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Historic Influences on Modern Furniture

You may think of modern furniture as strictly a product of the 20th and 21st centuries, but really, it dates back to the days of Napoleon. The emperor's style was in turn influenced by spoils taken from Greece, Rome, and Egypt. One particular touch from Napoleon's time that is still important in modern furniture design is the use of metal in furnishings. From the time of Napoleon, modern furniture lost a lot of its ornamentation, and gained an emphasis on function. In the centuries since, the influences on modern furniture have come from Japan, the Mediterranean, Europe, and North America. Eventually, cleaner, more geometric lines evolved, and intricate carvings and details became less common. Materials such as steel, chrome, plywood, and eventually even plastic were eventually incorporated. Some of the famous modern furniture pieces of the 20th century came from or were heavily influenced by the Art Deco and Bauhaus design schools. The Wassily Chair of the mid 1920s and the Barcelona Chair from 1930 were revolutionary designs that are still important in today's latest furniture designs. Most people think of city furniture when they think of "modern," but many modern designs can be found in glorious rural settings. After all, Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water house is full of clean lines and spare, geometric shapes. In living rooms, rectangular sofas and metal and wood coffee tables make for a lively, modern look. Many of the most popular American furniture manufacturers create designs that work great in modern design schemes. Bassett Furniture and Ashley Furniture are just two examples. But don't feel like you have to make every room in your house and every piece of furniture modern. One of the best things about modern furniture is how readily it mixes with other styles. Whether you're going eclectic, casual, or mostly traditional, don't write off modern furniture in your overall décor scheme.