“I love my new recliner! Your staff was awesome to deal with all the way through, from helping select it to delivery.” - Keith B.
Fun facts about Furniture!
We all like a little bit of useless knowledge to store away for those Trivia nights out, or to channel your very best Cliff Claven at the bar with your friends. This month we are offering up a few bits of frivolous wisdom all about furniture.
- The word “furniture” comes from the French word “fournir” which means “ to furnish”.
- Charles Darwin inspired the design for our modern office chair. He fitted his occasional chair with cast iron bed legs and then attached castors to move around his office faster and more efficiently.
- The famous “Chesterfield” sofa was made for well-to-do gentlemen and enable them sit in their exclusive clubs for long hours without creasing their suits.
- One of the oldest bookshelves in the world is located in the Bodleian library at Oxford University. “The Bods” library dates back to the 15th century.
- Winged back furniture was designed to keep you warm. The curved back helps retain the body heat of the sitter. Perfect to cozy up by the fire.
- The first completely upholstered chair was crafted in 1705 and called a “Sleeping Chayre” because it had a design that allowed leaning the head on its backrest or its sides.
- There are examples of bed structures dating back to Egypt and other countries from 3000BC. They would have been a simple angled platform padded with grass or hay in cloth bags. Later beds were strapped with ropes to hold up the “mattress”. They would have occasionally need tightened when they sagged, giving us the term “Good night, sleep tight”.
- During the 16th Century, bunk beds were first used by sailors on ships to save space. It wasn’t until the 18oo’s that they became popular in homes, also taking advantage of the space conserving properties.
- In 1927 cousins Edward Knabusch and Edwin shoemaker quit their jobs to design furniture. In 1928 they built the first La-Z-Boy recliner, a folding wood slat chair. Fast forward to today when La-Z-Boy chairs are capable of rocking, swivelling, gliding and lifting. They also now can be equipped with massage and heat functions, storage compartments, and wireless chargers for your phone.
While it’s all fun and games to win the coveted triangle piece in Trivial Pursuit, the staff at Homestead pride themselves with current and practical knowledge of today’s furniture and the up coming trends.