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Modern Materials in Furniture

October 3rd 2014

Modern Materials in Furniture

Long gone are the days when wood or a cheap wood look-a-like were your main options when buying new furniture — these days furniture designers are employing all sorts of unusual and fabulous materials to create classic, as well as some pretty extraordinary, pieces.

Although wood and certain metals might still be thought of as fairly safe, traditional materials, they certainly aren’t always used to create traditional pieces anymore — at present designers are using some really interesting techniques to achieve a modern look — meaning that what we often consider to be ordinary materials are actually capable of doing some quite extraordinary things in the world of furniture and interior design in general. Blackened and burnt wood is definitely a very up-to-the minute way of using an otherwise conventional material, giving a smouldering, rich look to the furniture it creates, whilst computer-controlled production means a precision is possible that was not before, giving rise to some stunning shapes and a look at a whole other side to traditional timbers.

 

 

 blackened-and-burnt-wood-furniture

If sleek and minimalist furniture is your thing, then you will be well catered for by the modern materials that are currently making an appearance on the furniture scene. Whilst you may be well aware of composites – made from a combination of stones and resin – such as Corian, being used in kitchens as worktops, they are cropping up more and more in furniture design. Seamless and solid, composites come in an almost endless range of colours and textures and can be moulded into pretty much any shape that takes a designer’s fancy — composites are also durable and easy to look after from a customer’s point of view.

corian

 

 

Along a similar vein, acrylics, resins, plastics and polymers are all being widely used for furniture right now. Their translucent qualities make them perfect for spaces where a flow of light is important and the huge spectrum of colours they are available in look even more fantastic when lit up by both natural daylight as well as thoughtfully-placed artificial lighting. Many plastics and polymers used in furniture design these days are also made from renewable raw materials – such as industrial waste, for example – meaning minimal environmental impact to worry about.

acrylics-resins-plastics-and-polymers

 

And on that subject, the reuse of old materials, previously considered junk, means that a lot of the modern furniture being made now features items that have been up-cycled — think old car seats, ski lifts, scrap metal, bits and bobs washed up on the seashore – eco-friendly and all with their own story to tell. Biodegradable materials too are much-used at present — padding for armchairs made from wool fibres discarded by carpet manufacturers, for example, or cardboard. In fact cardboard is becoming far more commonplace in furniture world and is surprisingly sturdy and long-lasting used in the right way — as well as sustainable.

upcycled-cardboard-furniture

Finally, materials that were traditionally designed to perform a function rather than to be looked at are also now hot news. Tables, chairs and coffee tables made from steel wires and metal pipework add industrial-chic and are made to last, whilst chipboard, sanded and polished is very on-trend, not just as a modern furniture material, but in interiors in general as a material for flooring, walls and staircases too. 

metal-pipework

 

 

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