Cajun Furniture
As in the homes of the pre-expulsion Acadians, the homes contained only a minimum of furnishings and included beds, with storage chests located at the foot of the bed; one table; two or three chairs; and a collection of badly worn earthen-ware plates and saucers. Cups and mugs were rare and when present, reflected long and continuous use. The early Acadian furniture was constructed of cherry wood. The new Acadian, or Louisiana Acadian furniture was constructed of softer cypress, with cherry wood furniture being acquired only by the more wealthy Acadians. (Carl Brasseau - Founding of New Acadia, p.142)
In the 1770's the average 18th century Louisiana Acadian settler sat on worn out wooden chairs at a hand-carved wooden table and ate from chipped dishes and damaged cutlery. He slept in a hand-made cypress bed, with a feather, straw, corn shuck, or moss mattress, and continued to store his few thread- bare garments in a cypress chest at the foot of his bed. In the more affluent homes, armoires replaced the chests that stored the clothing and small valuables. Earthen-ware plates, saucers, cups, and utensils were replaced by porcelain and iron spoons and forks. (Carl Brasseau --Founding of New Acadia" p. 143)