About Modern Wood Furniture
Modern furniture was made after the Victorian period. The furniture style was different, with designers and manufacturers breaking away from the traditional mold of dark carved wood with seated tapestry fabrics, to the geometric and sleek designs of art deco, cubism and futurism. Upholstery fabrics now came in bold colors and patterns. Wood furniture was artistically designed. Pieces were neither traditional nor formal like the wood furniture from the past. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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The modernist movement, from 1925 to 1950, originated from World War II. New types of materials were made for the war effort, and designers discovered different ways to incorporate wood in with the new materials and designs emerging from the arts. The modernist movement started the trend in mass-produced machine-made furniture, because it was in such high demand. The furniture was cutting edge, interesting and affordable. Bent plywood, easily shaped, was the main wood used by furniture designers.
Significance
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The use of plywood for modernist furniture was a new concept at the time. Charles and Ray Eames are especially known for using bent plywood to make their chairs. They are well known for the reclining chair. Furniture made by Eames during this era was known as mid-century modern, because their furniture was made mid-century during the modernist movement.
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Manufacturers
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The Bauhaus and the Werkbund School of modern wood furniture totally did away with the traditional wood furniture of the past. Other noted manufacturers of modern wood furniture include Marcel Breuer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Eileen Gray, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, Lilly Reich, Marcel Breuer and Herman Miller.
Types
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One of the most advanced designers who incorporated wood into his modernist pieces was Isamu Noguchi. He is famous for the Noguchi coffee table. In 1948, he designed an artistic wood base table, which supported a simple sheet of glass.
Significance
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Noguchi's table is one of the most well-known wood furniture examples from the modern furniture movement.
Expert Insight
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Noguchi's initials were stamped into the wood base, which looked more like a piece of sculpture, and to the underside of the glass top.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit wooden furniture design image by araraadt from Fotolia.com
