Furniture

Folding beds were intended - at least partially - to be space savers in urban apartments. Sometimes, tenants had more people than rooms and a bed that could be concealed in a wall or piece of furniture could be very handy when it came time for the family (and perhaps guests) to retire.

Such beds are often called "Murphy beds" because William Lawrence Murphy (1876-1959) applied for the first patent of one right at the turn of the 20th century. ...

Yeah, yeah, we know about IKEA. For better or worse, it's the place where many of us go to furnish our homes affordably without having to go through the hassle of going to a furniture store. However, you're not always going to live close to the mothership of "First Apartment Furniture" -- or, maybe you just don't want to set foot in an IKEA. Your choice. If you want to furnish your home cheaply, here's a reminder about frequently-overlooked places ...

Wicker furniture has long been known as a versatile, relatively inexpensive design option. But today’s wicker is taking its image one giant step further with gorgeous, contemporary, even hard-edged styling. If you think wicker is just for chintzy cottages or student apartments furnished on the cheap, it’s time to take another look. Here are the facts, good and bad, on wicker furniture.

Wicker is not actually a type of material but rather the ...

Back when 3D printing was just kicking off, there was much talk of a future where people could download new furniture designs, print them, and furnish their living rooms with new pieces whenever they pleased. Despite the fact that 3D printing your own custom-designed furniture is totally possible now, it hasn’t really caught on. This is mostly due to the fact that 3D printers aren’t a common household appliance yet, but even if they were, making ...

You want furniture that's affordable but also built to last. Here's how you figure that out.

What to look for:

1. Know your wood types. Wood furniture falls into three categories:

• Solid wood furniture is typically more expensive than other types and looks great, but can be susceptible to scratches and water rings.
• Veneers have an inexpensive wood base covered by several thin layers of better-quality wood.

...

Dutch designer Jorrit Taekema has created the Layer Chair to represent his views on the future of the production of furniture that will use new sustainable materials.
For the Layer Chair, he used a composition consisting of coconut fibers and natural latex.