Furniture in a Modern Home

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by: Hannah Nixon
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Word Count: 533
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 Time: 12:55 AM
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To differentiate between traditional furniture and modern furniture, it is necessary to know the characteristics of the two. Traditional furniture pieces are made from stone, cast iron, wood, cane or such materials, as these were naturally available at that time. In addition such furniture pieces were decorated with intricate artistic designs. Upholstery was again thick and silky, with jacquard embroidery, or other detailed designs with many darker or shiny colours giving them a rich look.

In general traditional furniture pieces were heavy and were designed for specific purposes. They blended well with the large rooms in which they were used, and were very difficult to replace. In contrast, contemporary household furniture is much lighter. Because such furniture is lighter, the chairs and tables can be used for different purposes as they can be shifted far more easily. Modern furniture designers have experimented with other materials such as fibre glass, plastics, leathers, foams, and stainless steel as well. Though textiles continue to be used for upholstery, fewer colours are favoured instead of many different shades. There are reasons for this. Unlike in olden days, rooms are much smaller. If large furniture pieces were to be used in these rooms, the space would seem congested. Weight of the furniture has similar effect on the minds of people. This is the reason lighter materials are preferred these days. Darker colours and highly intricate designs also create a feeling that the room is full, which is not desirable.

Typically, modern household furniture would include a shoe rack that would be designed in such a way that people could use it for other purposes as well. Then there would be coat rack, though this is not mandatory. This is followed by furniture for drawing room, i.e., four chairs and a centre table, with two tea stools. Alternatively, a sofa set with two chairs may be used. A side rack would serve as a place to keep things if necessary. A cabinet for keeping television becomes essential. However, with wall mounted television sets becoming more popular, this unit is on its way out. Instead, smaller racks that accommodate music systems and CD players are included. The dining room is much simpler. It has the usual dining table with the required number of chairs. In addition to these, it may have a cabinet for crockery. The counter tops in kitchen are often filled with gadgets like coffee makers, microwave ovens, etc. Therefore, furniture in kitchen needs to be planned carefully. A couple of bar chairs or stools are often added so that the kitchen can also serve as a kitchenette as the ladies have to rush out for work. Bedrooms have beds. Again, these are less ornate. They may double as storage units, utilizing space below them. A dressing mirror is common. In addition, a computer table and chair have become mandatory requirements in modern households. Depending upon the type of household, such tables may be present in every room, or separately in a study room. Again cabinets to keep clothes have to be accommodated in bedrooms. Traditionally, people used such cabinets. But nowadays, people use built in cupboards as these make the room look more spacious and neat.

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