Common Types of Furniture

Furniture refers generally to movable objects designed to support different human activities like eating, eating, and resting. Furniture is used to store objects as well as to hold things at a convenient level for easy access, or at a fixed height for greater purpose. Furniture varies in functions depending on how it is used. Furniture is an artistic creation and is usually considered as a form of aesthetic art.

The earliest civilizations like the Egyptian Pazyryk, the Aztectec Zapotec and the Peruvian Anasazi left behind their impressive ancient furniture with informative inscriptions. These civilizations used mainly wood for making the common furniture. Mostly, wood was employed in building the simple huts which were later transformed into full-size houses. Wooden chairs and tables were a must have item in every home; otherwise, there would be no place for reading, studying or even sitting on the sofa.

Wooden furniture has always been the preferred choice for home furniture in ancient times, as it has been sturdy and could withstand any climate change. In addition, wood offers a very warm feel and provides maximum comfort. Unlike other materials, furniture made of wood never decays with time and offers a very long life. However, it is only in the modern era that metal furniture has been developed and used for seating purposes. Metal furniture is more appealing to the eye and can be easily incorporated with modern design schemes.

The French style furniture is characterised by simple designs of light oak or walnut woods decorated with minute floral designs or geometric patterns. Elegant and sophisticated, it owes much to the French neoclassicism movement that revitalized European furniture after the disintegration of the Roman Empire. Characteristic of this style is the use of light-colored woods and the use of opulent fabrics, which were mainly floral in nature.

Classical furniture of this period is characterized by proportionate lines, rich texture and a heavy feeling on the seat. The heavy wooden slats of the plank style chair were replaced by wingback chairs that were wingback in nature. The look of the chair was further enhanced by using coloured wood and plush upholstery. The classical style could be found in many places, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harvard University, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery, the British Museum and The Smithsonian. A great number of collections can be seen here.

Contemporary furniture is a combination of various European styles. This type has become extremely popular as it does not appear to be ‘dated’. Contemporary furniture includes modular furniture, aluminium furniture and synthetic leather furniture. An important aspect of contemporary furniture is its use of natural fabrics that are easy to maintain. The architecture of these furniture types is characterized by smooth curves.