FURNITURE

Ø SELECTION OF FURNITURE

Ø TYPES OF FURNITURE

Ø TYPES OF FURNITURE JOINTS

Ø MATERIALS USED FOR MAKING FURNITURE

Ø COMMON FURNITURE IN GUEST ROOMS

Furniture is the mass noun for the movable & non movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping. Furniture is also used to hold objects at a convenient height for work (as horizontal surfaces above the ground), or to store things.

Furniture can be a product of design and is considered a form of decorative art. In addition to furniture's functional role, it can serve a symbolic or religious purpose. It can be made from many materials, including metal, plastic, and wood. Furniture can be made using a variety of woodworking joints which often reflect the local culture.

Ø SELECTION OF FURNITURE

 Common points to be considered while selecting furniture

In terms of content, furniture occupies a large expanse of area in a guestroom. Hotels spend a considerable amount on them as long term investment. Indeed, if carefully selected, a piece of furniture can have a long functional life. Factors to be considered in selecting furniture have been outlined.

Cost –

Style –

Comfort –

Durability –

Versatility –

Construction –

Serviceability –

Ease of maintenance –

Mobility and flexibility –

Practicality in design and size –

Certain points that should be kept in mind while purchasing a particular furniture item are:-

ü  Furniture item should be free from coarse, unfinished edges

ü  Furniture item should be sturdy and stands firm on the floor

ü  Furniture item should be free from surplus adhesive.

ü  Furniture item should be reinforced with suitable, well fitted joints.

ü  Furniture item should be well balanced, whether empty or full (especially crucial for case goods).

ü  Furniture has drawers or sliding doors that move smoothly along the tracks.

ü  Furniture has efficient hinges, bolts, latches, lock and handles.

ü  Furniture has smooth, conveniently placed handles.

ü  Furniture item should have glides/buffers in case of carpet is in use.

ü  Furniture has caster wheels that manoeuvre well and have no sharp edges.

Ø TYPES OF FURNITURE

There are 4 primary types of furniture designs found in a hotel’s guestrooms,

·         Free-standing

·         Cantilevered

·         Built-in

·         Fitted

ü  Free standing – this type of furniture can be easily moved or rearranged whenever necessary, but the disadvantage of this type of furniture is that they accumulate dust behind, above & beneath them. Exe. Chairs, bed table etc.

ü  Cantilevered – this type of furniture items are fixed on brackets fitted to the wall and hence, there are no legs to get in the way of cleaning.

ü  Built-in – this type of furniture items are fitted and fixed into architectural spaces set aside for them at the time of construction of the building. Usually, the cost of this type of furniture items is incorporated into the building cost. If required these furniture can be installed later but in that case they may work out to be more expensive. The disadvantage of this type of furniture items is that once built in, they cannot be moved. Exe. Wardrobes & cabinets.

ü  Fitted – The term “fitted” & “Built-in” are often used interchangeably, there is a slight difference. Fitted furniture is made to fit into existing alcoves and inches, thereby saving space, but is essentially a standalone item with its own sides, base & top apart from the room walls, ceiling or floor.

Along, the above mentioned categories, furniture items may be categorised as on or more of the following:-

·         Upholstered

·         Modular

·         Antiques

ü  Upholstered – Normally good upholstered furniture consists of a webbed base, coiled springs, two layers of filling material, hessian, webbing, calico covering, and a decorative outer covering of fabric or leather.

ü  Modular – A manufacturer of modular furniture works to a standard basis measurement or module, so that different pieces can be joined together in a variety of ways to suit individual requirements. This type of furniture is normally built against a wall, and thus makes a most economical use of space with in a room and simplifies floor cleaning.

ü  Antiques – Actual antique furniture will belong to a period before 1840, though now a days any piece of furniture that is more than 100 years old is considered an antique. Good antiques are valuable and expensive. These may be available from a known collector or from antique shops run by professionals.

Ø TYPES OF FURNITURE JOINTS

Furniture parts can be assembled or put together in five ways:

·         Using staples

·         Nails

·         Screws

·         Glue

·         Joints

o   Normally, more than on method is used to join the mostly furniture pieces. Joints are the places where one component in a piece of furniture fits into another.

o   In good furniture, the joints are often reinforced by the synthetic glue.

o   Where joints are impractical, screws are the best fasteners – they should be secure and screw in all the way.

o   Staples are used on cheaper furniture and should not be used for joining pieces that bear weight or undergo stress.

o   Nails are stronger than staples, but not as strong as other joining methods.

o   A good joint can be make all the difference to the life span of a piece of furniture.

