Furniture
« Previous EntriesAdd a Lamp To Other Decorative Furniture
Have extra lamps around that you don’t want to get rid of, but not sure what to do with? Or you do need the lighting, but don’t know where to put them? Try adding them to other furniture. Place on top of pianos or bookshelves or on a pot shelf or atop of the television. Use them to fill an empty space in a corner or in front of a window. Lamps can be used for both lighting and decoration.
I like putting desk lamps everywhere but on my desk. Mixing up where lamps should go or were meant to go can be fun and make a room look unique. I put them on top of bookshelves instead or by my bed. Their small and easily moved around when one spot no longer works and light is needed somewhere else. Also, I have a few floor lamps placed in front of windows in my home. I have tall, narrow front windows and the two floor lamps fit perfectly there. It looks great from the outside also. These two lamps are not plugged in and have no bulbs, their strictly used for decoration purposes. Then there are table lamps that I have used on my desks and in my kids rooms. These are also small and I like that I can change the shades easily when the mood suites.
Placing lamps around the house and on other pieces of furniture is fun and uses lamps that otherwise would end up in storage or be thrown away. And their always there so if they need to go from decoration to actual lamp, it is always a convenient switch!
Alternative Materials For Modern Furniture
Down through the ages timber has been used as the basic material for furniture. In the early 20th Century the furniture designers inspired by the industrial revolution in Europe and with the advent of modern technical innovations initiated a new era of designing. The idea was to look for alternative materials to use instead traditional wood for modern furniture.
Scarcity of timber for the depleting forests was one of the main reasons for this and on the other hand easy availability of other materials motivated the designers for the shift. Stainless Steel and other metals, veneered or laminated plywood, various plastic materials are durable, easy to finish. The advantages of these materials are that they do not require additional painting and finishing, and they are more durable than solid wood.
barcelona chair designed by famous 20th century designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is a good example of this. Metal has been used for the frame of the chair. This ushered a new chapter in furniture designs featuring polished stainless steel bars and leather cushions. Gradually artificial leather and other metal components were used with variation of designs to make these elegant chairs.
Bertoia chairs are another example where metal has been used as material for the chairs. Harry Bertoia who was a designer of hand made jewelry designed of these chairs. These fabulous contoured chairs were made with welded steel chrome plated for a gorgeous look.
Others designers too, like Le Corbusier followed the trend in his famous Le Corbusier Chair by using steel as alternative materials and today it is in vogue.
Modern Furniture Promote Eco Friendly Materials
In the recent times due to the massive destruction of the environment people are now more conscious about the ecology. They feel responsible to restore the environment and not to be a factor of its destruction. There is an increasing trend to use eco-friendly materials in our daily life. modern furniture is not an exception to this. Whenever people go to buy a piece of furniture, they inquire what materials were used to make the furniture. Are these materials eco-friendly? The timber collected from harvested forest? They do not prefer timber from the rain forest used for manufacturing furniture.
This preference of the consumers has now motivated the manufacturers to produce furniture from alternative eco-friendly materials. Timber is less used for this reason as well as for its scarcity too. Veneer plywood, metal, various plastics like vinyl are used in modern furniture. When timber is used for furniture, body curving is avoided to prevent wastage. barcelona chairs, Corbusier Loveseat and Marshmallow Sofa are good instances of furniture made of metal frames, instead of timber.
In US, FSC Certified timber is more preferred today in furniture manufacturing industries. Forest Stewardship Council certifies that the timber has been obtained from the forest that supports ecological functions and the rights and culture of the aboriginal people has been respected.
The trend of modern furniture designing is thus shifting from traditional woodcraft towards craftsmanship with more eco-friendly durable materials.