Antique furniture
Encyclopedia
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
desirable as a collectors' item, and thus termed an "antique".
Antique furniture may support the human body (such as seating or beds), provide storage, or hold objects on horizontal surfaces above the ground. Storage furniture (which often makes use of doors, drawers, and shelves) is used to hold or contain smaller objects such as clothes, tools, books, and household goods. 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 to create, in conjunction with furnishings such as clocks and lighting, comfortable and convenient interior spaces. Furniture can be made from many materials, including metal, plastic, and wood. Cabinetry and cabinet making are terms for the skill set used in the building of furniture.
The earliest furniture was simple and practical, but as furniture became crafted and decorated it became an early status symbol
Status symbol
A status symbol is a perceived visible, external denotation of one's social position and perceived indicator of economic or social status. Many luxury goods are often considered status symbols...
. Wealthy homeowners demanded that their furnishings reflect their status and lifestyles.
See also
- FurnitureFurnitureFurniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
- List of furniture types
- Tallboy (furniture)Tallboy (furniture)A tallboy is a piece of furniture incorporating a double chest of drawers and a wardrobe on top. A highboy is similar but consists of both upper and lower having drawers, many of which may not be doubled, and some of which were tripled...
- BergereBergèreA bergère is an enclosed upholstered French armchair with an upholstered back and armrests on upholstered frames. The seat frame is over-upholstered, but the rest of the wooden framing is exposed: it may be moulded or carved, and of beech, painted or gilded, or of fruitwood, walnut or mahogany...
- Knoll sofaKnoll sofaThe Knole settee was made in the 17th century. It is housed at Knole in Kent, a house owned by the Sackville-Wests since 1605. It was originally used not as comfortable sofa but as a formal throne on which the monarch would have sat to receive visitors...
- Watchman's chairWatchman's chairA watchman's chair is a design of unupholstered wood construction featuring a forward slanted seat, such that the watchman could not readily fall asleep without sliding downward and off the front of the chair. The design was developed in Western Europe, and was used from late medieval times well...