Technology and innovation are constantly occurring in today’s society and affect almost all areas of industry. Perhaps no industry sees more innovation than that of consumer goods. Factors that go into this evolution revolve around consumer’s preferences and styles. Consumer’s preferences and attitudes are constantly changing as technology changes. Just like most consumer goods, the furniture industry is no different. Furniture has evolved from traditional forms to more contemporary and modern forms. These changes bring about different styles, shapes, colors, materials, finishes, etc.
Let’s start with traditional furniture. Traditional furniture styles draws inspiration from periods of history. Take, for example a vanity sink that sits inside a bathroom. Many traditional designers of these vanity sinks look to the past for inspiration. Traditional furniture is based off designs that date back to the 17th through 19th centuries in Europe. At this time, it was the responsibility of craftsmen and designers to come up with designs for the wealthy monarchs. Most of these vanities are made from wood material and celebrate the beauty in this most classic of building materials. This style features carvings and designs placed flawlessly within the designs. Traditional furniture is known for being heavy and bulky. Space constrictions of modern day homes have phased out a lot of this type of furniture purely because there is no room for it. If the idea is to get as many people as you can to fit comfortably, the furniture may have to be replaced with modern styles. As previously mentioned, wood is the most common type of material used in making traditional furniture. The color schemes of this form of furniture are designed to blend in well with the wood material. Neutral colors are the most prominent hues. Another feature of traditional furniture designs is that it seems like every aspect of the piece is made to be accurate. All the lines, spaces, and curves seem to be in order and in perfect position. This is obviously a quality that dates back to the perfection and rigid rules of society expected from generations past. This is undoubtedly, a characteristic that makes traditional furniture stand out from more modern designs.
Looking at more modern and contemporary furniture, designers tend to draw inspiration from how they predict consumer’s preferences will change into the future. They also draw on current trends in the present to experiment with different materials. Going back to our bathroom vanity example, granite and marble stone are examples of modern vanities. Usually these vanities also include glass and chrome finish. Modern furniture is oftentimes designed with ideas of using it for a function or purpose, where as traditional furniture was more for decoration or aesthetic appeal. With this in mind, contemporary furniture is designed with style, design, and space requirements in mind. One function of this type of furniture is for storage space. One can store what they need in the furniture while it also serves as the piece of furniture. For example, a coffee table may have a hidden drawer in it where traditional one would not. Contemporary furniture usually consists of bold colors like black, green, red, pink, blue, etc. Furniture that has a smooth, clean finish and resemble geometric shapes are a giveaway that the interior decorator is going for a modern look. Mentioned earlier was the fact that traditional furniture contains straight edges, even surfaces, and little room for error. Contemporary designs are opposite of these designs. Modern furniture tends to bend these rules a little bit by having uneven sides and unusual angles and lines.
If you are one of those people that have trouble making up their mind, luckily there is transitional furniture. Transitional furniture is designed to be a blend of both traditional and contemporary elements. In other words, somewhere in between history based traditional designs and new world of glass and chrome. This means that there are some wood finished designs that include maple and walnut, but also can have some chrome and metal. Transitional pieces are usually seen as being timeless, but bring some functionality to them. Using our bathroom example, double vanities that are designed with a transitional style can fit in both modern and traditional themed bathrooms.
Times will continue to change and soon today’s modern furniture will become the furniture of yesteryear. Designers and manufacturers will continue to research and predict changes in the industry. New materials, designs, and styles are always being discussed and tested. Whatever the future brings to the furniture industry, it’s still fun to keep an eye on the trends and consumer preference changes over time.