Furniture

A brief History

Indian craftsmanship has always enjoyed a fame that has invited both respect and reverence from the earliest days. Local tradition and culture contributed immensely in the development of ornamental wood work for palaces, temples, houses, etc, however, it was unable to generate any effective furniture of the kind that we are used to. Eating on the floors, resting on string beds with wooden posts, etc, was among the few reasons that suppressed furniture development in our country. However, the main thrust was given by the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the English, who stimulated the development of furniture to meet their requirements. The Indian craftsmen adapted foreign design while inducing an indigenous flavor of craftsmanship in them.

India, a country known for the availability of eighty varieties of wood for wood work, has an old custom of furniture making. Following English tradition, who cultivated teak as a royal tree for shipping industry, soon assumed tremendous popularity for quality wood work.

Royal and rich households have always remained the traditional buyers of the furniture, and even now, royal palaces based across the four corners of India, feature some of the marvellous examples of indigenous wood work.

Traditional Furniture and its significance in contemporary times

Words such as splendid, elegant, elaborate and luxurious capture the flamboyance of traditional style furniture. Characterized by rich wood tones and old-world craftsmanship, traditional furniture groupings are known to lend a royal touch to their surroundings. It comprise of a lot of carvings, woodworking and workmanship, which Is why they are generally more expensive.

Today, the crafts and craftspeople have a dynamic role to play, not only as a part of our cultural and tradition, but as part of our economic future as well. Exported around the world where ever antique and ornamental furniture is appreciated, the traditional furniture forms the focal point of furniture industry. Owing to its aesthetic beauty and designs, traditional attributes of art and design have established a reputation of India’s traditional future globally.

Modern Furniture and its significance in contemporary times

Furniture is basically household equipment designed and developed to match the varying tastes and trends of the furniture industry. With contrasting style directions and diversity in home décor, it has become significant that fashion trends have been dictating the ways we decorate our homes. Now-a-days, more and more people are getting inclined towards mixing furniture trends for decorating homes by blending contemporary furniture with antique pieces and exotic art works.

Whether they are looking for modern furniture or accessories, many people prefer to go for items that exhibit their sense of style. This casual living trend has witnessed a surge in modern furniture becoming multi-functional in this domain. However, light woods such as oak, cherry, birch, etc, still dominates the modern make up of furniture today. In addition, varnished solid fronts with veneered bodies and stainless steel and aluminum have been combined with colored fiberglass and satin glass to give an aesthetic look to the home décor.

Modern furniture, from a design perspective, is about taking furniture to a new level of comfort, simplicity and aesthetic beauty. It is that part of the design history, that has exhibited the progress of mankind since the first homes and cities were built. This modern movement has brought new, innovative, non-traditional looks and material that has created an atmosphere of sophistication and sleekness.