Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities

such as seating and sleeping. Furniture is also used to hold objects at a convenient height for work
(as horizontal surfaces above the ground), or to store things.
Furniture can be a product of design and is considered a form of decorative art. In addition to
furniture's functional role, it can serve a smbolic or religious purpose. It can be made from man
materials, including metal, plastic, and wood. Furniture can be made using a variet of woodworking
joints which often reflect the local culture.
History
Furniture has been a part of the human e!perience since the development of non"nomadic cultures.
#vidence of furniture survives from the $eolithic %eriod and later in anti&uit in the form of
paintings, such as the wall 'urals discovered at %ompeii( sculpture, and e!amples have been
e!cavated in #gpt and found in tombs in )hiordes, in modern"da *urke.
Neolithic period
+kara ,rae house -rkne +cotland evidence of home furnishings i.e. a dresser containing shelves.
. range of uni&ue stone furniture has been e!cavated in +kara ,rae, a $eolithic village located in
-rkne. *he site dates from /01123411 ,5 and due to a shortage of wood in -rkne, the people of
+kara ,rae were forced to build with stone, a readil available material that could be worked easil
and turned into items for use within the household. #ach house shows a high degree of sophistication
and was e&uipped with an e!tensive assortment of stone furniture, ranging from cupboards, dressers
and beds to shelves, stone seats, and limpet tanks. *he stone dresser was regarded as the most
important as it smbolicall faces the entrance in each house and is therefore the first item seen
when entering, perhaps displaing smbolic objects, including decorative artwork such as several
$eolithic 5arved +tone ,alls also found at the site.
Classical world
.ncient furniture has been e!cavated from the 6th"centur ,5 %hrgian tumulus, the 'idas 'ound,
in )ordion, *urke. %ieces found here include tables and inlaid serving stands. *here are also
surviving works from the 7th"6th"centur ,5 .ssrian palace of $imrud. *he earliest surviving
carpet, the %azrk 5arpet was discovered in a frozen tomb in +iberia and has been dated between
the 8th and /rd centur ,5. 9ecovered .ncient #gptian furniture includes /rd millennium ,5 beds
discovered at *arkhan as place for the deceased, a c. 3441 ,5 gilded bed and two chairs from the
tomb of :ueen ;etepheres I, and man e!amples (bo!es, beds, chairs) from c. 0441 to 0311 ,5
from *hebes. .ncient )reek furniture design beginning in the 3nd millennium ,5, including beds
and the klismos chair, is preserved not onl b e!tant works, but b images on )reek vases. *he
0</6 and 0<=6 e!cavations of ;erculaneum and %ompeii revealed 9oman furniture, preserved in the
ashes of the <7 ..>. eruption of ?esuvius, to the eighteenth centur.
Early modern Europe
Florentine cassone from the 04th centur
*he furniture of the 'iddle .ges was usuall heav, oak, and ornamented with carved designs.
.long with the other arts, the Italian 9enaissance of the fourteenth and fifteenth centur marked a
rebirth in design, often inspired b the )reco"9oman tradition. . similar e!plosion of design, and
renaissance of culture in general, occurred in $orthern #urope, starting in the fifteenth centur. *he
seventeenth centur, in both +outhern and $orthern #urope, was characterized b opulent, often
gilded ,aro&ue designs that fre&uentl incorporated a profusion of vegetal and scrolling ornament.
+tarting in the eighteenth centur, furniture designs began to develop more rapidl. .lthough there
were some stles that belonged primaril to one nation, such as %alladianism in )reat ,ritain or
@ouis :uinze in French furniture, others, such as the 9ococo and $eoclassicism were perpetuated
throughout Aestern #urope.
19th century
*he furniture maker b @udwig >eutsch
*he nineteenth centur is usuall defined b concurrent revival stles, including )othic,
$eoclassicism, 9ococo, and the #ast;aven 'ovement. *he design reforms of the late centur
introduced the .esthetic movement and the .rts and 5rafts movement. .rt $ouveau was influenced
b both of these movements.
Early North American
*his design was in man was rooted in necessit and emphasizes both form and materials. #arl
.merican chairs and tables are often constructed with turned spindles and chair backs often
constructed with steaming to bend the wood. Aood choices tend to be deciduous hardwoods with a
particular emphasis on the wood of edible or fruit bearing trees such as 5herr or Aalnut.
