History of furniture

The oldest known samples of furniture were found in Egypt in the royal tombs of III century BC. This debris caskets made of black wood, inlaid with ivory, malachite and turquoise. There have been found and the first in the history of mankind stools, one of whom was even folding. Stools of these were made of wood, and legs in the form of hooves of animals carved from whole elephant tusks. Ancient Egyptians are also "authors" of beds and chairs.

The first furniture, created by man, was tight and very functional. Only the Egyptian pharaohs could afford to sit in a chair decorated with gold trim and elaborate carvings.

Great, but unpretentious in life, the Greeks invented GEL - original boxes, which served both couches and benches.

But in the palaces and villas of the nobility in ancient Rome, even the furniture was too luxurious, decorated with carvings and inlays, gold and colored enamel. In the quest for luxury Romans used and new materials for furniture production - bronze and colored marble, from which tables and benches made with mosaic tabletops. A Roman artisans for their homes, creating a convenient and inexpensive furniture, woven willow.

Much later chair, table and bed was born wardrobe. It happened in the Middle Ages in the Gothic castles of feudal Europe. The prototype served his chest-the chest, which tried to stretch upwards from the abundance of stored items and turned into a closet, just taking one of the main places in the hierarchy of the furniture. Cabinet began to imitate the Gothic castles, decorated with the likeness of turrets, columns and even a wooden sculpture. Very easy to use for different purposes, a case was the founder of an entire furniture "Dynasty": it later emerged from the cupboard with glass doors, which have learned to pour a large glass area, and then appeared, and a bookcase. With the development of carpentry and human imagination, creating a hybrid of the table and cabinet-office.

Upholstered furniture has arisen in the castles of European nobility in the period of classicism. In France, the trendsetter in interior decoration, this time built residence of kings and not lagging behind the palaces of the nobility. First furniture, designed to seat just snug cloth. Then, when the owners of castles are becoming more used to the luxury and comfort, and their clothes became lighter, less insulated and multi-layered, sit on hard chairs and sofas was not very comfortable. "Crowded" upholstered furniture horse hair, sheep wool, swan's down, and later became used rubber, and in our time foam and sintepon.

As time passed, there were new styles in architecture and interior design, and each of them, or modifying existing items of furniture, or create something entirely new. Baroque "brought" canapes and sunbed, Rococo, with its love for the mirror - dressing table and a table for a toilet with a triple-mirror - The lattice. Modern "invented" a chair without armrests and with back in the form of half shells. Furniture being modified, then simplifying, the more difficult, depending on the fashion trends. Established a chair with no back - poof and without back the same, but with cushions, sofa - sofa bed. Secretaires, sideboards, chests of drawers and shelves - it has options for the transfiguration of the cabinet.

In addition to architectural styles, the furniture is very "dependent" and from the country where it was created. In France - elegant and decorative, Germany - robust with abundant sculptural decoration showing the owner of wealth, in Scandinavia - a convenient and functional. And the British even created their own style through the master closet T. Chippendale, which gave the name of this style. The rationality of the forms of such noble wood furniture combined with a skillful and subtle decor. Imitation chippendeylovskomu style in the United States was called in colonial style furniture.

It is separate and distinct from European influences are the interiors of the East. A lot of things woven from reeds, rope or strips of leather, furniture made of dark, almost black wood. All low, unusual for European eyes: the screen and padded stools, benches, inserted one into another, small tables.

Russia also contributed to the formation of furniture styles. The peculiarity of our country - the harsh climate, and living quarters, heated oven, were small, and families living in them, could consist of several generations. Therefore, the furniture was monogofunktsionalnoy. The invention of Russian interior - the shop - it is broad and long benches without backs. Day on it sat a few people, but at night it serves someones bed. When the Russian way of life caught up in comfort with a European (and sometimes even surpassed it), the interiors in the style of Russian classicism also had its own peculiarities: first, this material - the Karelian birch, with a unique decorative wood pattern. Interiors of homes of nobles, even the interiors of the royal dwelling residence - a cottage in Petrodvorets - not pretentious, they lacked unnecessary luxury. Light wood and silk upholstery, high bookcases and large desks with frosted shades table lamps in the cabinets, glass door cupboards (slides) in the dining room with china crockery imperial factories - all very noble and functionally.

In the twentieth century chemistry is developing rapidly, and the emergence of new synthetic materials and plastics produced an explosion in the furniture industry. Minimalism 60-ies creates legged plastic tables and chairs, plastic light-cones. Production of inlaid furniture was mass-production, wood substitutes changed. Further development of the furniture industry leads to unit - it is almost already furnished room. And as the top line production - the horror of the recent past: the same "wall" and upholstered furniture in the same steering wheel in the model apartments.

Today, all were placed in places: a large variety of styles, quality of manufacture (from manual work to flow), the materials used, and, respectively, and a large price spread - this is the current state of the furniture market. Lifestyle changes, and new kinds of furniture. Furniture for audio and video equipment, computer tables, sofas transformers, which has everything: from folding tables to the tumblers, and built-in speakers. Now everyone is guided in choosing furniture their taste and tips, designer, limited to a sense of proportion and pay. Creation of furniture has become an art.