The 20 types of Furniture (and their characteristics)

There are many types of furniture that exist and therefore many forms of classification that can be made. Depending on your search purpose, you may require classifications according to the material used, that is, if they are furniture made of wood, plastic or metal; Depending on the style of the furniture, depending on what environment you want to bring to your home, you will find, for example, rustic, modern or colonial furniture.

Another way of classifying can be done according to the use or function they have, in this way we will divide depending on whether its purpose is to allow us to lie down, sit, store objects or as accessory. In this article we will mention three different ways of classifying furniture while we will explain the different types of furniture that we find in each category.

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How is furniture classified?

There is a great variety of furniture that we can classify according to different characteristics or functions. Next we will mention three categories of furniture according to the construction materials, according to the style or design that present or according to the function they have, in the same way we will also cite and explain the types that make up each category.

1. Types of furniture according to the material

If we take into account the material used to manufacture or build the furniture, we can divide them into different types.

1.1. Solid wood furniture

Solid wood furniture is produced or manufactured from a single piece of wood, in this way, it is avoided that they produce cracks or deformity. Therefore, given the manufacturing process and the material used, this type of furniture will be expensive. How robust and resistant it is in furniture will depend on the type of wood that conforms it, so We will divide the woods into soft or hard according to how easy it is to work with and how resistant that are.

For example, within the group of hard woods, which as we have said will be more robust and firm and therefore will have a higher price, we find: beech wood, which contains many oils; walnut, used on many occasions to make luxury furniture; ash, is a very elastic way used for the production of curved furniture and cherry, is a very hard and heavy wood used on many occasions for quality furniture.

Secondly, some example of softer wood, easier to mold, we have: teak, long lasting and with natural oils that make it waterproof, ebony, known for its quality and its dark tone and mahogany, highlighted by its versatility.

1.2. Metal furniture

Metal furniture can be made of iron, steel, aluminum, stainless steel, bronze or brass. These have some advantages over other types of materials such as their ease of maintenance and cleaning. The designs are thinner and do not overload the space, they are very resistant and can be used in any type of environment.

1.3. Upholstered furniture

Upholstering consists of covering with fabric, so in this case it refers to covering the furniture with cloth. This is a fairly ancient technique, finding upholstered chairs at the time of the Egyptians, dating from approximately 5000 BC.

1.4. Plastic furniture

Some of the plastics used to manufacture furniture are: polyvinyl chloride, used to coat some inexpensive furniture and for the preparation of upholstery; nylon is used to make sliding doors and drawers, as well as to cover garden furniture; polypropylene, standing out for its great elasticity and can be bent repeatedly; polystyrene, noted for its low price and easy molding when working with it.

For the construction of furniture, polymethylmethacrylate is also used, used to cover the woods and make them resistant to water; polyurethane, has a high gloss, hardness and are resistant to heat and polyesters, useful to increase rigidity and tensile strength compared to other plastics.

1.5. Chipboard furniture

Chipboards are made up of wood chips or chips to which thermosetting glue and resin are added, which are thermally fixed. Heat and pressure will be applied to this set of materials to produce the board.

Different woods can be used for their formation and they have the advantages of being easy to work with, being stable and uniform, it is resistant taking into account the use for which it is designed and allows more parts of the tree to be used and recycled, thus being more sustainable.

2. Types of furniture according to style

Depending on the style or design presented, the types of furniture will receive different names.

2.1. Classic furniture

Classic furniture they are characterized by being elegant, having warm colors, with sober lines. They mostly use solid wood such as mahogany, cherry or walnut as a construction material, they can also be stained. The finishes are made being a craftsman who makes them.

2.2. Zen furniture

This type of furniture is ideal for people who seek to create environments that are not very overloaded, trying to make them as harmonious as possible. Furniture designs are simple and the way is usually left in its original color, without the use of stains or paints.

23. Modern furniture

They are furniture with minimalist and simple structures and designs perfect to form minimalist environments. They show light lines, not overloaded and given their simplicity they stand out for being functional and practical for everyday life. In other words, ease of use is more important than aesthetics itself.

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2.4. Baroque furniture

Contrary to the previous style, baroque furniture They stand out for showing very ornate designs and very worked finishes. In this way it does not transmit lightness but heaviness, the environment is more recharged.

2.5. Rustic furniture

The rustic style used in the manufacture of furniture seeks to create a comfortable and traditional environment. The most used material is wood, using paint to give an aged feeling, that is to say Normally they will be older furniture, that are years old or that they are newly created but pretend to be ancient. In the same way, given the design and material used, they provide a feeling of warmth, giving a more sense of home with personality.

2.6. Designer furniture

Designer furniture are characterized by being designed by a furniture specialist, using fine and elegant finishes. In this way, they are unique and different pieces created with the best materials, a fact that increases the sale price.

2.7. Traditional furniture

As its indica name is furniture that presents a traditional and conservative design. Using elegant techniques and materials such as dark woods, the use of upholstery and finishes and curved shapes. Similarly, the presentation of symmetry in traditional pieces also helps to increase the feeling of elegance.

2.8. Contemporary furniture

Contemporary furniture shows modern designs, not showing features of antique furniture prior to the 20th century. As a manufacturing material you will use metals and glass, seeking to achieve a sober atmosphere, with smooth lines, not too overdone, only using accessories in a specific way and using monochromatic designs or simple prints.

2.9. Colonial furniture

Unlike the style of previous furniture, colonial furniture has characteristics of before the 20th century. As its name indicates, it is related to the colonization period, in this way, it will show characteristics of the furniture. European mixed with indigenous materials from Latin America, giving rise to exotic and tropical designs, usually of great size.

2.10. Pop furniture

The most relevant and distinctive characteristics of the pop style of furniture is the use of bold and bright colors, showing originality, rebellion and innovation in designs and using defined lines. Plastic will be a widely used material in this type of furniture and given its characteristics its main purpose is to give an artistic touch to the room.

2.11. Vintage furniture

Vintage furniture is furniture with a certain age, which we repair and restore in order to use it again. In this way, this type of furniture creates an environment that gives the feeling of being in bygone times.

3. Types of furniture according to the function they present

Another way to classify furniture is according to the functionality or service that people give them.

3.1. Furniture to lie down or lie down

In this way, they will be furniture that will provide great comfort, since they are the ones that allow people to accept a stretched posture, as for example would be the case of beds.

3.2. Furniture that acts as a support

These furniture are characterized by having the function of being able to host and store various things. An example of these would be the cabinets.

3.3. Furniture to sit

They are pieces of furniture that, due to their shape, material and structure, allow the person to sit while maintaining a correct posture of their body. As is obvious examples of these types of furniture would be the chairs, sofas or armchairs.

3.4. Special furniture

This type of furniture is not the main or vital piece of furniture in every home, but rather has a utility as accessory, although this fact does not mean that they are not useful since they can be very functional and serve as elements decorative. Classified in these types of furniture we would find for example the clock or the mirrors.