A brief history of furniture

Furniture has always existed since the age of the caveman, logs used to sit on were the basic forms of a chair or a bench and as such furniture has always been integral to the success of mankind.

After the retreat of the last ice age, the hunter-gatherer communities of the Stone Age gradually began to acquire the skills of agriculture, and civilizations were born. No longer constantly on the move in the search for food, families were able to build homes and acquire possessions. Craftsmen began to develop their trades in producing articles such as jewellery, pottery and furniture. As mankind developed so did his skills. Although we do not know exactly when the first chair in the form that we know was made we do know that from excavating ancient sites and tombs that elaborate gold leaf chairs and other pieces of exquisite furniture were made as far back as the pharaoh kings of Egypt.

Like civilisation, furniture has changed and developed during the ages, we have seen simple wooden forms evolve into some of the most complex pieces of craftsmanship to date.

As furniture items have evolved it is normally to fulfill a purpose. We have seen more and more materials used in furniture design over the years to deal with this need. Initially furniture was made from wood but over the years as technology has moved on and we have new methods of manufacture and a great resource base, we find that iron and other strong metals are being used to create new and exciting shapes and pieces of furniture. More recently, we can see plastics and other materials making some of the most modern designs to suit the changing needs of the human race across all of the furniture ranges available in the marketplace.

To see some of the designs that are available in today’s market place please click on the links below. You can read about furniture in the 17th and 18th centuries too.