Review of modern furniture, latest designs, design ideas

The most important attribute for creating a cozy interior in an apartment is modern furniture. Multifunctionality, simplicity, aesthetic appeal and compactness are the main directions of development in the furniture industry. Most apartments have a small living space. To compensate for this disadvantage, manufacturers are coming up with new ways to make furniture more compact, but retain functionality. Let's look at how designers achieve this, and what features are used in modern solutions.

Peculiarities

Modern home furniture has a number of differences from models of the last or the century before:

• Appearance;
• Design;
• Material;
• Functionality;
• Number of moving elements;
• Production technology;
• Build quality.

If you look at the development of furniture, you can see a desire for minimalism. Current products are compact in size, light in weight, have a simple design and still fully perform their functions. Using chairs as an example, one can clearly see trends towards increased comfort and simplified design.

There is an interesting version of the change in priorities in the development of furniture. Previously, landowners, slave owners, kings. They didn’t work themselves and mostly invested money in furniture and home improvement to show off to others. Therefore, priority was given more to beauty, size and appearance than functionality and mobility. When people's rights were equalized, the need for excessive pomp disappeared and ergonomics and practicality came to the fore.

Useful tips on how to choose furniture for a studio apartment

Young families looking for their first home often choose studio apartments. The demand for such real estate is not surprising - its cost is the most affordable for this social group. After the purchase, the question arises of how to choose furniture for the apartment in order to make the most of the space in one room.

Layout features

The space of the studio apartment is formed by one large room, in which there are no partitions. In the process of interior design, the room must be zoned - highlight the kitchen, dining room, bedroom and living room. In addition, if a young couple is planning a child, then you should choose furniture taking into account the space for the baby.

In such circumstances, the main condition when buying furniture is functionality and practicality. Today, many manufacturers take into account the popularity of such apartments and produce a fairly large number of interior items for small-sized residential premises.

Varieties

There are 5 ways to classify furniture products. This is done according to the following criteria:

1. Purpose;
2. Functionality;
3. Material;
4. Design;
5. Exploitation.

Let's consider the design varieties separately and find the advantages and disadvantages of each of the available solutions.

Built-in furniture

The latest design trends involve economical use of free space. Distinctive characteristics of the built-in design:

• Suitable for installation in niches;
• There is no back/side surfaces, instead there are walls;
• Lots of free space inside;
• Economical use of space;
• Tight fit to the wall;
• Effective use of the vertical plane;
• Reliability.

It has become fashionable to install sliding wardrobes. Sliding doors are placed between the two walls, like in compartment cars, and the interior space is used for storing things. The doors are covered with a mirror film, which visually expands the room. A convenient solution for small rooms or rooms with high ceilings.

Built-in furniture is often placed along the entire wall to maximize free space and use it for storage. The wall itself is part of the furniture. A few photos as an example.

Transformer and retractable elements are often built into modern furniture. When you raise the mobile element, you get a full-fledged table and workplace; when you lower it, you get a bed. Convenient and ergonomic.

Advantages:

• Space saving;
• Ergonomic design;
• Collapsible design;
• Sectional division of space;
• Product strength;
• Effective use of vertical space.

Flaws:

• The need to design the structure individually for the apartment;
• Difficulty moving.

Modular options

The most common are modular products. The complete set consists of many different modules: cabinets, shelves, drawers. This solution is popular due to its ease of movement. If necessary, modular furniture can be easily rearranged or moved to another room. Therefore, such options are often used in offices.

Pros:

• Fits freely into the interior of different rooms;
• You can buy sets separately;
• Easy to move.

The disadvantages include the risk of errors when joining modules.

Transformer cases

High-tech furniture implies increased functionality and ergonomic use of space. A person uses a bed mainly only for sleeping; the rest of the time it simply takes up free space. Therefore, the designers came up with an interesting solution - to use both surfaces of the product. On one side there is one piece of furniture (table, wardrobe, sofa), and on the other side there is a mattress or other soft surface.

Advantages:

• Convenient for saving space;
• Multifunctionality;
• Non-standard look.

Flaws:

• Must be disassembled before use;
• Many moving elements (high risk of breakage);
• Difficulty in self-repair of the structure;
• Over time, fasteners need to be repaired.

Cushioned furniture

This category includes beds, sofas, armchairs, chairs, poufs and other soft products. There is huge potential for imagination here. Non-standard shapes, colors, upholstery, designs. In this assortment, every buyer will be able to find a product to his liking.

In Rus', soft beds appeared by the 17th century. Before this, people of different classes spent the night on stoves, shelves under the ceiling or on benches.

Upholstered furniture can be divided into:

• Sofas (sofas, chaise longue, couch, ottoman);
• Beds;
• Poufs;
• Armchairs.

Sofas and armchairs often have a folding design. If necessary, the lower part can be pulled out and the living room sofa turns into a full double bed. A convenient solution, especially if someone is staying overnight.

They differ from each other mainly due to their design. Recently, poufs have been gaining popularity - comfortable and beautiful analogues of chairs. They bring comfort to the apartment and dilute the same type of interior with bright colors.

