FURNITURES

Materials made into

Furniture
• Wood
• Rattan
• Wicker
• Metals
• Plastics
 Wood
• Wood furniture is the perfect material for that natural wood
grain furniture everyone wants. Wood furniture is warm
and comforting in design and appeal. It also adds that
natural wood furniture look to any bedroom with dressers,
nightstands, beds and other wood furniture pieces.
 Rattan
• Rattans are extensively used for making furniture
and baskets. Cut into sections, rattan can be used
as wood to make furniture. Rattan accepts paints
and stains like many other kinds of wood, so it is
available in many colours; and it can be worked into
many styles. Moreover, the inner core can be
separated and worked into wicker.
•
Wicker
Wicker is hard woven fiber formed into a useful
object. Wicker furniture has been documented
as far back as ancient Egypt, and wicker
baskets have been found in Pompeii. It has
been proposed that the extensive use of wicker
objects in the Iron Age had an influence on the
development of the patterns used in Celtic art.
In recent times, its aesthetic was influenced
heavily by the Arts and Crafts movement at the
turn of the 20th century.
• While wicker furniture is mainly used indoors, if
cared for properly it can also be a great
addition to your outdoor furniture set. The
natural fibers that constitute wicker make it an
extremely comfortable choice for furniture and
its casual look make it visually appealing.
Natural wicker will not stand up very well to the
elements however and should be moved
indoors after use.
• A wicker-like product called “weather wicker” is
a better choice for those that desire a wicker
feel and appearance but don’t want to worry
about the weather. Weather wicker is made
from vinyl instead of natural fibers and
therefore is resistant to rain, UV rays, and
temperature fluctuation. Many weather wicker
pieces also feature a cushion to give it added
comfort as the vinyl wicker is not as naturally
comfortable as wicker.
 Metals
• Wrought iron is one of the most common
metals used for making outdoor furniture and
has been used for literally thousands of
years for other purposes as well. Wrought
iron literally means “worked” iron and that
name does well to describe the processes by
which it is made. This type of iron is the
product of pure iron ore that is incompletely
melted and then pounded, bent, twisted, and
folded—in other words, worked.
• Because of wrought iron’s properties of
durability combined with its malleability and
ease of welding, it has long been popular for
furniture, handrails, and other ornamental
uses. If you desire a classic, timeless look for
your outdoor furniture, wrought iron is a great
choice. The elegant curves and antique look
gives a classic, Victorian feel to the furniture.
Another metal used as furniture is
• Aluminum is often a more popular choice than
wrought iron for patio furniture because of the
resistance to corrosion and lighter weight. Indeed,
aluminum is among the most important metals in the
world due largely to these very properties. Actually, at
one point in history aluminum was considered even
more valuable than gold and Napoleon had his table
set with aluminum plates when important guests
arrived.
• The property of aluminum that makes it so valuable
for outdoor uses is its resistant to rust due to the thin
layer of oxidation that forms when exposed to air. The
dull, silvery appearance that is the hallmark of
aluminum is actually the product of this oxidation.
Thus, it makes sense that this material would be as
popular for outdoor use in furniture as well as myriad
other applications.
 Plastic
• Plastic furniture looks like
wood, metal and other
materials used to make
furniture they also make great
Lawn and Garden patio
furniture for decks and docks
and is environmentally
friendly.
• Widely used today as an
alternative, due to the fact
that they are much cheaper
than other furniture.
• Principles & Rules of Furniture Design
No objection to any worker, however inexperienced,
attempting to express his own individuality, but the natural
thing would be for him to express it in more or less primitive
forms of construction that are, so far as they go, correct,
instead of attempting something that, when it is finished, is
all wrong because the student has not understood what he
was about. Unquestionably there are certain principles and
rules as to design, proportion and form that are as
fundamental in their nature as are the tables of addition,
subtraction, division and multiplication, with relation to
mathematics, or as the alphabet is as a basis to literature,
but they are not yet formulated for general use. The trained
worker learns these things by experience and comes to
have a sort of sixth sense with regard to their application,
but this takes strong direct thinking, keen observation and
the power of initiative that is possessed only by the very
exceptional and highly skilled workman.
 Styles of Furniture
• English
• French
• American
• Modern or Contemporary
 English
• Furniture was added to existing 'second
hand' items.
• Little sense of creating period decoration
in the idealistic way of the revivalists at
the end of the 18th century.
• Beds and cupboards, known as aumbries,
were built into walls as were benches and
settles.
• Only the master luxuriated in the comfort
of an armchair - the rest of the household
had to make do with sitting at a trestle
table on a long bench or form.
• Chests or coffers were common for
holding precious linens and many survive
today.
 French
• Comfortable and extremely elegant
• Frames tend to be light and refined in shapes and
are often quite feminine looking.
• They feature decorative carved motifs, cabriole
legs and graceful curves. Often they are finished
with gold gilding and sumptuous fabrics.
• French furniture style typifies furniture beauty and
elegance, appreciated by all for the fine lines and
details.
• There is difficulty of workmanship; shaping large
timber into refined, curved shaped art then adding
small, precisely carved features to enhance
specific and prominent areas.
• French furniture has a real, stand alone identity.
• It is pleasing to the eye
• French room is strong in color with a bright, soft,
fresh and charming influence.
• Rooms are tall but fine, often with molded panel
features giving an impression of a vertical
stretching and elevation.
 American
• Early American furniture is
rudimentary, utilitarian
furniture made from local
woods.
• It was brought from or
modeled after European
furniture styles, particularly
from England, France, the
Netherlands, Scandinavia,
and Spain.
• Their appearances have a
straight lines, simple design
and single ornamentation.
 Modern or Contemporary
• Its roots in the post-World War II era
beginning in the 1940’s and 1950’s.
• Came about after the war when American
consumers found themselves with more
positive outlooks, more modern desires,
and more discretionary dollars to spend
than any previous generation.
• Modern movement was all about new,
innovative, non-traditional looks and
materials that created an atmosphere of
sophistication and sleekness.
• Simple designs exquisitely executed.
• Modern furniture is traditional furniture's
foil, a cutting edge flipside awash in
geometric precision and straightforward
presentation.
• Colors range from neutral to bold, and the
inclusion of glistening metal adds
contemporary flair to many pieces.
• Examples of modern materials include
vinyl, plywood and iron.