FurnitureFurniture is the collective term for the movable objects which support the human body (seating furniture and beds), provide storage, and hold objects on horizontal surfaces above the ground. Storage furniture is used to hold or contain smaller objects such as tools, books, and household goods. Types of furniture include chairs, tables, shelves, cupboards, and beds. Furniture can be a product of artistic design and is considered a form of decorative art. In addition to furniture's functional role, it can serve a symbolic or religious purpose. Domestic furniture works, in conjunction with furnishings such as clocks and lighting, to create comfortable and convenient interior spaces. Street furniture is the collective term for pieces of equipment installed in the street, such as street lighting, traffic signs, traffic signals and garbage boxes.
ChairA chair consists of a seat, legs, back, and sometimes arm rests, for use by one person. Without back and arm rests it is called a stool. A chair for more persons is a couch, sofa, settee, loveseat or bench. A footrest for a chair is known as an ottoman or hassock BedA bed is essentially a soft horizontal surface, large enough to lie on; it is mainly used for sleeping, relaxing and sexual activities. Beds and their mattresses are made in a few standard bed sizes. Beds are styled differently in different cultures. A futon is a traditional style of Japanese bed. A waterbed is a bed/mattress combination where the matress is filled with water. A Murphy bed is designed to be folded or raised upright into a cabinet or closet to save space. A chair is to sit on, a bed to lie on. However, one can also lie on a couch, sofa or bench, and sit on a bed. TableA table is to put things on, often temporarily, e.g. food and eating utensils, etc. during a meal, cups for drinks, a book (especially a big one, that one can not easily keep in one's hands), a spread-out map, writing paper during writing, and anything that requires having several objects at hand, including various hobbies. Things may also be put more permanently on a table, e.g. a TV, computer, objects for decoration (including a cloth, usually arranged to lie flat on the top surface, and either hang near two ends vertically over two parallel edges of the table, or hang mostly vertical along all four edges of the table, with bunched folds hanging at the four corners of the table), etc. Table settings of food are laid out in a traditional arrangement. For some tables the top surface can be adjusted in size, with a part that is foldable or can slide under the rest. Some tables are foldable for easy transport, e.g. for camping. Small tables in trains and planes may be fixed or foldable. Traditionally, tables in Japan, called chabudai, are low, sometimes round tables, used to serve tea and food. The international organisation Mensa is named after the Latin word for table. DeskA Desk is a table with one or often several drawers, also often used in offices. Unlike a regular table, only one side is suitable to sit on, except for some unusual desks like a Partners desk. Not all desks have the form of a table, however. For instance, an Armoire desk is a desk built within a large wardrobe-like cabinet usually having the height of a man or a woman. The List of desk forms and types gives the most common desk variations. ChestsA chest (furniture) is a large box with a liftable lid. It may contain a fixed smaller container. A cassone is a kind of carved or painted chest specific to late medieval and later Italy. CupboardSome cupboards are not movable, see also closet. List of Furniture Manufacturers (Extant)
List of Furniture Manufacturers (Defunct)
Trivia
Selected Bibliography
See also
Categories: Home | Furniture | Consumer goods | Industrial design |
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