Fundamentals of Art and Design 3(1+2)

Lesson 06 :Furniture

Storage units

A place for everything and everything placed in its first use is the order of the present day living. Convenience, visibility, accessibility, flexibility and maintenance are important for functionality and orderliness. Types of storage are called by names such as china cabinets, buffets, sideboards, nightstands, hutches, curio cabinets. The most familiar is the chest with drawers or chest of drawers with the depth fairly standardized at between 13 and 15 inches and up to 18 inches in some large sized ones. Fig 6.14 and 6.15 are the different types of storage units for varied purpose

Chest of drawers work best when they are strongly joined, dust proof drawers that slide easily and handles that can be grasped without difficulty. Relative small units that fit together increase flexibility of placement. Drawers combined with shelves and cabinets of different sizes can store a multitude of variously shaped items. Figure 3.14 is a storage unit of modern days.

Now a days, audio visual equipment is often integrated with cabinets and bookshelves or in-built into the wall or as modular units. However each component is equipped with drawers, shelves or both. The present day cupboard or armories/almirah are provided with rods for hanging clothes, shelves and drawers for storage of various items.

Several types of storage units are:
A. Cabinet
B. Chest of drawers
C. Chest on Chest
D. Cupboard or armoire
E. Buffet or side board
F. Double chest of drawers.

Beds: Beds, whether they are individual pieces of furniture or fixed in place components, are always in standard sizes. The sizes have been established over time and are based on two sets of dimensions: 1) human dimensions and 2) the dimensions of sheets and blankets.

A bed is composed of three parts:

1. A bedstead, the structural frame.
2. The springs, coiled or flat, which rest on the bedstead and
3. The mattress resting on the springs.

Like sofas, beds are the simplest kind of construction (Fig. A,B,C,D): a base with or without spring construction- and a mattress, which is made of various materials in several thickness. Some beds have legs, others have a boxed base. A most modern bed is one composed of a mattress resting on a platform base connecting its bulk to the architectural components. Figure 6.16 depicts the different types of beds.

Some platform beds include a storage component in their design to store bed linens and occasionally seldom used clothing or paraphernalia.

Fig A: Older or antique bed designs have unusual proportions because of higher frames and mattresses. These parts were intended to lift the sleeper up, away from drafts.

Fig B: A bed design can be extremely light and thin in construction. Foam material for mattresses makes springs unnecessary.

Fig C: A bed with a boxed frames a solid component. The frame can be visually submerged with the plane by finishing the two parts in the same material and color.

Fig D: When a mattress rests on a platform, it becomes fixed with the architecture on a raised floor plane. A platform for sleeping should extend in one or more directions around the mattress.

The standard sizes of beds are as follow:

1. Cot or bunk bed 30”X75”.
2. Twin bed 39”X75”
3. Three- quarter bed 48”X75”
4. Double, 54 by 75 inches
5. Queen-size bed, 60”X80”
6. King-size bed 72”X80”

These sizes may vary slightly in length or width, but the variation does not cause a problematic misfit with bedclothes. The mattress should be selected only after the design of a bedroom is finalized