Commode painted oak, walnut or fruitwoods, with carved decoration, typical of French provincial furniture. In the English-speaking world, "commode" passed into cabinet-makers' parlance in London by the mid-eighteenth century to describe chests of drawers with gracefully curved fronts, and sometimes with shaped sides as well, perceived as being in the "French" taste. Thomas Chippendale employed the term "French Commode Tables" to describe designs in "The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Director" (1753), and Ince and Mayhew illustrated a "Commode Chest of drawers", plate xliii, in their "Universal System of Household Furniture", 1759–62. John Gloag notes that "Commode" expanded to describe any piece of
John Linnell (cabinet maker) John Linnell (cabinet maker) John Linnell (1729–96) was an 18th-century cabinet-maker and designer. Linnell was in charge of one of London's largest cabinet-makers firms of the 18th century with many important and prominent patrons. The Linnell firm was created in 1730 by William Linnell (c.1703–63), and was inherited by his son John Linnell in 1763. The firm moved from 8 Long Acre in St. Martin's Lane, London to 28 Berkeley Square in 1750. From 1763 to his death John Linnell continued to develop the business his father had established and his reputation grew. However, due to his unconventional lifestyle, he