogany. Of course original pieces of Sheraton furniture that can be attributed to Sheraton himself command very high fees at auction and sales and are very much in demand by collectors and investors. He later went on to write and publish the 'Cabinet Directory' in 1803 which is equally influential.

In many ways this style can be seen to have influenced the Federal style and period in the United States and the Directoire style in France. Much of our Sheraton furniture can be viewed in our Canonbury Antiques Hertfordshire showroom which is situated just 25 minutes north of London in the Herts countryside. We also specialise in continental antiques, art deco, English dining furniture, architectural antiques, bronzes and porcelain. One of our big sellers are our range of demi lune console tables.

We can ship this Shertaon furniture to anywhere in the world so please get in touch for a shipping quote. We also offer good discounts to interior designers who like to use us to source pieces for their various projects. We have been in business since the 1960s and please get in touch with any questions you may have.