The increased prosperity and widening distribution of wealth made it possible for more people to buy furniture, though their taste was largely uneducated. Victorian furniture was massive and heavily carved, drawing themes from Gothic, French, Italian, and other styles of the past. Other styles included were Greek Revival or Empire, Oriental and Turkish.
Carving and rich veneers were the chief types of ornamentation, although painting, marquetry, and inlay were used on elaborate pieces