Wooden Furniture as an Art
The main purpose of furniture is to support human activities and needs, however, furniture is not intended merely to serve its original purpose for a long time but also has a decorative value. In fact, it is the furniture that plays the key role in your home’s style, aesthetic appeal and functionality which is why a chair for example is much more than just a place to sit. And the same counts for just about all other pieces of furniture. Furthermore, furniture can also have an artistic value.
Today, most people’s homes are furnished with mass produced furniture which can be highly aesthetically appealing but cannot be defined as art. Some contemporary pieces of furniture can reflect an exceptional creativity in design and overall appearance, while the best furniture designers are often considered artists rather than only designers. But these pieces of furniture cannot compare to artistic value of handcrafted furniture, especially the older pieces which reveal an extraordinary attention to slightest detail.
Before industrialization of furniture making, each piece of furniture was handmade. The majority of population owned only a few pieces of wooden furniture which, however, did not have an artistic value. But the pieces of furniture that were owned by the highest classes of society were artworks in every aspect and are still admired in museums and rarely in private homes for their unmatched craftsmanship. And in contrary to modern furniture which is usually produced in hundreds or thousands of identical pieces, each piece of furniture used to be unique.
Due to exceptional artistic value and partly also due to historical value, antique furniture never really went out of fashion and remains highly sought after worldwide. And despite significantly higher prices, the number of people who choose antique furniture over the one made of newly cut wood is rapidly rising. Due to increased interest in handmade furniture with elaborate decoration and artistic endeavour, the antique furniture market can no longer meet the demand and that made room for smaller wood workshops offering handmade furniture which is either made of newly cut wood or reclaimed wood.
The artistic value of modern handmade furniture varies greatly from one workshop to another but there are a few that rival the finest pieces of antique furniture. Another great thing about modern handmade furniture is the fact that it can be made of both brand new timber and wood which has a history such as reclaimed wood. Furniture made from reclaimed wood for example is made exclusively from wood that is obtained from wooden buildings such as barns before they are demolished. This enables homeowners who are after artistically made furniture to choose between furniture with a history and furniture which has never been used before. Although antique furniture is highly valued for both its artistic and historical value, some people would simply like to enjoy beautifully made furniture that is new. In addition, this furniture does not only have an artistic value but it is also made with a great deal of attention to the needs of modern lifestyle offering a high level of functionality at the same time.