Despite its name, the Greek key motif, perhaps the most widely used classical decorative pattern in history, is actually not Greek in origin.

Variations of this classical pattern are found on ancient Egyptian tombs as well as in Peruvian woven crafts, Chinese architecture and even Aztec sculptures.

The Greeks, however, made the most creative and unmatched use of the pattern in columns, temples, pottery, etc., and truly earned the naming rights to this classical motif.

It is common knowledge that the Romans copied the Greeks, and by the 18th century, the English, Russians and French were copying the Romans.  Now, we ourselves have copied the pattern from the Romans, too!

We use the motif abundantly throughout the Unique Classic Accents© website design and in many of our pieces as well.

A detail that always refers to the classical era, the motif that was widely used in Greek architecture and furniture is often used to enhance both Empire and Neoclassical style pieces.

Nowadays the versatile and timeless Greek motif is commonly found in chinaware, chairs, tables and almost any piece of any style imaginable.