5 Universal Characteristics Of Modern Furniture

Sure, there are different definitions of modern furniture – some may say that modern is something produced within the last 10 years, others – within the last two. Yet, historically speaking modern furniture is furniture that is factory manufactured. Mass manufacture of furniture started at the end of the 19th century, and even though present day designs are surely quite different, there are still certain characteristics of modern furniture, no matter if it designed for a living room or for a bedroom , that remain unchanged. They go as follows:

Smooth surface

It really does not matter which material the piece is made of – one of the essential characteristics of modern furniture is smooth, practically even surface. Back in the 19^th century, when furniture factories started to appear, hand-carved ornament has been replaced by the machine-made simple surface. Sure, some modern furniture items can have a bit of decorative ornament, but is limited to a minimum.

Little decoration

Obviously, if there is no ornament – there is little decoration. In fact, one of the common characteristics of modern furniture is that some functional items also play a decorative part. This becomes quite obvious on the example of contemporary furniture solutions – just imagine a typical chest of drawers (natural wood shade of glossy lacquer finish) with bright chrome handles.

Combinations of different materials

Modern furniture is assembled piece by piece – especially if we are talking of MDF. This makes the combination of different materials simple as ABC. Practically any unit will have at least two production material – for example, wood and high gloss; high gloss and glass; glass and stainless steel, and so on.

Standard dimensions

Well, relatively standard, at the very least. Of course, there is no such thing – not entirely. However, one of the other characteristics of modern furniture is that it has practically the same dimensions from piece to piece. Just take a second to think of all the sofas, computer desks, TV stands, beds, and wardrobes you have ever used, seen at your friends’ and relatives’ homes, or simply – in occasional furniture shops. You will get the point right away.

Universal design

Now, take a second to think of designs and assemblies – you will come to the same conclusion. Sure, a wooden wardrobe will look quite different from a high gloss one. Still, it will have the same basic, factory designed and produced principle – some shelves, some drawers, and a hanging rack.

If you would like some actual, practical pictures with the theory, take a look at any online furniture store – all of them will feature plenty of modern solution and, of course, they will feature all of the characteristics, described above. Sure, displayed items will have different designs – traditional, contemporary, even hi-tech ones. However, all of them technically fall under ‘modern’ category.  By the way, a very nice example of UK store would be Furniture in Fashion . This store offers a very interesting selection of traditional and contemporary interior decoration solutions, and, if you are actually interested in buying, you will appreciate its customer friendly pricing policy and short delivery times.