Is it only ornamental? And why are they usually webbed feet (or at least they are in my experience)?
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They used to walk before we lost our imaginations to capitalism
Because they have legs.
…what about their legs? They don’t need those…
Looks like wood is back on the menu, boys!
Lol 😂
Decorative flourish for the most part. A lot of that old stuff was crafted by hand rather than a machine so it tends not to be designed for mass production.
The metal ones were quite often mass produced by casting, like in claw-foot bathtubs. Probably in imitation of older artisanal pieces, which were already antiques in, say, 1910.
Casting I would say is kind of a separate deal. You can still find somewhat ornate cast things today, although more often it’s injection molded plastic coated in paint.
You could do this kind of thing with wood in a CNC machine, but more often it’s just some straight cut or moulded particle board stuff with no life in it.
A foot like this is a blend of decorative and functional, imo.
You end up with more surface area than if you had just gone with a straight column, and that helps with stability, slightly lessens the pressure.
Many modern tables or desks have… much less ornate footpad type structures, if the thing itself is quite heavy, or intended to hold a decent amount of weight.
Of course… I have no way of knowing if this old… desk? table? whatever it is, was intentionally designed with that in mind, but the function is still there, at least to some degree.
Because it looks awesome, and they can.
As for why webbed, because it was easier than carving the toes out completely, and probably more stable.
I agree that stability, durability and ease of manufacture were the likely reasons.They probably weren’t intended to be seen as webbed feet though. More likely they’re meant to depict taloned claws clutching a sphere.
Cause it’s freakin cool
They are the children of Baba Yaga’s house.
Fables vibes
Also because SURVIVING antique stuff is still here because it is fancy and well made.
Plenty of cheap shit was made at the same time and long ago burned in the trash pile.
With all 4.5 children inhaling the lead paint fumes wafting off of it, or something like that. Ahh, the old days.
What else would they do, hands? That would be silly.
Given the trash that passes for furniture these days I expect that in 50 years or so people will still be hunting for stuff from the early 1900s or earlier to put into their place.
Maybe the supply of old furniture will dry up, and demand would rise enough to make actual quality furniture feasible again
Possibly. They’ll still be baking with the same chunky mixers, though.
This has already happened to a degree. You might have seen a log cabin but probably never a sod house. Probably not so many crank-powered tools either.
who’s the guy with the douchebaggy dark shirt
80% certain that’s Quentin Tarantino, or were you talking about Brad Pitt? Actually, I now see that they are all wearing black shirts, so maybe you’re talking about Leonardo DiCaprio?
Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt or Quentin Tarantino?
Yes.
Looser than what?
Leo’s girlfriend.
Cuz looks cool
Because it’s cool.
It’s known that the more wealth you acquire, the stronger your foot fetish becomes.
It’s known.
Not a problem, just cast yourself in a movie if you have the urge to suck toes (or say the n word).
My n Tarantino
Iirc, the design goes back a few hundred years or so, and they were intended as either lion claws or dragon claws, wrapped around an orb.
Incidentally, you’ll also find pineapples are commonly found carved in older furniture. Pineapples were considered a symbol of hospitality. Again, as I recall, because it’s been a while since I learned about this stuff.
Pineapple’s in northern Europe were a symbol of wealth and status. You could actually rent a pineapple for your dinner party to elevate your status. Pineapple theft was a notable crime. One thief was sentenced to 7 years in an Australian penal colony.
https://historyfacts.com/world-history/fact/stealing-pineapples-used-to-be-a-serious-crime/
People used to take pride in their work, and there was a time when consumers valued quality over price point.
You’re never going to walk into a charity shop and find a 100 year old chipboard IKEA wardrobe. Shit is literally made to fall apart and have to be re-bought.
The average worker wasn’t buying a table with carved feet 100 years ago. You’re experiencing survivorship bias.
I don’t know. IKEA makes some great shit. They’re not the problem imo, Wayfair and other crap is far worse
It totally depends what you buy. IKEA definitely does sell crap, so does every other furniture chain store, but not everything is crap. Really depends on what you look at specifically.
