Virginia furniture

From the colonial era to today, Virginia furniture has a long tradition. In colonial days, when cabinetmaker Anthony Hay made furniture in Colonial Williamsburg, at least six shops catered to local tastes. As the colony grew in taste and sophistication, shops developed in other port cities such as Norfolk, Fredericksburg, Alexandria and Petersburg.[1] For instance, in Fredericksburg alone, more than a dozen manufacturers made European style furniture in shops owned by cabinetmakers like Robert and Alexander Walker, James Allen and Thomas Miller. Many of these early cabinetmakers also worked at house joinery, making an intimate connection between the rooms and the objects in them [2].

Across the South, furniture making flourished and Virginia was no exception. During the early part of the century, most historians thought that furniture making was centered around larger Northern cities like Philadelphia and New York. But in recent years, scholars and Virginia historians have come to understand that in early colonial and Federal years, the state had a more vibrant furniture industry than first imagined. [3] Styles included Chippendale, Queen Anne and vernacular styles. As Virginia citizens emigrated west in the 19th century, Virginia styles and furniture makers took their patterns and styles with them [4]. Not all the styles mimicked the British; emigrants like the German Johannes Spitler brought their native painting and folk decorative styles to the Shenandoah Valley [5].

Some companies from the early 19th century survived. In 1830, E.A. Clore was founded. It is now one of the oldest companies in the U.S. and still makes furniture at its Madison County location.

In the 19th century, a typical small town like Waterford, Virginia had a number of small manufacturers, in Waterford's case makers like John Mount, William T. Mount, and Lewis N. Hough. [6]

By the 20th century, the interest in historic preservation fostered by groups like the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities meant a renewed interest in colonial styles. Companies like Biggs Furniture grew out of a small antiques shop in Richmond into a major reproductions manufacturer that came close to rivaling Ethan Allen. With the establishment of Colonial Williamsburg in the 1930s, the interest in colonial reproductions grew, though reproductions of the Williamsburg collection sold at CW's Craft House were made by the Kittinger Company of New York.

Through the 20th century, mass-marketed furniture prevailed, and companies like Stanley Furniture, Pulaski Furniture, Rowe Furniture and Bassett Furniture grew into national brands. They grew around the area of Martinsville, where they sometimes even formed company towns. The height of this movement came when Thomas Bahnson Stanley, founder of Stanley Furniture, became Governor of Virginia in 1954. Many of these companies now show their wares in High Point, North Carolina, the American city most synonymous with furniture, located just south of Martinsville. With the advent of the more casual 1970s, rustic pine "crate-style" furniture became the rage, when Richmond-based This End Up led the trend by opening a store on Richmond's Strawberry Street in 1975.

Imports gained strength through the 1990s and early 21st century, and once dominant Virginia companies have struggled with the onslaught of Asian imports [7]. While not a descriptive adjective like Williamsburg, Virginia furniture is also a look, and a Virginia style of decorating has permeated the world of interior design. Virginia natives like Nancy Lancaster, William Haines, Charlotte Moss and Bunny Williams have had influential roles in interior design using neo-traditional and modern approaches. In addition, high end start ups like McKinnon & Harris have created new markets in lawn and garden furniture.

In recent years as imports have gained strength, companies like Kingsley Bate and Flexa have located manufacturing and/or distribution facilities in Virginia because of the state's easy access ports in Hampton Roads. In October of 2006, Gov. Tim Kaine announced that Swedwood North America, a subsidiary of IKEA, would build a North American manufacturing center in Cane Creek Center near Danville, Virginia, and employ up to 740 people at that Pittsylvania County plant.[8]

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org

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Sterling Furniture

Sterling Furniture is a large furniture retail development in Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, in Scotland. It was founded in 1974 by Stirling-based furniture retailer George Knowles, who based its concept on the out-of-town retail developments which had been successful in the United States. He bought and converted a disused mill in Tillicoultry, making it the largest furniture showroom in Scotland.

Knowles later expanded the complex to include a Homestore Outlet and garden centre, and built the Sterling Mills outlet mall in disused factory buildings opposite the furniture warehouse.

Their television advertisements, starring Scottish football commentator Dougie Donnelly have become part of popular culture, together with the phrase "Tillicoultry, near Stirling" (even though Tillicoultry is 10 miles east of Stirling).

Source :http://en.wikipedia.org

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Cardboard furniture

Cardboard furniture is furniture designed to be made from cardboard, or heavy wood-based types of paper.

Although people have lived on and around cardboard for as long as it has existed, it was probably first introduced to the design world by Frank Gehry (b. 1929). The line, which is still made and sold by Vitra, consists of modern chairs, tables. Made with hidden screws and fiberboard edging, the tables are said to hold thousands of pounds. The "Wiggle Chair," which has won many design awards and has been included in museum shows at London's Design Museum[1] and elsewhere, contains 60 layers of corrugated cardboard held together by hidden screws and fibreboard edging.

At the turn of the millennium, cardboard is again becoming a trend.

