Furniture 101

You’re here to know more about furniture design because you’ve probably bought yourself a new home or maybe looking to redo your home interiors, right? Whatever the reason we are here to help you out with all the details regarding home décor and furniture design.

Furniture is one of the most important things when it comes to keeping your house functional and beautiful. Before you go ahead and buy furniture, you first need to determine your needs. Knowing your furniture design requirements and constraints will help you explore all possibilities with regards to home décor. So, let’s begin by discussing everything about furniture.

Furniture material

When it comes to furniture material, there are several different types of material used to make furniture. From wooden furniture to plastic, glass, and recycled furniture design, you can easily find beautiful furniture and home décor items for your home. Here is a list of different materials used for furniture.

1. Wooden furniture

Wood furniture has been used for ages, and they continue to be one of the most popular furniture materials even today. It is known for its strength and can stay in proper condition for decades.

One of the most significant advantages of buying wooden furniture is its look and appeal. The tones and grains of hardwood furniture can bring about warmth and character to any home or room.

Wood furniture is available in three types – Solid wood, engineered wood, and veneer wood. Let’s look at the table below to see the difference between the three regarding durability, quality, and cost.

Now, let’s talk about the different types of wood furniture design materials used.

Rosewood furniture: 

Among the different types of furniture design that needs special mention is rosewood furniture for home interiors. Extremely beautiful, this type of furniture material can bring about an unmatched elegance to any space. Known for its natural look and striking dark hue, rosewood gives the furniture a well-polished look.

Teakwood furniture: 

Teak wood is a popular choice when it comes to indoor and outdoor furniture design. It is an excellent choice for home interiors due to its rich and classy look. Teakwood is known for its superb durability and strength. It’s also effortless to clean and maintain. Due to the strength and low maintenance of teakwood, it is high on quality and cost. It’s also resistant to cracks and expansion.

Cane furniture: 

Cane furniture design has been around for ages and is now going through a revival moment that’s here to stay. Derived from the Rattan vine native to Indonesia, it is used to make trendy and sturdy furniture. The cane material is woven together tightly to create beautiful patterns and designs. Many people are turning to cane furniture as its aesthetically pleasing and attractive.

Bamboo Furniture: 

Bamboo is another great furniture material used to make furniture design. It is an eco-friendly material that grows at a faster rate. It’s also quite strong and durable. Bamboo is a type of hardwood material that is resistant to moisture and insects. Hence, this makes it the perfect candidate for outdoor furniture as well.

Mahogany furniture: 

Mahogany is a type of furniture material that is widely used all over the world. It’s beautiful and gives a very decent look to any room. Mahogany wood is solid, and lightweight, making it an excellent choice for office and home interiors. The resilient material is perfect for shaping and twisting quickly. It’s resistant to decaying and is very dense and compact.

2. Lightweight furniture

Another type of furniture design that’s become very popular today is lightweight furniture. Especially suitable if you’re renting or moving frequently, one can move this type of furniture from one house to another. Lightweight furniture is also ideal for small spaces since bulky and heavy furniture pieces would take up a lot of space. Today, light furniture is made with different types of material that are easy to lift and move around.

3. Plastic furniture

If your someone who has just spent a lot of money buying a new home or doing your home interiors and wouldn’t like to spend more on your furniture then going in for plastic furniture is a great option. Plastic furniture is less expensive and maintenance-free. It’s as simple as bringing it home and setting it up right away. Plastic furniture does not require any painting or polishing like other furniture materials and is rust-free as well.

4. Glass furniture

If you’re looking for a more spacious look when designing your home, choosing glass furniture is the best option. It gives out an illusion of space as the glass’s transparent feature doesn’t obstruct views, creating a visual effect of being open and empty. Glass furniture can enhance any space’s look. It comes with a high level of sophistication and elegance and looks fantastic when set up in modern and contemporary homes. When glass furniture is put together with other furniture types like wood or marble, your home interiors can look luxurious and expensive.

5. Recycled furniture

For people who have turned eco-conscience and are looking to do something for the environment, giving your home an eco-touch is the way to go. Choosing energy-efficient solutions and recycled materials for families is always a great option. Today, more and more people are opting for recycled materials for home interiors and furniture design. Using recycled plastic materials and recycling old wooden furniture is gaining a lot of popularity. The rustic and distressed table has now become a thing in modern and contemporary homes as well.

