Contemporary Furniture
Textured leathers, animal prints, metal hardware, graphic patterns, and high-contrast veneers create a bold, visual panache and are all a part of a unique furniture style. When it comes to contemporary furniture, it’s all about the shape, mix of materials, and colors. The unique designs of contemporary furniture can also break all the rules of symmetry. Today’s contemporary furniture doesn’t cause a media frenzy as much as Scandinavian Modern did in the 1950’s or as much as 1980’s designs. Today’s contemporary furniture, although still trendy and distinctively leading edge when it comes to design, is a bit more demure than in the past in contrast to the designs that rocked the 1950’s.
The timeless Barcelona chair is an ideal example of enduring contemporary furniture design. The functional design of the iconic Barcelona chair was made with the teamwork of the famous Bauhaus architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Lilly Reich. The inspiration for the chair came from the functional folding chairs of ancient times. At first, the Barcelona chair was constructed to simply be bolted together. However, in 1950 stainless steel was used for the frame, thus giving the chair a smoother look. Pigskin was used on the original Barcelona chair but later cowhides were used. This contemporary chair received considerable attention when it was introduced and today there is still a rising degree of interest for this chair.
First introduced in 1948, the Noguchi cocktail table, designed by the famous sculptor Isamu Noguchi, hides nothing and exposes everything about the nature of minimalism. It is a perfect example of practical contemporary furniture design and it set out to redefine typical cocktail tables. Two curved solid wood furniture pieces join to form a stand and a .75 inch clear glass stands on top. Although it looks fragile, it disguises tremendous strength. The notion of less is more applies to this table. As Noguchi said, "Everything is sculpture. Any material, any idea without hindrance born into space, I consider sculpture." One of the most illustrious examples of contemporary furniture of the last century can be seen today in offices as well as private homes.
Introduced in 1956, the comfortable Eames lounge chair and ottoman were designed by Ray and Charles Eames and features classical contemporary furniture design elements. The chair is basically three curved plywood shells with cushions covered in leather. The backrest and the headrest of the chair move. The seat swivels on an aluminum base. The Eames lounge chair and ottoman set out to redefine seating with a unique design and comfort that caters to one and all. The chair together with the ottoman is the perfect combination of function, style, and comfort.
Today’s contemporary furniture is going “green” as well and this will be a priority in the future eco-consciousness. However, the trend is still in its infancy, but many manufacturers, including contemporary furniture manufacturers, are turning to sustainable materials or recycled materials for their products. Several organizations assist furniture manufacturers to adopt sustainable business practices. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is one of them and is dedicated to responsible forest management. FSC instituted an array of forest management practices and their certification program guarantees that the whole production chain, from cutting trees to actual manufacturing, conforms to the utmost standards of forest management. The movement toward environmentally friendly furniture is beginning to take hold and if your next contemporary furniture purchase is FSC certified, you can be assured that all the trees used to make that furniture came from managed forests.
Today’s contemporary furniture design elements offer innovative lifestyle environments and a wide range of categories for bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, accessories, and more. Contemporary furniture is one of the easiest ways to inject a note of exhilaration, sophistication, and vision into any room. There is nothing quite like an intricate geometrical pattern of an area rug to give a revitalization to a predictable room scenery. Customization is and will be another hallmark of contemporary furniture allowing consumers to select dimensions, finishes, fabrics, leathers, or any attributes they desire. Contemporary styled furniture continues to be popular among young and old consumers and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.
To purchase contemporary products go to FOWfurniture.com