In 2005, art director and designer Cathy Henszey partnered with the CEO of Print Icon, Vahid Pourkay, to begin Cardboardesign for recycled cardboard furnishings. The tables and shelving are modern in their aesthetic and surprisingly strong, due to the unique honeycomb cell shape of cardboard which bears more weight. Unlike Gehry's pieces, they contain no screws or fiberboard.

Approximately 18 pieces of cardboard furniture were created in 2006 for the Singapore Biennale. The set of chair and table were designed by Nathan Choe and Robin Wau exclusively for the Biennale. This furniture was created with an original process of repeadedly gluing sheets of cardboard which had been cut to the profile of the chair and table. It was then decoratively taped to match with the Biennale branding. It was used heavily on one night for the Singapore Biennale opening party, after which it was what is it made from!

In 2007, New York Film Production "Vine Street Works" released an instructional film "Cardboard Furniture" in the series "How Things Are Made" showing step by step the making of a durable cardboard furniture piece by cardboard furniture maker Eric Guiomar, who teaches his technique in Paris, France since 1996. Many of his students, who like to call themselves cartonnists, have set up their own workshops, in France and worldwide. More information, examples, links, and a trailer of the film at http://vinestreetworks.com

http://www.xanita.com for examples of cardboard furniture manufactured from corrugated honeycomb cardboard.


Source : http://en.wikipedia.org

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Asian furniture

The term Asian furniture or sometimes referred to Oriental furniture is a type of furniture that is originated from Asia continent. Sometimes, people also think of Asian furniture as a style of furniture that has Asian accents. With assimilation with western culture the term can also expand to modern Asian furniture.

Because Asia is the largest continent in the world, the term is sometimes limited to only furniture made or originated from Far East Asia such as China and Japan, which is usually characterized with bamboo, or red color with some Asian characters or symbols on it. However, with globalization nowadays people are more familiar with other parts of Asian culture. Southeast Asian furniture such as Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Javanese, and Balinese furniture are now becoming recognized and appreciated. Other Asian furniture such as South Asian and Indian are also becoming more popular as one of the trends in interior decorating. There is also the colonial furniture made for the British during their rule in Asia, which includes furniture mostly from India and Burma (now already antique) and their reproductions. Southeast Asian furniture are usually dark brown in color with a lot of Hindu-influence carving. Some may have Polynesian accents such as those from eastern parts of Indonesia.

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Antique furniture

Antique furniture is the term for collectible interior furnishings of considerable age; often it's age, rarity, condition, utility, or other unique features makes the furniture desirable.

Antique furniture may support the human body (seating furniture and beds) that show some degree of craftsmanship, provide storage, or hold objects on horizontal surfaces above the ground. Storage furniture (which often makes use of doors, drawers, and shelves) is used to hold or contain smaller objects such as clothes, tools, books, and household goods. Furniture can be a product of artistic design and is considered a form of decorative art. In addition to furniture's functional role, it can serve a symbolic or religious purpose. Domestic furniture works to create, in conjunction with furnishings such as clocks and lighting, comfortable and convenient interior spaces. Furniture can be made from many materials, including metal, plastic, and wood. Cabinetry and cabinet making are terms for the skillset used in the building of furniture.

The earliest furniture was understandably very primitive and only practical, but gradually the furniture also began to have more importance and it became decorated. At this point, furniture became an early status symbol. Wealthy homeowners became more refined and demanded that their furnishings reflect their status and lifestyles.

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Wood Furniture Care

You can give your floor boards a new finish in order to make them look as good as new instead of just covering them up with rugs or carpet.

Wooden floor boards can be a great way to give the whole home or just a few rooms a bit of character and they can look extremely good too. You may have had floor boards in the rooms instead of carpets for a while, but over time they may have become a bit tattered or worn. Various things can contribute to the floor boards rotting or looking tattered such as spills, animal accidents or it could even have been from just general wear and tear. Whatever the reason, it can leave the person wanting to just cover it up because it can look very untidy.

If you are someone who is thinking about just getting carpet to cover it up, you should really think about this seriously. It is all so easy to just put a rug or carpet over it, but why not see if you can do something about the floor boards instead? With a bit of effort you could have the floor boards looking as good as new. If you are a dab hand with this kind of thing then it could only need either a bit of sanding or refinishing to have the floor boards looking great. Also the best bit about it is that it should only take a few days at the most and it could be a lot cheaper than getting in carpets or rugs.

Preparation is the Key

Why should you get rid of the character of the room just because it needs a bit of work? Once the floor boards are treated properly they could look as good as new. It will obviously need some preparation before you start, for instance, the room will need to be off limits and have no furniture or anything else in there whatsoever. You need to sand the floors whether it is done by hand or by using a drum sander in order to get the job done. Once the floors have been sanded, you will obviously need to get rid of all the saw dust and everything else that is on the floor boards.

The whole process of preparing the floors can be a bit time consuming so you will need an element of patience when doing this. However, once it is done you can then apply the wood stain to the nicely prepared floor boards. After you have stained the floor you will want to seal it, which adds an extra protective finish on top of it.

Treating the floor boards instead of covering them up is an extremely good option to try. You should not cover them up just because a bit of hard work is needed because with a bit of time and effort they can look just as good as new.

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