The Basic Functions of Furniture

In every age, furniture is made for the same basic purposes. Tables, desks and workbenches provide space for work or dining. Cabinets, cases, and chests are built for storage. Beds, lounges, sofas, chairs and benches are made for resting. Today we have furniture for every imaginable situation, from a baby’s high chair to a steel office desk. They ranges from soft, pillow-like upholstered sofas to sleek tables of metal and glass.

Furniture are built to make people’s lives easier and more comfortable. The furniture industry divides them into various broad groups. One way of grouping furniture is according to where and how it is used. Furniture that is used at home makes up another large group. And also it can be classified by its style.

Case goods are pieces that provide interior storage, such as desks, drawers, cabinets, and bookshelves. This term is originally applied to wooden furniture but now includes furniture made from metal, plastic and other materials. Although the primary function of case goods is to organize various home items, these pieces of furniture are also installed inside homes as an added décor. It contributes greatly to the overall ambiance of the house.

Upholstered furniture is padded and covered with fabric, leather, or vinyl. It usually has four basic parts: the frame, the supporting foundation, the cushion or padding, and the outer covering. Fabrics range from basket weaves to plush velvets and corduroys.

Institutional furniture is designed and built for public buildings, hospitals, hotels, motels, nursing homes, and theaters. Such items look more basic, far from intrinsic designs seen at homes. These pieces of furniture look plainer yet clean. Examples are semi-reclining seats seen in movie theaters, reclining beds in hospitals, and beds in hotels and hospitals.

Meanwhile, business furniture includes desks, filing cabinets, storage units, and even to hold computers and other data-processing equipment. These are obviously seen inside buildings housing many offices, and in other business establishments like a restaurant, shopping mall or other stores. Some business furniture can be customized to bear the name of the company.

Home furniture is used for bedrooms, living rooms, and dining rooms. These pieces are smaller than business furniture, more for personal use only. Home furniture is probably the most varied set of furniture. The range of designs is endless to match specific houses.

Occasional furniture applies to a wide range of tables, cabinets, room dividers, shelving units, grandfather clocks, and other accessories. These are most often used during festivities, parties or other social events. Such tables and chairs are made of lightweight materials to be easily carried around.

Juvenile furniture includes all the baby items, such as cribs, and high chairs, as well as furniture designed and built in smaller sizes for children of various ages. These are commonly distinguished easily from the very bright colors, the animated designs and their smaller sizes compared to regular items.

Casual furniture is any other chairs, tables, and other pieces that can be used either indoors or outdoors, on patios and lawns. Most casual furniture are made of plastic (monoblocs) or wood. They weigh relatively lighter than others in comparison, and thus, are easier to move and carry around. These are also the pieces of furniture brought during outdoor trips.

Source by David Urmann

The Dependability of Commercial Outdoor Restaurant Furniture in Unusual Climates

On a sunny, warm summer's day, it can be hard to find a person who wouldn't want to dine out on their favorite restaurant's patio. If your restaurant is located in an area that undergoes unusual or extreme climate changes, there is a concern that the furniture may fall apart. The most reliable outdoor furniture can stand up to the rigors of the weather to save money in the long term, and please guests year round.

Extreme Heat

If your restaurant is in a part of the country that gets extremely hot during the summertime, you undoubtedly limit outdoor patio time to spring and fall-but do you limit your chairs' and tables' exposure like you do your customers'? If you don't, you could be in for a shock come fall. Extreme heat can cause plastic outdoor furniture to lose its integrity and make it more vulnerable to breaking or shattering. In climates like these, wicker furniture is the best option because it will not get hot to the touch and it can handle much of the heat if you leave it outdoors. Be sure to check all furniture at the beginning and end of each year for wear and tear issues.

Rainy Season

If your area of ​​the country undergoes extended and heavy periods of rain, your restaurant's patio furniture needs to be prepared for it. Wooden furniture is a terrible idea for this type of climate as it can soak up the water and can stay wet for days after a good rainstorm. Metal chairs and tables can be a good choice for these climates as long as they are rust-proof, but plastic is often the best choice to face the damp climates.