Modernism
9ed and ,lue 5hair (070<), designed b )errit 9ietveld
*he first three"&uarters of the twentieth centur are often seen as the march towards 'odernism. .rt
>eco, >e +tijl, ,auhaus, Aiener AerkstBtte, and ?ienna +ecession designers all worked to some
degree within the 'odernist idiom. ,orn from the ,auhaus and .rt >ecoC+treamline stles came the
post AAII D'id"5entur 'odernD stle using materials developed during the war including
laminated plwood, plastics and fiberglass. %rime e!amples include furniture designed b )eorge
$elson .ssociates, 5harles and 9a #ames, %aul 'c5obb, Florence Enoll, ;arr ,ertoia, #ero
+aarinen, ;arve %robber, ?ladamir Eagan and >anish modern designers including Finn Fuhl and
.rne Facobsen. %ostmodern design, intersecting the %op art movement, gained steam in the 0781s
and <1s, promoted in the 61s b groups such as the Ital"based 'emphis movement. *ransitional
furniture is intended to fill a place between *raditional and 'odern tastes.
+tainless +teel *able with F+5 *eca Aood " ,razil #codesign
Ecodesign
)reat efforts from individuals, governments, and companies has led to the manufacturing of
products with higher sustainabilit known as #codesign. *his new line of furniture is based on
environmentall friendl design. Its use and popularit are increasing each ear.
Gcitation neededH
Contemporary
-ne uni&ue outgrowth of post"modern furniture design is @ive edge, heralding a return to natural
shapes and te!tures within the home.
G0H
Asian history
+endai"dansu for kimono, zelkova wood, note the elaborate ironwork, handles on side for
transportation, and lockable compartment
.sian furniture has a &uite distinct histor. *he traditions out of India, 5hina, %akistan, Indonesia
(,ali and Fava) and Fapan are some of the best known, but places such as Eorea, 'ongolia, and the
countries of +outh #ast .sia have uni&ue facets of their own.
*he use of uncarved wood and bamboo and the use of heav lac&uers are well known 5hinese stles.
It is worth noting that 5hinese furniture varies dramaticall from one dnast to the ne!t.
*raditional Fapanese furniture is well known for its minimalist stle, e!tensive use of wood, high"
&ualit craftsmanship and reliance on wood grain instead of painting or thick lac&uer. Fapanese
chests are known as *ansu, known for elaborate decorative iron work, and are some of the most
sought"after of Fapanese anti&ues. *he anti&ues available generall date back to the *okugawa era
and 'eiji era.
List of furniture types
*his is a list of furniture types. Furniture includes objects such as tables, chairs, beds, desks,
dressers, or cupboards. *hese objects are usuall kept in a house or other building to make it suitable
or comfortable for living or working in.
Single seat
'ain articleI @ist of chairs
5hair
o 9ocking chair
o Aatchman's chair
o Aindsor chair
o Aingback 5hair
,ean bag
5haise longue
Fauteuil
-ttoman
9ecliner
+tool
o ,ar +tool
o Footstool or ottoman
o *uffet
Fainting couch
Multiple seats
,ench
5ouch , also known as a sofa or settee
o .ccubita
o 5anapJ
o >avenport
o Elinai
>ivan
@ove seat
Sleeping or lying
,ed
o ,unk bed
o 5anop bed
o Four"poster bed
o 'urph bed
o %latform bed
o +leigh bed
o Aaterbed
>abed
Futon
;ammock
;eadboard
Infant bed (crib, cradle)
'attress
+ofa bed
Entertainment
5ontemporar home entertainment center
,illiard table
5hess table
#ntertainment center
)ramophone
;i fi
Fukebo!
%inball machine
9adiogram
*elevision set
9adio receiver
?ideo game console
Surfaces
5habudai
5hanging table
>esk
o >avenport desk
o >rawing board
o 5omputer desk
o Ariting desk
Eotatsu
Eorsi
@owbo
'onks bench
%edestals
*able
o 5offee table
o >ining table
o >rop"leaf table
o #nd table
o Folding table
o )ateleg table
o %oker table
o *restle table
o *? tra table
o Aine table
Aashstand
Aorkbench
Storage
,ookcase
5abinetr
o 5loset
o 5upboard
o 5urio cabinet
o ;utch
o %antr
5hest of drawers or dresser
5hest
o ;ope 5hest
5oat rack
. coat rack
Filing cabinet
$ightstand
-ttoman
%lan chest
+helving
+ideboard or buffet
+afe
Kmbrella stand
.n umbrella stand
Aardrobe or armoire
Aine rack
Sets
. bedroom set
,edroom set (group)
>inette (group)
>ining set (group)
?anit set
Types classified y materials
Aooden furniture
,amboo furniture
Aicker or rattan furniture
'etal furniture
%lastic furniture (a.k.a. acrlic furniture)
)lass furniture
5oncrete furniture
!ther
. garden bench
"efinition 1I -bjects usuall kept in a house or other building to make it suitable or comfortable for
living or working in.
