Furniture doesn’t only make our living and working areas more comfortable, they are also forms of decorative art that can serve symbolic and religious purposes. Chairs, beds, desks, dressers, cupboards, tables, and bookshelves are some of the most common types. Furniture is made using various materials, such as wood, metal, and plastic.

Stools

Many believe that stools were developed in China where people had to work with farm animals for long periods without getting tired. In Egypt, archaeologists have found small backless chairs with three legs, which experts suspect were used in the creation of pottery or in toiling in the farmlands.

Nightstands

A nightstand is a common piece of furniture in bedrooms. It is usually a small table with a built in drawer or cabinet. Historically, bedside tables were used to contain chamber pots at the time when having indoor comfort rooms was still a dream and going to the outhouse was very inconvenient in the evenings, especially during the winter months.

Modern-day nightstands are used to store books, lamps, alarm clocks, phones, glasses, and mirrors. The drawers and cabinets are also used to store small odds and ends for safekeeping.

Dining Tables

Early dining tables used to be very large because they were mostly used during banquets or large family meals. They were rectangular to allow the head of the household to occupy the end of the table as a position of privilege.

Soon after, the round table was conceived by the Romans to allow diners to have equal view of the others. The shape of the table eliminated the need to designate a particular person as having more importance than the others sharing the meal.

Chaise Lounges

The design of the chaise lounges we know today originated from France during the 16^th century. The name was derived from the French expression chaise longue, which means “long chair.” Chaise lounges are a combination of a chair and a day bed. These chairs were made of curved wood, rattan, or wooden caning and are still considered as classic pieces of furniture that are both comfortable and stylish.

Many believe that the chaise lounge was introduced in the US in the 1830s. Modern designs evolved to include the use of plastic, tubular steel, and plywood in the creation of this luxurious furniture. Because of America’s love for the outdoors, chaise lounges can be seen in porches, gardens, gazebos, or patios.

Bookshelves

Despite the invention of the printing press, books were still among the most prized possessions of people during the early centuries. This led to the creation of bookcases or bookshelves.

The early bookshelves were simple structures that were commonly built as part of the wall. The framework was similar to that of an ambry, which was a small recess or cupboard in the wall of a church that housed scrolls or codex. From the early beginnings of the bookshelves as being holes in a wall, the development of one of the biggest and ubiquitous piece of household furniture resulted.

Before buying a certain piece of furniture, browse through our site so you will get a sense of the different types of antique, second-hand, or used furniture that we have available. This will help you choose the piece that will match your personality and will contribute to achieving your overall design scheme.