Extreme Cold

Extremely cold temperatures are generally a sign that you should bring in your restaurant's patio furniture-but if you can't, don't fret; get rust-proof metal furniture. Because it can absorb water which then freezes, you should avoid wood in areas that are susceptible to extreme cold spells. Freezing water inside of the wood cells can cause furniture to splinter and lose integrity quickly. Likewise, plastic has difficulty handling extreme cold spells and can become brittle when exposed to the elements.

Wherever you live and in whatever climate, seek out a reliable supplier to purchase your restaurant patio furniture from. They will be able to guide you through any issues their products may have with extreme weather and help you pick the best choice for your local climate.

Source by Matthew Washabaugh

Decorating Small Spaces For a Youthful Modern Look

Are you looking for interior decorating ideas to give your small home or apartment a youthful, modern look? This collection of interior decorating tips for small spaces will give you ideas on how to make the rooms come alive.

The youthful, modern look is characterized by clean lines, classic furniture and the effective use of white with daylight coming through minimally clad windows.

Clean Lines, Classic Furniture

Selecting furniture with sleek lines makes an area look less crowded and more spacious. For instance, when choosing chairs for a dining room table, consider selecting retro-style aluminum chairs which imitate the brushed-steel finish of kitchen appliances. They not only complement the kitchen appliances but are easily moved into other areas of the home when needed.

Furniture in small rooms can be fairly good size but you want to limit the number of pieces. Built-in storage is crucial to a neat, well-organized room.

White on White

A white on white color scheme lends itself to simplicity. Using black accents will keep an area from being too pale. If you feel that all white or neutral upholstery and bed linens are too boring, add a few accessories in one or two accent colors. This can be light tan or cream color or perhaps a little more color, such as sage green. The change of seasons is a good time to incorporate colors that are predominate that time of year.

Better Use of Space

A decorating tip for small rooms is to make three uninteresting small rooms into one big room. You will create more livable space but still have well-defined areas for eating, cooking and conversation which will create smooth traffic patterns in the room.

Incorporating large expanses of glass let light flow into the rooms and at the same time expands the view to include the outdoors. It feels as though you have another living area! Sliding glass doors work well in the bedroom and the living area since they take up less space than French doors.

Color, Pattern and Texture

To make a room seem larger, minimize color and pattern which allows the eye to travel from one object to the next without stopping to focus on a dominant element in the room. The use of texture in a small space adds interest without making the room too busy. A quilted bedspread, woven storage baskets, and an interesting spherical paper lamp shade add interest to a white on white bedroom.

Source by Lynn Cressy

Herman Miller Ergonomic Office Chairs

When you mention the word ergonomics, what’s the first thing that usually comes to mind? For some, it could be the ergonomic posture that you need to take while sitting in front of your computer chair to avoid Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. For others, it could be purchasing a really cool ergonomic office chair.

By definition, ergonomics is that branch of engineering science wherein the relation between workers and their environments are studied. It’s a good thing that such a science exists – otherwise, workers who have to sit in front of the computer 8 hours a day could always be treating sore backs and rumps.

Ergonomics = Herman Miller

Now, if you’ve ever wondered where those odd-looking yet really comfortable ergonomic chairs came from, that is none other than the Michigan-based manufacturer of office and modern home furniture: Herman Miller, Inc. The company was founded way back in 1923 but over the years, they have managed to expand their business and become a leader in the production of ergonomic office equipment and modern home furniture.

Take Your Pick from the Many Herman Miller Ergonomic Chairs

To give you an idea about the line of ergonomic office chairs released by Herman Miller, here are five of the most popular models that they have:

– Aeron Chair

This is probably one of the most popular and sought-after ergonomic chair models released by Herman Miller. The team of Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf designed the Aeron chair 15 years ago – and since then, the Aeron chair has become the ergonomic work stool of choice by most office workers, employees and even home based workers.

The thing that sets the Aeron chair apart from all the rest is the fact that it has a multi-awarded, ergonomic design. Instead of being made from the typical plastic and leather or fabric, a mesh-like material is used – in addition with all the other great features that the Aeron chair has.