,uilt"in furniture (seeI Frank @lod Aright)
5ampaign Furniture 2 furniture specificall designed to break down or fold for ease of travel
Folding screen
Aork furniture
)arden furniture
divider or shLji or partition
%artitions in an office
@amps are covered under furnishings or lighting.
5lothes valet
*atami mats used for sitting
5urtain also called drapes.
"efinition #I .ccessories or fittings that are re&uired for a particular function, situation, or setting.
.&uarium furniture
>oor furniture
;utch
%ark furniture (such as benches and picnic tables)
+tadium seating
+treet furniture
+word furniture " on Fapanese swords, (katana, wakizashi, tantL) all parts save the blade are
referred to as 'furniture'.
In firearms, parts aside from the action and barrel, such as the grip, stock, butt, and comb.
Wing chair
. wing chair (also, wing$ac% chair or wing$ac%) is an eas chair or club chair with DwingsD
mounted to the back of the chair, tpicall, but not alwas, stretching down to the arm rest. *he
purpose of the DwingsD was to enclose the head or torso areas of the bod in order to provide
comfortable protection from drafts, and to trap the heat from a fireplace in the area where the person
would be sitting. ;ence, in historic times these are often used near a fireplace. 5urrentl most
e!amples of wing chairs are full upholstered with e!posed wood legs, but, man of the oldest wing
chair e!amples have an e!posed frame with padded cushions at the seat, arm rests, back and
sometimes wings.
*hough there are man tpes of wing chairs, there are two standard wing stles " the flat wing and
the scroll wing. *here are also bat wings and butterfl wings just to name a few. *he length, depth,
vertical position and shape of the wings ma var from chair to chair.
The wingac% chair
a high ac% and wingsI
the wingback chair is a chair, which is usuall full
upholstered, with wings rising up from the arm and
joining the back at a 71"degree or wider angle.
the original purpose for the wings were assumed to
be to prevent drafts in old houses from reaching the
upper bod or to protect the delicate skin of gentrified
ladies from the heat of a roaring fireplace.
"""
late 0<11s , new england " usa
(high back and seat cushions were used)
"""
late 0<11s , new england " usa
"""
mid 0<11s , england
"""
0<=1"<1 , new england, american colonies
"""
0<=1"<1 , rhode island, american colonies
"""
american wingback chair, 0<46
"""
american wingback chair, circa 0<61
"""
librar wingback chair, england, 0641
"""
french wingback chair, circa 06<1
"""
&ueen ann wing chair, end of 06th centur, england
&latform eds
%latform beds support a single mattress or futon on a slatted top. Ksuall, the do not have head or
footboards, but use simple lines to create a contemporar stle. -ther areas of the world, such as
+candinavia, western #urope, and Fapan have alwas preferred this stle of beds because the give a
firmer sleep surface, sit low to the ground, and provide under"the"bed storage capacit ideal for
small houses.
*he slats of a platform bed provide the support usuall given b a bo!spring mattress. *his means
that a consumer onl needs to bu one innerspring or futon mattress, which makes it a less e!pensive
alternative to a traditional bed. It also reduces the amount of bedding re&uired, as it does not need a
bedskirt. Aith the thickness of onl one mattress, the bed is also lower to the ground. %latform beds
can complement a modern, minimalist decor in the bedroom.
Ksuall, this tpe of bed has four legs, one at each corner, but sometimes the rest on a rectangular
bo!. *his bo!, slightl smaller than the size of the mattress, can include storage. >rawers, cubbies,
or cupboards could be lined with cedar to protect linens or seasonal clothing. +ome people prefer
open space instead, and fit large baskets or decorative bins under the bed to hold files, photographs,
or anthing that should be kept out of site.