This document provides a history of furniture from ancient civilizations through the Middle Ages. It describes the characteristics of furniture in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and various periods of the Middle Ages including Early Medieval, Romanesque, and Gothic. Key furniture items discussed include thrones, chairs, stools, couches, tables, beds, chests, and cupboards. The furniture evolved over time, with later civilizations often adopting and modifying styles from earlier ones while adding new decorative elements or craftsmanship techniques. Furniture served important social and symbolic functions in each culture.

1. HISTORY OF FURNITURE
IN
INTERIOR DESIGN
SUMBITTED BY- SUBMITTED TO-
ANAS KHAN Ar. HUMA MATLOOB
ROLL NO - 15DPID-338
ENROLL NO- GI7996
 MESOPOTAMIA:-The word mesopotamia means the land between two
rivers tigris and euphrates.

2.  CHARACTERISTICS OF MESOPOTAMIAN FURNITURE:-
A throne,kursi,takht,simhasan or an elaborate chair symbolizethe divine so
people only with authority wereentitled to it. Only the king was seated others
juststood around and therefore stools,chairs and couches aremost common
here. In this civilization couch was used for sleeping.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF FURNITURE:-
 Idea of settlement of society.
 Level of culture and education.
 Indication of socialstatus.
 Technological aspects.
 Personalstatement.
 Attitude towards furniture.
 Indicator of social concepts.
 Item of luxury.
 Imitating art forms.
 Art formitself.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF EGYPTIAN FURNITURE:-

3.  Patrician:- Only the egyptian royalty and dignities used furniturebut
masses did not and for this reason even the earliest specimens of furniture
are highly elaborated and luxurious.
 Range Of Furniture:- Theegyptian rangeof furniturecovered all the basic
items of furniturelike stools,chairs,tables,beds etc.
 Monumental Aspects:- Theegyptian furniturewas monumental by this, it
is not meant that this made on large scale but it is inspired and fear of
authority.
 Visual Impact:- Like other egyptian art furnitureand its decoration is highly
usual.
 Symbolic Presentation:- Theegyptian furnituremakers enjoyed the use of
symbols in their creations.
 Imitatationof Other Arts:- Itseems theegyptian furnituremaker love to
imitate other arts in their craft.
 Love of Ebony:- The egyptian liked ebony not only for its hardness but
because it had to be imported at great scale and so it is a state symbol.
 Ignorance of Drawers:- The egyptian never used drawers in bigger items of
furniture.
 Excellence Craftmenship:- Theegyptian were excellent craftsmens
technically. They used plain-butt joint,dovetail joint and halving joints in
their work.
 Folding Furniture:- They possessed lightfolding furniturelike folding beds
and stools.
 Peculiarity of Bed:- The egyptians bed did not havepillows but havehead
rests and foot boards.
 FittedFurniture:- They werewell awareof fitted furnitureconcept.

4.  IMPORTANCE OF GREEK FURNITURE:-
Ancient greek and roman together are known as the antiquity. The antique style
have influence western design. For Example:- the greek used klismos a type of
chair which is in vary formhas been divide time and again by post medieval chair
makers. This formis so popular that the antiquency is even now in showroom.
Chairs:- Greek chair can be split into two basic types throne and klismos.
Thrones were derivefrom the Egyptians and Mesopotamians and klismos
fromthe indogeneous sources. Thrones wereconsidered as the seats of
god in the temples. Wealthy people also used thrones.
Klismos:- Nothing has influenced the posterity as much as the klismos.
Revolution of klismos generally approximated that of art. Klismos is totally
practical,light comfortable and contemporary design and due to these
virtues if it is associated with woman and domestic ambians in greek art.
Onewith four straight usually turned legs. A favourite of
greek gods and housewifealike and another folding X-stool, use outdoors carried
by slaves or their masters. The tools usually had animal legs ending in inward
facing lions paws.
Couches:- The greek couch was taken fromEgyptian model and was light in
weight but it was morelike sofa cum bed. Itwas higher and a stool was
used for access allowing easy surveying of food and had a head board and

5. no foot board allowing the dinner to lean.
Tables:- A typical greek table was smallportable and of a height to allow it
to be pushed under a couch in instead of four, it had three legs which made
it more stable on uneven surfaceand was mainly used in dining.
Chest:- Greek used chests boxes for storageof things somewere richly
decorated. Someof shelves were also decorated.
 ROME:-
Romans adopted all greek furniturebut due to their imperior nature. They added
grandules and luxury to them. Romans used luxurious materials like
gold,silver,copper and ivory with the useof precious woods in lay in various
materials. Roman furniturecovered a wide range and expressed a highly settled
and luxurious mode of living and despite all that it lack a few facilities like
upholstery.

