Furniture – Types, Designs, and Function
Furniture refers to movable domestic objects designed to support different human activities including eating, seating, and resting. Furniture is generally used to store objects as well as to hold objects in a comfortable height for work. Furniture can also be a commercial product of artistic design and is often regarded as a form of interior decoration. Although furniture has no real value by itself, it is considered to be valuable only when it is used. Most important furniture types are listed here for reference.
There are several types of furniture that include tables and chairs. The most common type is the table. A table includes chairs usually with a footstool at the end of each chair. Usually one chair fits in front of another chair. Tables are made of a variety of materials including glass, metal, wood, stone, ceramic, wood, leather, fabrics, plastics, wood, and other synthetic materials. Most tables have a single, thin edge on all the edges except the table top edge which may have a V-shaped edge.
Wooden tables include table tops made of oak, pine, ash, cherry or any other kind of hardwood. They are usually movable and have drawers and storage compartments in the front and back of the table. Fitted with a pullout tray, they provide an attractive and functional family room or dining room furniture set. Fitted with a center drawer, a walnut walnutdrawer fits neatly into a corner and provides an additional storage space for small objects.
Another type of furniture includes chairs. Chairs are available in many styles. Most of them are movable so that the user can change their sitting position to face any direction. Some popular types of wood used to make chairs are pine, cedar, redwood, poplar, walnut, ash, and maple. Wooden chairs are not only practical but look sophisticated and stylish as well. The size of a chair determines its price.
There are many kinds of tables and other furniture which are designed to be used with low, single vertical postures. These include: sofa tables, bar tables, chest-on-wall, corner tables, L-shaped tables, and modular tables. These are popular among bars, restaurants, cafes, libraries, guest houses, home theaters, private residences, and schools. Some of these furniture refer to residential furniture whereas others refer to commercial furniture. Commercial furniture usually includes TV stands, book shelves, credenzas, entertainment centers, audio systems, and lighting fixtures.
Furniture generally includes three basic categories: movable, fixed, and lightweight. Movable furniture refers to chairs, tables, cabinets, and other small furniture which can be easily adjusted and moved from one place to another. Fixed furniture is immovable and does not move much. Lightweight furniture is flexible; it can be easily manipulated by the users.