"simplest French period"

[imchongjun]

Hello, teachers.
I am puzzled over the word order of the following phrase:

in a very charming little room furnished after the style of the simplest French period

I guess "French period" refers to a period when England was ruled by the Normans, but why is this word modified by "simplest"? I could easily understand this phrase if the latter half went like 'after the simple style of the French period". Could you tell me the meaning of "simplest" in this instance?

 

[stuartnz]

I'm not a teacher, but since the sentence is talking about furniture, I would understand it this way:

"The room had furniture which was similar to that produced in the least ornate, least decorative, or plainest French period."

I would say that here "simple" means "not ornate", "not fancy", "not decorative", "plain".

 

[imchongjun]

I see.
Thank you, stuartnz, for your quick reply.