Vintage Victorian Style Burr Walnut Kidney Shaped Desk

Burr Walnut
refers to the swirling figure present in nearly all walnut when cut and polished, and especially in the wood taken from the base of the tree where it joins the roots. However the true burr is a rare growth on the tree where hundreds of tiny branches have started to grow. Burr walnut produces some of the most complex and beautiful figuring you can find.
 

Victorian Furniture
(1830 - 1901) very popular today, probably due to its accessibility more than the esthethics. There was plenty of furniture made due to the change in history of methods of manufacture, the machine had taken over and was able to produce mass amounts of Victorian furniture to satisfy the vast demand by the middle class people that desired it.

Furniture history changed forever through the Victorian period. It became desirable to have a home laden with furniture to show your status to your peers.

Throughout history Queen Victoria identified herself with the middle class. Therefore the furniture of this period was made for an ever-increasing middle class population. The most popular woods used to produce furniture included: mahogany, burr walnut, rosewood and ebony. Thick, darkly coloured woods with ornate carvings, high-tone gloss, richly carved silhouettes and as many flourishes and ornaments as the surface of a piece of furniture would allow were typical for this period. They were designed to give the appearance of being owned by the wealthy.

Mahogany and rosewood were popular and rich colours, intensified by layering high-gloss lacquers over stained wood were highly desired. Comfort was an important consideration for purchasers who wanted their homes to be gracious reflections of their financial, so velvet cushions and brocade sofa fabric were often coordinated with velvet drapes for maximum impact.