I bet you have never thought about this before but where did all the furniture we have around our home come from? Furniture is defined as a ‘movable article in a room that render it fit for living or working.’ But who built furniture first and how much has it changed.
Ancient furniture came about when the hunter-gatherer communities began to acquire the skills of agriculture, therefore needing artefacts to produce their work on and under. The evidence we have of furniture is in their art portraying their lives. The art has survived to the present day, but the said furniture has long since rotted way as it was all made of wood.
However some ancient Egyptian furniture has survived through time and gives us an example of ancient furniture. The reason for the survival of their furniture is their belief that their possessions would come with them into the afterlife. Therefore the Egyptian furniture was preserved in the ancient tombs of the dead. The furniture consisted of concaved chairs and furniture that had legs would have animal feet at the bottom.
Greek furniture was similar to Egyptian furniture but less ornate. Stylish, simple and elegant would best describe the Greek style. They would have carvings but nothing too elaborate. The Greek houses were not over cluttered with furniture; they had it for comfort instead of decoration.
Similarly the Roman’s did not fill their homes with furniture, they preferred space and simplicity. Their beauty would come in the form of mosaics, flowing curtains and water features rather than ornate furnishings. However their basic furniture would consist of a bed or couch, chairs or stools, tables and lamps. They did not have what we consider to be essentials today, for example no hanging mirror on the wall, desks, dressers, bookshelves or hat racks. But their life style did not need these things. This is why furniture has changed through the years; the different needs of different cultures and times.
A prime example is the American settlers who designed and made furniture for their individual needs. Therefore individual styles began to emerge and would later become popular.
Furniture today consists of antiques from early times and re-makes of ancient furniture as well as brand new furnishings designed for both aesthetic and practical reasons. Furniture has developed into an essential and is now collaborating all of history to produce new pieces for our homes.
Furniture is and always will be a testament to how life used to be in different parts of the world. It gives us an overview of the way ideas were conceived in different times, in different parts of the World with regard to acquiring comfort living.