In upholstered furniture, close attention must be paid to the choice of upholstery and filling materials. They determine the appearance and service life of the product. For home and office spaces, it is better to choose dense fabrics such as tapestry or courtesan; they are easy to clean and are not subject to physical damage.

Popular styles

The design of apartments or country houses often combines elements of classic, modern, loft, and the color scheme is limited only by the imagination of the owners. Interior fashion offers popular styles that are used to decorate furniture items.

Solution for books

To give an apartment a specific style, it is enough to use its individual elements in the design: chairs, lamps, curtains. This will not “overload” the rooms; if the owners wish, such items can be easily moved to the next room.

High tech

Interiors in this style are recognizable by their metal design elements, the color scheme is a combination of black and white, and the practicality of the furniture comes to the fore. Glass tables with metal legs and narrow tabletops, low TV stands made of thick glossy MDF are elements of high-tech style.

Classic version in high-tech style

This solution looks most appropriate in spacious rooms. The abundance of glossy surfaces, sliding partitions, and the open type of design of communications look rich, so it is necessary to “soften” the interior with textile items. Furnishings with a high-tech touch are suitable for:

• A kitchen combined with a living room is a possible place to install a set with glossy facades or chairs with chrome legs, characteristic of the high-tech style.
• Spacious bathrooms can be equipped with glass vanity units, metal laundry baskets, and plain ottomans of strict geometric shapes.

Suitable for a combined kitchen with living room

The living room is a spacious room for creating a high-tech interior. Built-in “walls” without bright fittings and decor, an abundance of lighting and storage sections create coziness without overloading the room.

Do not overload in high-tech style

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Loft

The combination of “unkempt” brick walls, open utilities, old shelves and chests made of natural wood creates a gloomy loft style.

Leather armchairs with wine upholstery, soft poufs, hammocks, stylized drawers and storage chests, open book shelving are popular items for such furnishings.

Leather loft style chairs

Thanks to the contrasting colors, abundance of accessories and brick walls, the loft style is only partially used in apartments, creating accents. The entire style is appropriate in the setting:

• A hallway or hall space, where a stylized chest will become a bright accessory and a place to store necessary things.
• A living room or a spacious balcony provides space for a low table made of natural wood or an open bookcase.

The style is great for large rooms

Individual accessories, for example, loft-style lamps, look appropriate in the kitchen and living room. The style of the room should be neutral; it is better to choose light shades.

The combination of furniture in loft aesthetics with neutral interior decoration creates a rich interior in contrasting colors.

Neutral decoration in the interior of the room

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Scandinavian style

Light shades, natural materials and plenty of storage space create an understated, understated Scandinavian style. Rooms decorated in neutral shades can be complemented with brightly colored furniture. Metal bar stools, soft armchairs, low tables and wide chests of drawers made of solid wood or MDF are typical furnishings for a Scandinavian interior.

Scandinavian style is the obligatory presence of soft chairs

The cozy Scandinavian style looks appropriate in any apartment; textile bedspreads, lighting fixtures or paintings will add bright accents.

Maximum light, air and space

Discreet, compact Scandinavian-style furniture looks good in different rooms:

• A small kitchen will seem more spacious if you furnish it with a light built-in set made of natural wood.
• A bedroom furnished in a loft style will create a calm environment for relaxation. Natural materials and light shades guarantee a comfortable night's rest.
• A work area, office or part of the living room, furnished with items in this style, will look neutral, ensuring comfortable work.

Peaceful environment for relaxation

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Provence

Bleached oak with an aged effect, floral patterns, an abundance of floor lamps and forged elements are characteristic features of the Provence style. Thanks to its rich, feminine color scheme, this style is used to decorate bedrooms or boudoirs. Wooden armchairs with floral upholstery, bleached oak wardrobes, and wrought-iron beds with floral decorations are suitable for decorating bedrooms, living rooms, and work areas.

Feminine colors of Provence

Bright furniture in the Provence style will become the accent of rooms decorated in subdued colors. Round coffee tables, small chests of drawers and trellises complement:

• Spacious bedrooms in light colors, while bright floral patterns of upholstery attract the attention of guests.
• Living rooms, including spacious options combined with a kitchen. Elegant tables and armchairs in the Provence style add coziness to the room without overloading it.

Elegant tables and chairs

Small floral ornaments and vintage wood look most appropriate in country houses; they also complement large seating areas on balconies and loggias. Wicker chairs with soft upholstery, wrought-iron banquettes, compact chests of drawers are suitable for the daily relaxation of a large family.

Latest materials

Production is being improved, modern materials for furniture are appearing, fabrics and fillings are being improved. Therefore, the quality of products gradually increases, and the price decreases. Modern high-quality furniture has the following innovations:

• Aluminum profiles;
• “Cooking” of wooden parts;
• Chipboard/MDF to replace natural wood;
• Tamburite;
• Seamless connections between DPS and plastic;
• Frameless bases;
• New types of padding and covering surfaces;
• Advanced sleeping systems.

Aluminum profiles connect parts in areas with high loads. Such solutions lighten the weight of the structure and are used in moving elements to give them additional rigidity. Kitchen and youth furniture is often made in high-tech style, where aluminum is an important element to emphasize functionality, simplicity and conciseness.

