types of furniture - جامعة نزوى · types of furniture: spatial organization grids:...

Prepared by: Ms. Joshima V.M., University of Nizwa, Oman.

TYPES OF FURNITURE:

Furniture are classified under different categories based on:

1. Function

2. Social use

3. Form

4. Spatial organization

5. Typological order

TYPES OF FURNITURE: FUNCTION BASED

Examples of furniture classified under

categories of utility/function:

• Human Body Support

• Activities

• Containing

• Defining Spaces


Human Body Support: Furniture directly supports the

human body in the course of sitting, resting and

sleeping.

At a minimum, human body support should allow for

minimum body movement, support the weight of

the body as evenly as possible and minimize

uncomfortable pressure points.


Activities: Eating, Reading, Typing, Writing

People depend on furniture for a variety of

activities and furniture influences how one

experience these activities.

Eg: how one experiences a meal, reads a book,

types a report etc.


Containing: Storing, Displaying, Organizing.

Case goods are freestanding elements, generally

made of wood. Eg: book case, drawers etc

Casework is typically custom fabricated for the

specific contents. Kitchen cabinets, pantries

etc.


Defining Spaces: Enclosing, Shaping,

Partitioning

Spaces can be divided or unified through built-

in-furniture, screens and shelving systems.

TYPES OF FURNITURE: SOCIAL USE 1. Healthcare 2. Hospitality

3. Institutional

4. Multifunctional 5. Office

6. Residential

7. Religious 8. Retail

9. Recreational

TYPES OF FURNITURE: SOCIAL USE

Healthcare: for those who require assistance.

Healthcare furniture include wheelchairs,

rollaway carts, lift chairs and adjustable tables

Lift chairs assist those with disabilities in

getting into and out of a seated postion.


Early wheelchairs that were

heavy and rigid are

replaced with lightweight

titanium wheel chair for

athletic purposes.

Power wheel chair use

digital technology for

automatic brakes and

anti-tipping devices. And

are electronically

controlled for easy

moving.


Most of the ICU beds today

are air inflated,

temperature controlled,

movable, and adjustable

in height, length and

width. Most of them

work closely with the

healthcare devices to ease

body discomfort and save

lives.


Hospitality: for public and social interactions.

Eg: lounge seating, restaurant chairs and tables,

lobby seating and reception desks.


Institutional: used in classrooms, libraries &

training facilities. Also known as contract

furniture.

Eg: stackable chairs, fixed seating for

auditoriums, lecture rooms, folding seats,

shelving systems etc


Multifunctional: most

furniture in small spaces are

designed to serve more than

one purpose.

Valet chair designed by

Hans.G.Wegner. Designed

as a stool with small storage

and that can take coats or

jackets.


Multifunctional:

Another example of a

multifunctional furniture is

the Futons.

Traditional bedding system

that can be stored away

when not in use or can be

used as a seat.


Multifunctional:

Storage/ Display units used

for store and display

products as well as to define

and organize space.

Wirecube designed by

Verner Panton (1970)

brings the utility and visual

language of traditional

Baker’s rack.

EG: ACTION OFFICE SYSTEM DESIGNED BY

ROBERT PROPST, INTRODUCED BY HERMAN

MILLER IS THE FIRST PANEL BASED OPEN-PLAN

OFFICE SYSTEM IN THE WORLD.


Office: ergonomic seating, workstations and

Systems furniture

• Primary themes behind Action office are open communication areas,

flexibility for spatial and functional change and incorporating a greater

sense of user control throughout the workplace.

• Action office was developed as a system of components that can be

configured and reconfigured as needed over time.

• The ability of individual to control their physical and ambient work

environments was responsive to the growing trend.

• Since then the concept of networking, teaming and hoteling have

developed in the culture of workplaces and in turn have inspired new

office systems and new product lines.

• Action office design principles are space-saving benefits, durability,

design options, and interchangeable components.


Residential: social gathering, dining, organizing

& resting

http://coolshire.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/discount-sofa.jpg


Religious: Altars, Arks and Minbars- to perform

specific religious rituals.

