Aesthetic principles emphasized art in the production of furniture. At the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876, Americans were exposed to art objects from a variety of nations and times. There developed a fever for collecting artistic works, and home interiors became expressions of artistic taste. Homes were designed and decorated through the collaborative efforts of designers, architects and craftsmen. Designers looked at examples from Greek, Japanese, Persian, Moorish, Egyptian and other exotic styles.

Aestheticism was seen as a reaction to the excesses of mid-century revivals. The aim was to reunite the beautiful and useful. Surface decoration became important, using motifs from nature as well as 2-D patterns. Natural forms were simplified, stylized and flattened into patterns, which were often combined. This led to the use of contrasting materials in marquetry and other flat surface decoration. While detail of surface decoration was intricate, color schemes were more subtle, so that the whole became a unified form when viewed from a distance. Shapes of furniture tended to be rectilinear; construction was sturdy. Every possible combination of woods was used, including exotic woods from distant lands.