Up to 90% of the furniture frame consists of wood. Natural solid wood by itself does not last long and is susceptible to rotting. To avoid this, various additional processing methods are used. One of the modern examples is cooking in urea (carbamide), thanks to this method, low-grade solids become stronger and less susceptible to external factors.

In modern style, it is customary to use high-quality fabrics that do not require close care and are easy to clean from dirt. These are:

• Leather;
• Leatherette;
• Tapestry (does not absorb dirt, is abrasion resistant);
• Courtesan (moisture-resistant, resistant to mechanical damage, does not absorb dirt);
• Flock (reminiscent of velvet fabric, but has a low cost).

It is generally accepted that upholstery ages and becomes unattractive over time. This rule does not apply to leather; over time, leather products become stronger and more attractive. At the same time, two identical sofas will become completely different from each other with age.

laminated chipboard

Laminated chipboard is actively used in furniture production. This is a material consisting of wood chips and sawdust, which are pressed at high temperatures using a minimum amount of formaldehyde resins. The board is laminated with tarred paper. After cutting the slabs into pieces for furniture, the ends are treated with melamine or PVC edges. For household furniture you need class E1 chipboard.

Expert opinion

Korzhavin Daniil Dmitrievich

Designer of stylish home furniture

The myth about the harmful effects of formaldehyde in laminated chipboard is greatly exaggerated. The resin content is too low to affect humans. Fully laminated chipboard with edge-covered ends is not capable of emitting harmful substances, which means it is safe.

Furniture made from chipboard with water-repellent impregnation can withstand changes in humidity and temperature, lasts a long time, and does not deform. It is even used for bathroom and kitchen areas.

The positive properties of furniture made from chipboard include:

• Variety of thicknesses.
• Endurance and durability.
• A huge selection of colors and textures: plain, wood, fancy.
• Applying a decorative coating on both sides of the slab.
• Budget cost.

The disadvantages include the possibility of chips, scratches, and dents.

Functions and equipment

Modern style in the 21st century is combined with the versatility of furniture. The cabinets are made to be as spacious as possible, but at the same time the designers preserve the free space of the apartment and the aesthetics of the interior.

The tasks facing furniture are as follows:

• Dividing the room into conditional zones;
• Interior creation;
• Functionality (creating conditions for work, sleep, snack);
• Providing a comfortable environment;
• Emphasizing status (if we are talking about the director’s office).

Therefore, in order for a room to become a pleasant place to live and work, it must contain high-quality and functional furniture. Let's consider options for equipping a modern room and what must be present in it:

• Sofa or bed for sleeping;
• Desktop;
• Place for TV;
• Wardrobe for clothes and other things.

In general, these three elements are basic and most people don't need anything else. Therefore, multifunctional furniture complex is gaining increasing popularity. This is a set of furniture that contains everything you need in minimal quantities. But at the same time, the entire structure fits on 15 square meters.

This small complex combines a wardrobe, a bed, shelves, a table and a workplace. There are even more interesting solutions. In the photo below, the space consists of small blocks, and if desired, the furnishings can be rearranged according to the owner's wishes.

Classification of cabinet furniture by type of design

Modern manufacturers offer a variety of types of furniture, including block and shelving, universal furniture for the home.

When choosing where to order cabinet furniture, you need to take into account the offered range of models, the ability to choose arrangement for any interior and room design.

Photo

Glass

A fairly fragile material that is used with caution for individual furniture elements. To increase strength, glass is tempered. Tempered glass can withstand high mechanical and weight loads. The most common use of glass is as table tops for dining tables and coffee tables, fronts of cabinets and display cases, decorative shelves and whatnots.

If there are children or large animals in the house, then buying glass furniture is not recommended. Even tempered glass is still glass that can be broken.

The number of furniture materials is growing. New modern materials are constantly being added. Stone veneer has already appeared, used for cladding not only walls, but also furniture facades. With all the variety of materials, it is necessary to select furniture that is suitable in appearance, color, and technological parameters for each room in the house. It is especially important to find a manufacturer who uses high-quality materials to make furniture.

Answers on questions

How to understand what quality materials the manufacturer used to make furniture?

It is difficult for a non-specialist to determine what material is in front of him and what quality it is. Request certificates of conformity from the manufacturer for all materials used.

What material is suitable for bathroom furniture?

In rooms with high humidity it is advisable to use MDF in enamel. The paint will completely hermetically cover the parts on all sides without joints at the ends and without the use of glue.

What is triplex glass? And how does it differ from tempered glass?

Triplex is a type of glass made from three or more layers: two or more glasses glued together with a protective or decorative film. The impact resistance of triplex is higher than that of tempered glass.

What material are the most reliable furniture facades made from?

In terms of wear resistance and durability, Phoenix plastic and TSS Clif plate are considered the most reliable today.

What colors of materials are in fashion now?

White shades of furniture are always in demand. Gray and concrete colors are popular. Wood textures in combination with monochromatic ones look original and modern. But it’s better to focus on your preferences in color: you need to choose tones that you personally like, even if they are not in trend.