In fact, they served as general contractors, designing and commissioning pieces of the most fashionable furniture, and often, in addition, worked outside of their shops as interior decorators, responsible for many aspects of a room's decor. In Paris, the guild system, in place since the late Middle Ages, prohibited craftsmen from working with any material with which they had not undergone a formal apprenticeship.
In fact, they acted as general contractors, designing and commissioning pieces of the most fashionable furniture, and often worked outside their shops as interior decorators, responsible for many aspects of a room's decor. In Paris, the guild system, which has existed since medieval times, prevented craftsmen from working with any material without completing an apprenticeship.