Altar is a focal point for the celebration of the

mass in Christian churches.


Ark is the most important liturgical furniture in

a Jewish Synagogue.


Minbar is a high podium, an elevated structure

from which the Islamic sermon is given during

Friday communal prayers. It is located in front

of the assembly near the mihrab. Metaphoric

elements are typically incorporated in the

minbar and include a gate, ascending steps to

heaven, portal and open door.


Retail: to display, store, transact and sell.

Retail furnishing should be flexible, durable and

require low maintenance, and promote the

sale of merchandise.


Retail: to display, store, transact and sell.

Examples are storage containers/ shelving

systems used for organizing and accessing.

Cash-wraps and reception counters are another

important furniture pieces.


Recreational: Play, Leisure and Outdoor

furnishing- for gaming and leisure activities.

Poker tables, Foosball tables and PingPong

tables are examples of leisure and play.

Concepts of health, safety and welfare are the

important considerations.


Recreational: Play, Leisure and Outdoor

furnishing- for gaming and leisure activities.

Outdoor furniture made of wood are to be

maintained yearly with a UV protecting and

penetrating oil.

Aluminum is another popular material fro

outdoor furniture because its is light weight

and weathers well.

TYPES OF FURNITURE: FORMS

• Form creates the physical and spatial

structure of the furniture.

• Form results from the many ways of thinking

about structure, materials, function, social

use and technical considerations.

• Form also reveals the shape of the furniture.

• Shape is dependent on the descriptive

geometry.


Shape of furniture is organized into 5 sections:

1. Angular

2. Curvilinear

3. Composite

4. Orthogonal

5. Sectional/Modular


Angular:

Composed of angles, lines and planes.

Which is Canted, non orthogonal and non

curvilinear geometry.

Zig-Zag chair, designed

and fabricated by Gerrit

Rietveld. 1934.

Has bold angular

relationships between

chair support, seat pan

and seat back.

The diagonal cantilever

is made of dovetailed,

glued and screwed

joinery.


Curvilinear

Shapes with no sharp

edges and angles.

Poul Kjaerholm’s PK9

chair in 1961. composed

of curved fiberglass seat

covered with leather and

curved steel supports.


Curvilinear

Compound curves are curvilinear shapes that

bend in two or more directions.


Composite

Utilizes two or more geometric systems or

materials.

Eg: Curvilinear and Orthogonal forms using

or Stone and Wood in one piece.


Composite

Naguchi Coffee Table is

a composite of

biomorphic-shaped

wood supports and

curvilinear glass top.


Orthogonal

Made of Rectangular geometric forms created

by lines, planes and volumes positioned at

90degree to one another.

Armoires, beds, shelves and sofas are often

orthogonal due to their size, cost of

fabrication and spatial proximity to a wall.


Orthogonal

Donald Judd’s Plywood Box chairs (1991) is his

exploration of light, form and order expressed

through orthogonal geometry.


Sectional/Modular

Composed of individual components that can

be arranged in various ways.

Designed as flexible systems that can be

assembled, disassembled and reconfigured.


Sectional and Modular are often used

interchangeably, but distinctions should be

made.

Sectional furnishings are arrangements of

components that can be composed in various

ways. The components need not be similar or

even proportional to one another.


Modular furnishing rely upon proportional

correlation between components, with

repeatable geometric relation between parts,

which may be arranged in a variety of ways.

Waterlily, by Troels Grum. A modular seating.

Modularity and curvilinear forms makes it

flexible.

TYPES OF FURNITURE: SPATIAL

ORGANIZATION

Furniture designer should consider the :

• Spatial relationships between people and

furniture.

• Spatial relationships between various

components of furniture.

• Spatial composition of furniture and interior

space.


ORGANIZATION

1. Centralized

2. Clustered

3. Grids

4. Linear

5. Radial


ORGANIZATION Centralized

Focused towards the center of the space.

Centralized space at Eero

Saarinen’s chapel in MIT.

