Who invented furniture

Prior to the 17 th century, for example, European homes were not heavily furnished, and most of the types of furniture found in homes today did not yet exist. Then, in the half-century from roughly to , virtually every kind of furniture now common in Western homes was invented. Some of these designs, like the armchair, had existed in antiquity or in Eastern cultures, but the anonymous 17 th -century European craftsmen who re-imagined them undoubtedly had no knowledge of any precedent to their creations.

Even the most minimalist living room today includes two pieces that these craftsmen invented: the sofa and the occasional table. Until then, seating had been limited. Only trunks, benches and beds provided room for more than one person to sit. And even wealthy families used one large table for everything from eating to writing. By the early 18 th century, however, many small tables had become available, each designed for a particular activity.

The official story is that Lundgren created the revolutionary self-assembly concept when, after a photo shoot for the Ikea catalogue in , he removed the legs of a table so it could fit into a car. Actually,someone had come up with the idea more than years earlier.

David Roentgen was born in Germany in He is acknowledged as one of the greatest German cabinet makers of the 18th century. Roentgen was a mechanical genius.

Wealthy Romans also had wall paintings called murals in their houses. The wealthy owned very comfortable furniture. It was upholstered and finely carved. People ate while reclining on couches. Oil lamps were used for light. Of course for the poor Roman furniture was very basic and sparse. Life even for rich Saxons was hard and rough and furniture was very simple. Usually, in a Saxon hall, there was only one room shared by everybody.

The thanes upper-class Saxons and their followers slept on beds with straw mattresses and pillows but the poorest people slept on the floor. Very little is known about Saxon furniture but it must have been basic and heavy such as wooden benches and tables although upper-class Saxons liked having tapestries on their walls. In Saxon times a rich man and his entire household lived together in one great hall. In the Middle Ages, the great hall was still the center of a castle but the lord had his own room above it.

This room was called the solar. In it, the lord slept in a bed, which was surrounded by curtains, both for privacy and to keep out drafts. At one or both ends of the great hall, there was a fireplace and chimney. However, in the Middle Ages chimneys were a luxury. About for the first time since the Romans rich people began to have panes of glass in the windows. Medieval furniture was very basic.

Even in a rich household chairs were rare. Most people sat on stools or benches. Rich people also had tables and large chests, which doubled up as beds. They were not just for decoration.

They also helped keep out drafts. In the Middle Ages furniture for the rich was usually made of oak. In the 16th-century life became more comfortable for the wealthy. Furniture was more plentiful than in the Middle Ages but it was still basic. In a wealthy home, it was usually made of oak and was heavy and massive. You expected to pass it on to your children and even your grandchildren. Comfortable beds became more and more common in the 16th century and increasing numbers of middle-class people slept on feather mattresses rather than straw ones.

In the 16th-century chairs were more common than in the Middle Ages but they were still expensive. Neolithic Period Furniture. Ancient Egyptian Furniture. Ancient Greek Furniture. Medieval Furniture. Renaissance Furniture. Jacobean Furniture. Colonial Furniture. Rococo Furniture.

Revival Furniture. Art Noveau Furniture. Bauhaus Furniture. Art Deco Furniture.