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Original c. 1714–1830; revival c. 1876–1955

Georgian & Colonial Revival

Symmetry and classical order: raised-panel walls, pedimented doorways, carved chimneypieces, dentil and egg-and-dart mouldings.

Georgian design, from the early 1700s to around 1830, brought classical order to British and American houses: symmetry, raised-panel walls, pedimented doorways and carved chimneypieces. The lighter Federal style followed after the Revolution, with slim pilasters, reeding and delicate applied ornament. Both were revived from the 1876 Centennial onward as the Colonial Revival, the most common style of American houses for half a century.

Georgian and Federal details are among the easiest to produce today because they are built from classical mouldings and repeated panels. A paneled fireplace wall, a Federal mantel or a built-in corner cupboard suits many houses that are not historic at all.

Miniature Georgian drawing room with carved pedimented overmantel and fully paneled walls

How to recognize Georgian & Colonial Revival

  • Symmetrical rooms with a strong focal fireplace wall
  • Raised-panel walls and bolection-moulded fireplace surrounds
  • Pediments, pilasters, dentils and egg-and-dart mouldings
  • Federal-era reeding, urns, swags and sunbursts
  • Painted woodwork in strong or soft colors

Georgian & Colonial Revival kitchen cabinets

All kitchen cabinets
Miniature colonial kitchen with a large hearth, open dresser with pewter and plank walls

Thorne Miniature Room: Pennsylvania Kitchen, 1752

Essential

Miniature colonial kitchen with a brick hearth, open shelving and a wooden work table

Thorne Miniature Room: Virginia Kitchen, 18th Century

Essential

Georgian & Colonial Revival cabinet doors & fronts

All cabinet doors & fronts
Tall painted corner cupboard with arched glazed upper section and paneled lower doors

Painted Corner Cupboard from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (c. 1761)

Signature

Mahogany cabinet on a stand with carved door borders and figured veneer

Cabinet on Stand Attributed to William Vile, London (c. 1760)

Heirloom

Georgian & Colonial Revival built-ins & bookcases

All built-ins & bookcases
Miniature English library with built-in glazed bookcases, wood paneling and a pedimented fireplace

Thorne Miniature Room: English Library, Queen Anne and George I Periods, 1702–50

Heirloom

Tall mahogany desk and bookcase with slant-front desk, paneled doors and a pediment with finials

Boston Desk and Bookcase (c. 1780)

Signature

Georgian & Colonial Revival wall paneling & wainscoting

See all 5
Miniature colonial drawing room with painted paneling, fluted pilasters and a classical fireplace

Thorne Miniature Room: Massachusetts Drawing Room, 1768

Signature

Miniature Georgian drawing room with carved pedimented overmantel and fully paneled walls

Thorne Miniature Room: Pennsylvania Drawing Room, 1761

Heirloom

Georgian dining room with white and gold plasterwork wall panels, an ornate ceiling and a marble fireplace

Dining Room from Kirtlington Park, Oxfordshire (1748)

Heirloom

Colonial parlor paneling with pilasters, built-in cupboards and decoratively painted panels

Painted Paneling from the Parlor of Marmion, Virginia (c. 1756)

Heirloom

Neoclassical room with tapestry-covered walls framed by gilded mouldings and an ornate ceiling

Robert Adam Tapestry Room from Croome Court (1763–71)

Heirloom

Georgian & Colonial Revival fireplace mantels & surrounds

See all 7
Miniature Virginia drawing room with painted paneling and a paneled overmantel above the fireplace

Thorne Miniature Room: Virginia Drawing Room, 1755

Heirloom

White marble Palladian mantel with scroll brackets, cornucopias and a central bust

Palladian Marble Mantel from Wanstead House (c. 1730)

Heirloom

Federal-style painted wood mantel with slim pilasters and delicate applied urns and swags

Samuel McIntire Mantel from the Elias Hasket Derby House, Salem (1798)

Heirloom

Painted pine Federal mantel with small applied ornaments and reeded details

Federal Mantel with Robert Wellford Ornament, Beltzhoover House (c. 1815)

Signature

Carved Federal-style wood mantel with slender pilasters and a paneled frieze

Federal Mantel from the Drawing Room of the Craig House, Baltimore (c. 1810)

Signature

Colonial fireplace wall with raised panels, bolection-moulded surround and flanking cupboards

Fireplace Wall Paneling from the John Hewlett House, Long Island (1740–60)

Heirloom

Federal-style overmantel frame with applied classical ornament

Federal Overmantel with Composition Ornament (c. 1811)

Signature

Georgian & Colonial Revival corbels, brackets & ornament

All corbels, brackets & ornament
Carved gilded oak garland of flowers, fruit and leaves from an overmantel

Grinling Gibbons Carved Overmantel Garland (c. 1675)

Heirloom

Georgian & Colonial Revival exterior doors

All exterior doors
Georgian doorway with a stone surround and a paneled wooden door

Doorway from Chalkley Hall, Frankford, Pennsylvania (c. 1776)

Heirloom

Signature motifs

Raised panelDentilEgg and dartPediment

Typical woods and materials

Painted pineMahogany

Have a Georgian & Colonial Revival detail made for your home

Choose any example above as a starting point. We adapt it to your measurements and make it on our CNC, with published price ranges for every element.

How custom work works

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