– Celle Chair

The Celle chair is considered to be a high-performance, long-term seating solution. Some of the features include a responsive cell flex support which naturally conforms to the sitter’s body and movement. Superior ergonomics, versatile performance and a highly-adjustable body are the other features of the Celle chair manufactured by Herman Miller.

– Embody Chair

The Embody chair is the successor of the Aeron chair – and the early reviews have proven that it is the ergonomic chair to beat. It combines superior functionality and the ultimate in style.

– Eames Chair

The Eames chair comes with a matching ottoman – and when you put these two together, they virtually define what office comfort is all about. The Eames chair is made of leather and molded plywood, which contributes a lot to its aesthetic appeal as well.

– Mirra Chair

Finally, there’s the Mirra chair which features an innovative blend of passive and active adjustments. Just like the other ergonomic chairs manufactured by Herman Miller, the Mirra chair automatically shapes itself to the user – but you also have the freedom to personalize its fit and feel.

By utilizing any of these ergonomic chairs designed by Herman Miller, you can rest assured that sitting in front of your computer for seemingly endless hours will hardly put undue stress on your body.

Source by Mike Arsosa

Changing the Ambiance – Contemporary Designer Chairs

Designer chairs are a contemporary way of beautifying the living area, the outdoors, as well as the office space. These chairs are increasingly becoming popular decors and are coming in the most enchanting designs, crafts, and colors. They are unique chairs and they are certainly pricier than your ordinary living room or office seat but if chosen to match your taste and to compliment their setting, investing in one will prove satisfactory. Choosing the most appropriate chair is mostly a matter of the functions that you want it to perform, they might be multiple or just singular functions.

How can contemporary designer chairs bring a better look for your house? Chairs with designer appeal come with carefully thought after color schemes that make them stand out regardless of the setting. Therefore, the thing that your house needs could be some color that mixes and matches with the scheme of your home. These are literally pieces of art that accentuate the setting and the surrounding of the living room or the study place. The great thing about unique pieces of art like designer chairs is they never run out of fashion and they have such high durability.

A designer chair could give you comfort and save you space. Contemporary designer chairs can be customized to the client’s needs such that their functionality becomes diverse. Some of these seats can serve as office chairs, and double as a lounging chaise. These seats can be used in the domestic setting or in the office without them looking bulky and out of place. Chairs with multiple functions are more costly than their single use counterparts. However you have a wide range of designs to pick from, the leather ones are suitable for and office setting while the wooden, wrought iron or steel chair looks great domestic setting. Designer chairs are the ideal way to lounge, to express your décor preference and to bring a comforting ambiance to an otherwise cold office.

Source by Deshea R Witcher

Dining Tables – The Center of Attention in Your Dining Room

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As dining tables are the center of attention in your dining room, you want to take special care when choosing yours. One may help the room to appear larger, while another can easily overtake the whole room and make one feel claustrophobic. While it should be the center of attention, the feeling it conveys should be one of comfort and style.

Many people often feel a little overwhelmed when shopping for dining tables. The fact is that there are so many choices and so many things to consider. The shape of the table will also convey a certain feeling in the room. Generally, rectangular and oval shaped tables will provide a more formal style, while a round or square shaped table will convey a more informal feeling.

The finish on the table is also important, especially when you are purchasing it separately. Sets, of course, will come in matched finishes. Choosing a table alone, however, will allow you to create a more unconventional look and show your true style. Just be careful not to mismatch too much or it will leave everyone in the room with a feeling of being surrounded by chaos.

For those who find that their dining room table just seems to blend in with the rest of the furniture, learn how to dress it up. Centerpieces of candles and flowers can easily grab the attention of anyone who enters the room. Place settings of varying colors can also be successful, as well as a small collection of mementos, like seashells, can help you to create the look you are going for.

Don’t let yourself get confused when shopping for dining tables. First, take the time to figure out the look you want to create and measure the room. Once the table is set up in the dining room, you can then create a variety of looks with tablecloths, place mats, and other accessories.

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Source by Chris Smitts