Furniture upholstery

Upholstery is simply the materials such as fabric, webbing, springs, and padding used as a soft covering for sofas, chairs, and other furniture. Upholstery first started in the Middle Ages and then became popular during the later centuries. Over the years, there came about a massive change in upholstery. People began using a wide range of materials like wool, hay, and horsehair for comfortable furniture.

Today, upholstered materials include foam and metal springs that have more durability. Though the inner materials are not visible, they still make a massive difference as to whether the furniture is comfortable or not.

Upholstery fabric is quite a significant investment, so you need to make the right choice before your furniture arrives. Though you can change the outer fabric depending on wear and tear, it’s essential to choose high-quality inner materials to make the furniture last long. If you select the wrong colour or pattern of the furniture and the entire furniture design or home interiors will ruin. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when choosing upholstery.

• Consider how a specific type of fabric or leather can age with time.

• Close drapes when a room is not in use or when away to avoid fading

• Check for fabrics that are perfect for pets and kids.

• Choose fabrics that are easy to clean and maintain

• Don’t forget to consider the shape of a particular furniture design when selecting fabric for your furniture. If it’s a curvy design, then it’s advised to go in for solid-coloured fabrics as fabrics with textures or patterns may not sit well.

• Last but not least, always try out the piece before you buy it

Furniture maintenance

When it comes to furniture and home décor items, proper care and maintenance are always needed. No matter how expensive a particular piece of furniture is, how you take care or maintain, it will ultimately decide how long it lasts. There are many different ways to take care of the furniture. Here are a few simple things you could do to keep your furniture design beautiful and long-lasting.

• Avoid placing your furniture in direct sunlight. Sunlight can discolour and melt certain types of fabrics, finishes, and materials. If there’s no other choice but to place it in bright sunlight, make sure to cover the furniture with a cloth or throw during the day’s hottest time.

• Choose the right care products like polishes, cleaners, waxes, and varnishes for your furniture. Certain types of cleaners are designed to work only on certain furniture materials, so make sure to read all labels well before applying the products to your furniture.

•  Maintain and clean your furniture regularly – this could be monthly or bi-weekly. It’s important to remember your cleaning days and make sure to do it on time.

Type of furniture

Furniture design for home interiors is available in a wide range of beautiful styles. Today, furniture making has evolved to a great extent with new designs available in the market every day. In big cities, space constraints are one of the biggest problems when buying homes, and this is one of the main reasons furniture manufactures are looking for innovative ideas and concepts that work for their customers.

When choosing your furniture or home decor, make sure to ask yourself a few questions before you go ahead and purchase your furniture. To help make things a little easier for you, we’ve listed down the different types of furniture design for home interiors so that you can make the right choice.

Smart furniture: 

Smart furniture design is one of the latest trends today. Smart furniture offers homes a more modern touch. From sofas and chairs to bookshelves, tables, and shelves you can find elegant furniture customised and designed for your needs. We categorise Smart furniture into different parts: space-saving furniture, multifunctionality, and customers’ needs and likes. Some great examples of smart furniture and home décor are wall-mounted desks, natural desks, adjustable tables, multipurpose chairs and tables, adjustable motor desks, furniture with a power source, and antisocial chairs.

Space-saving furniture: 

One of the biggest challenges when doing home interiors is choosing the right furniture design that saves space. One of the very reasons for space-saving furniture is to give you more space to move about. Some great examples of space-saving furniture are four-seater coffee tables that are extendable or hidden, invisible beds or pull out, and pull-down products that can easily be kept out of the way when not in use.

Traditional furniture: 

Traditional furniture, also known as classic furniture or formal furniture, first started in the 1600s in Europe and has never gone out of style. Traditional furniture design is defined by ornate detailing, dark wood, intricate curves, gold accents, rich fabrics, patterned upholstery, and beautiful art accessories. Home interiors with traditional furniture are still one of the most popular styles when designing a home.

Modern furniture:

Modern furniture design embraces a cleaner and simpler look – the opposite of traditional furniture design that’s more elaborate. It’s a minimalist design approach with straight lines, smooth surfaces, warm neutral colour tones, and materials with metal and wood.

How to choose furniture for each room?

Designing or furnishing your home can be exciting and fun, but it can get quite stressful as well. With the wide range of different home décor items and information available, it’s easy to feel confused and lost. Here we will help you get familiar with the different types of furniture options available for each room so that you can easily find the perfect furniture design for your space.

