Parlez vous le meuble? Do you speak French furniture?
If you’re like me, you might only think you do!
French Louis XVI Commode
As Anglophones, when we hear the word “Commode” we think of a toilet, but in France a “Commode” is not usually in the loo – instead it is a chest of drawers and is considered to be the finest piece of furniture made for a house! The word commode comes from the French word for “convenient” or “suitable”. This piece of furniture was much wider than it was high, raised on high or low legs and with enclosing drawers. While Anglophones tend to use “chest of drawers” for storing clothes, the French would use a “Coffre”.
French 4-drawer Empire period commode in cherry with blackened, detached columns
Filed under Word of the Week
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