Built-in marble altar, a circular

light lantern located in the

chapel’s ceiling and a metal

sculputre by Harry Bertoia

centered above the altar.

The size, location, orientation and

surface articulation of these

three components, with the

dynamic effect of daylight

brough into the chapel from

the lantern, influence the

perception of centralized

typology.


ORGANIZATION Clustered

Group of three or more elements ( or axial

orientations) sharing the same field.

Many office systems are designed to fit a broad

range of spatial layouts.


ORGANIZATION Grids: Furniture arranged in a grid pattern

to organize/layout a space. Grids are useful in

bringing order in spatial organization.

Albert Reichmuth’s wine

store based on 3D grids.

Extruded cubes

organised along x,y and

z co-ordinates.


ORGANIZATION Linear

Conceived as a line, either straight or curves,

warps and transforms.


ORGANIZATION Linear Bookworm, designed by Ron Arad (1994). The eye

follows the line from beginning to the end

point. Wavy linear characteristics are expressed

through edges, seams and planes of furniture.


ORGANIZATION Linear DU longue seating by Gulen Cevik and Jim Postell

integrates upright and reclining postures. Wavy

edges and juxtaposing planar surfaces visually

express linear movement.


ORGANIZATION Radial: Furniture elements radiate from center

to outward. Outward oriented spaces.

Tatlin II sette, by Semprini/ Canazi (1989) is

designed to orient users outward into space.

TYPES OF FURNITURE:

TYPOLOGICAL ORDERS 1. Assembled/disassembled or Flat-pack/Knockdown

2. Built-in (Case work)

3. Freestanding( Case good)

4. Inflatable

5. Transformable

6. Movable

TYPES OF FURNITURE:

TYPOLOGICAL ORDERS

Assemble/disassemble

Furniture that is sold as unassembled and

cunsumer assembles it.

Also known as RTA (Ready – to- assemble)

furniture. Or Flat pack furnishings. Swedish furniture company IKEA sells unassembled, flat-pack furniture and controls

expenses in getting products to market.

Expenses on distributing furniture is reduced and passed on to consumers .

TYPES OF FURNITURE:

TYPOLOGICAL ORDERS

Built-in

Furniture that is integrated with/attached to

the floor, wall or ceiling.

Can enhance the continuity of architecture and

interior spaces.

Built-in study carousels in Exeter

Library, designed by Architect Louis

Kahn..

TYPES OF FURNITURE:

TYPOLOGICAL ORDERS

Chieftain Longue chair, by Finn Juhl

(1949). Attractive from its back as it

is from the front.

Freestanding: Furniture units that are

experienced/accessed from multiple

locations.

TYPES OF FURNITURE:

TYPOLOGICAL ORDERS

Inflatable

Furniture that can be blown with air or water

to gain its desired form. Eg: waterbeds,

inflatable air mattress, therapy ball etc.

TYPES OF FURNITURE:

TYPOLOGICAL ORDERS

Inflatable

Blow chair designed by Jonathan de Pas et.al for Zanotta.

One of the first commercial furniture with a thin

membrane of PVC, low voltage weld-seams and air.

TYPES OF FURNITURE:

TYPOLOGICAL ORDERS

Mechanical (Transformative Machines for

Living)

Furniture with mechanical joinery that allows

to transform into different shapes.

Chair-table designed by Alessandro Mendini in

1984. an arm chair that ressembled a throne

with a pivotal back that could easily convert

to a table. Manufactured by Zanotta.

TYPES OF FURNITURE:

TYPOLOGICAL ORDERS

Movable: That can be moved to different

locations without difficulty to enhance

function.

Alvar Alto’s Tea Trolley (1934)

designed to roll about easily.

Large wheels are painted

wood and are banded with

rubber to reduce noise caused

by movement.

Office Furniture designed by

F.L.Wright for Johnson’s wax

HQ (1937). Uses casters to

freely roll about in space at a

time when many chairs of the

same typology did not.

THANK YOU!!

types of furniture - جامعة نزوى · types of furniture: spatial organization grids:...

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