1. Living room furniture

The living room is the central part of the home where you welcome and entertain guests. It’s the place where you create the first impression of yourself and your home. It’s a space to gather, talk, and get comfortable and cosy. So, creating the perfect environment that’s beautiful, practical, and comfortable is the way to go. Below is a list of the different living room furniture pieces you could get for your home:

• TV units: You can find TV units that are available in plenty of striking designs. These units can be placed on the floor or wall-mounted units that look elegant and classy. You can customise the TV units according to your own needs.
• Sofa: Choosing the perfect sofa for your home is very important. It’s a place to sit, relax and unwind. Sofas are available in the following styles

1. Sofa cum bed: A sofa cum bed is a 2-in-1 furniture design that you can use as a sofa and a bed. It’s a pull-out type of design that can be easily transformed into a comfortable bed at night

2. Sectional sofa: A sectional sofa for home interiors is a sofa divided into two or more sections.

3. Regular sofa: A standard sofa furniture design is a single, two- or three-seater sofa available in leather, or fabric styles. You can find sofas made in wood, metal, and other materials as well.

• Center table: A table placed in the centre of the living room. Center tables are available in round, square, or rectangle shapes. These tables are of different shapes and sizes.
• Book showcase: Book showcases are made using metal, wood, or other types of materials. Your home interiors can look plush with a simple shelved book showcase or a textured glass one.
• Chairs: Chairs are readily available in a wide variety of designs. Right from rich wood chairs to simple plastic or metal chairs, you can find some of the best designs. For beautiful home interiors, you can find chairs in these designs:

•  Accented chairs: Accented chairs are modern and decorative chairs made in beautiful colours, fabrics, and materials. These chairs can be placed in any corner of the room to bring your space alive.

•  Regular chairs: Regular chairs are simple chairs that do not create a visual interest in the room. Traditional chairs do not add much to space and are placed in rooms for seating only.

2. Bedroom furniture: 

The bedroom is where you relax and unwind for the day, so choosing the right bedroom furniture design is equally important. Making your space cosy and comfortable is of crucial importance when selecting furniture for your bedroom. The different types of furniture needed for a bedroom are:

• Bed: Of course! A bed is one of the essential pieces of furniture needed for your bedroom. These are available in sizes such as small, twin, queen, and king sizes. You can also find bunk beds for kids and folding beds to save on space. Sofa cum beds as discussed earlier are also a great option if you’re looking for a space-saving option.

• Wardrobe: A wardrobe is a closet for storing clothes. These are available in solid wood, metal, or even bamboo if you’re looking for an eco-friendly option for your home interiors.

• Dressing table: A table designed with a mirror and drawers to place your grooming kits or other items required to dress oneself.

• Bedside table: A small cabinet or table that’s placed at the side of the bed. Some bedside tables have drawers as well.

3. Kitchen furniture:

 Besides choosing furniture for your living room and bedroom, selecting the right furniture design for your kitchen is essential. You can choose kitchen furniture such as:

•  Dining table: A table that can seat several persons. It’s used to serve meals and is available in different sizes, designs, and shapes.

• Crockery unit: A crockery unit is a beautiful piece of furniture that sits in the corner of the dining or kitchen area. It is used to display unique and attractive crockery pieces.

4. Foyer furniture

The foyer is the space that connects the entrance of a home to various other rooms. Decorating the foyer area with beautiful furniture design can make your space look elegant and beautiful. You can choose some of the following home décor pieces to design your foyer:

• Console table: A long and narrow table often placed in entry halls or behind a sofa.

• Bench: A bench that provides the practical function to the entryway. It provides extra seating or storage that you may so desperately need at your front door.

• Foyer unit: A foyer unit is a long, narrow unit placed in the foyer area or entryway. It’s a decorative furniture design used to place decorative items or accent pieces to bring out the best in your home interiors.

• Shoe rack: Shoe racks have become more of a necessity in homes. However, you can find stylish shoe racks that keep shoes hidden while you can use the top portion of the shoe rack to place decorative pieces that standout.

• Chest of drawers: A type of furniture that has multiple drawers stacked one above another horizontally.

5. Home office furniture

• Study table: Tables that are made in different types of furniture material. They are used in homes or office spaces for studying or writing.

• Chairs: Office chairs are designed, keeping in mind comfort and posture. Some of the different office chairs available are ergonomic chairs for back and spine issues, executive chairs, and task chairs with wheels or casters for rotation.

• Wall units: Home office wall units is an innovative furniture design that is functional and beautiful at the same time. These wall units are made in various styles such as floating shelves or bookshelves designed above the study table to place important documents, books, or other essential items required while you work.