6. Chairs:- Thrones fromgreeks continued though klismos disappeared and
barrel shapetub chair became popular. This chair has been the most
enduring form continuing upto a century.
Stools:- Stools were also a continuation of greek ones and ordinary folding
x-stool was the symbolof roman majistrates authority.
Couches:- Couches were the seats to sit relax and sleep.

7. Table:- Tables werea continuation of greek rectangular and circular tripod
forms with added features integrate carving and fine ornamentation.
 HISTORY OF FURNITURE IN MIDDLE AGE:- Early Medieval (500-
1000 A.D)
 Characteristics Of Early Medieval Ages:-
After the fall of Roman Empire. Europe some into darkness. Therewas nothing
which could be termed as civilization. As this area covers a period between the
ancient and the modern period is known as the middle ages or medieval. The
early medieval which spreads 5-10th
century is known as the dark ages due to its
ignorance.
Chairs:- Chairs was the seat of authority for princess and nobles. Common
people saton three legs stools or on boxes. Thrones of wood was very
common. Chairs consistof turned members and wereelaborately painted.
Sometime they had arm rests and high backs.

8. Stools and benches:- Folding x-framestools were used in the roman
fashion. Four leg stools with turned or rectangular members were painted
and benches were used as tables
.
Chest and boxes:- They were most common items. They consistof four
vertical boards with the base and a lid.
Table and desks:- Benches and chest were used as tables.
 ROMANESQUE (1000-1100 A.D):-
Later medieval period is divided into two periods into two periods Romanesque
and gothic. This is the period when there were fights between europian Christians
and Muslims. Europians learned a lot frommuslims which resulted in a new spirit
of arch and architecture called gothic but whatwe call Romanesqueperiod was

9. dominated by crudeand ill proportioned round archis and slightly better
workmanship thatinfluence furnituremaking also.
 Characterstics of Romanesque furniture:-
Arcading dominated all form of furnitureand painting or bright colour was
practiced mostof the furniturewas either removableor built in classicalforms
continued with carved architectural decoration and the furniturewas formal and
splendid.
Chairs:- Chairs were the symbolof authority and its members were mostly
of turned wood.

10. Tables:- Table of various shapeis used. The majority of tables were
movable and somehad semi circular tops.
Cupboards:- Cupboards weremade as plane shelves or in the formof
planks without framework or paneling.
Beds:- Beds had two forms onewith turned members elaborately frame
and another was based on chestconstruction and both had curtains
suspended fromthe rod around the bed.

11.  GOTHIC PERIOD (1200-1300 A.D):-
Gothic style began in francein 1150 and Islamic civilization was its main
inspiration. Gothic is symbolized by tall slim pointed arches which came from
Islamic east. Tracery was another important feature which sepped from
architecture to furniture.
Various kinds of wood were used depending upon
availability. Oak was a chief timber whereas other woods wereused such as
lime,apple and pear. Many types of stools wereused. X-shaped stoolof antique
origin was common. More common was the three legs stool with very shortlegs.
In the 15th
century a new type of stoolcalled slab endeds stools emerged. Ithad a
flat top of plank supported at both ends by two planks.
Chairs:- Thrones wereseemed to be more common than simple chair. They
did not more because they wereheavy among the simple chair the most
common was the tub chair.

12. Tables:- Gothic tables were of two types fixed and movable. The movable
table wereusually board tressless mostwriting desk were boxes with
sloping top to allow convenient writing.
Chest:- Chestwere the most wide spread and popular items of the gothic
period. The once with the flat top were used as a bench or a table. The
chest weremade by hallowing out a tree trunk this is the reason the chest
were also called as trunk.