Housekeeping Report Furnitures

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.