Types of joints:-

·         Dove tail

·         Double dowel

·         Butt

·         Mitre

·         Tongue and groove

·         Mortise and Tenon

·         Corner

ü  Dovetail – Also called as finger joint. This type of joints are normally used for drawer corners. Dovetails should fit together smoothly. Desks, luggage racks, chests of drawers, and piece that provide storage are primarily constructed using dovetail joints. Furniture piece in which the dovetail are too small or cracked should not be purchased.

ü  Double Dowel – these joints use two dowels to peg the joints together. They are sturdy joints used to create the frame or to attach legs to side rails of the chairs.

ü  Mitre – this type of joints are used at the corner of tables where two angled surfaces meet to make up a right angle, and are reinforced with dowels, nail, screws, etc.

ü  Tongue and groove – these joints are used to join two boards together, side by side, as in a table top, such that they slide into each other and hold together.

ü  Mortise and Tenon – These joints are the strongest of all when joining pieces of wood at right angles. The end of one piece of wood is shaped to fit into a hole in the other, which results into distribution of stress over a wide area.

ü  Corner – These are used at corner joints as screwed reinforcements, to provide extra support, in quality furniture.

Ø MATERIALS USED FOR MAKING FURNITURE

The human body is a wonderfully engineered masterpiece of design. Delicate, yet flexible and highly adjustable, it readily adapts to all kind of ambient conditions and there are so many postural changes and the furniture should be on the same principle that it should be a highly adaptable/adjustable mechanism that adapts to the postures. Designers now understand the potential of communicating dynamism and flexibility through furniture.

Rapid changes are bound to reflect in furniture design too. Newer material which are easy to maintain , better craftsmanship , the human comfort and an urge to explore in design and improve the visual quality are some of the current developments in furniture technology.

The range of materials covered by furniture design include the universal wood and bamboo , steel and plastic , rope and canvas and many combinations of unconventional materials that serve to emphasize the user or the creator. According to one’s taste and preferences, either one goes in for colonial or contemporary or even futuristic kind of stuff.

·         Wood

·         Cane

·         Wrought Iron

·         Wicker

·         Steel

·         Aluminium

·         Plastic

WOOD is always been and still is the fundamental and universal material for making furniture. The wood which is used for making furniture should be of high quality and properly processed. The wood is purchased in the form of logs and sawn timber depending on the availability in the timber market.

The timber should be selected by the persons who should have the thorough knowledge of the wood nature and processing. The timber should have all the relevant qualities and should be free from diseases and defects like rots, fractures, cracks, twisted fibres etc. The logs should be then seasoned properly.

• Teak wood or saagwan is still considered to be the best and is usually recommended.
• Rosewood or sheesham is very good but rarer and more expensive.
• Mahogany, siris white, siris black, rubber wood etc. are extensively used for furniture.
• Nowadays solid wood is being replaced by the boards, as they are less expensive and one can just get the look of any wood by simply pasting any of the veneer or laminate in a very little budget.
• Boards are coming in a lot of varieties like particle boards, block boards, mdf (medium density fibre) boards, hdf (high density fibre) boards, pre-laminated boards, fibre boards and lots of others.

But there are certain requirements of wood which cannot advisedly be substituted by boards like legs of table, base of cupboards, or the parts which are in contact with floor. These parts should be made of some damp resistant, hard wood to protect it from wet corrosion.

CANE furniture was popularized in India as the garden furniture but now there is a tremendous change in its usage. Cane is relatively easier to reforest and replenish and is therefore termed as eco-friendly. It is available in any colour, one desires to have and above all it is very easy to maintain.

WROUGHT IRON furniture was used back from middle ages. Wrought iron furniture has proved its longevity and appeal by its continuous use to this day. It has given us endless designs and we can choose from bedroom furniture to dinning furniture. Wrought iron is a combination of elegance and grandeur, which is reminiscent of French aristocracy. Graceful wrought iron furniture is hallmark of stylishness. It is good in terms of nil maintenance. One can go wrought iron furniture for different rooms, bathroom and kitchen.

WICKER furniture is more traditional and very durable made of natural material. Wicker is a slender flexible branch, vine or grass that is woven into a pattern. Wicker furniture is being made by interweaving the branches around a frame, and into shapes of table, chairs and sofa. It is available with natural, stained or painted surfaces and some wicker furniture is dipped in a special coating to resist fading or reduce flaking and cracking. It is light and airy, therefore lend casual and tropical look to the room. In others comparison wicker is light weight and easy to push and pull around the yard.

STEEL furniture is popular trend after wrought iron. This kind of furniture is tough and need less maintenance in comparison with wood or wicker. A wide range of steel furniture is hitting the market which includes overall home furnishings. Steel furniture is good looking, elegant and demanding. It can be decorative at both the sections including indoor and outdoor.

ALUMINUM furniture looks ethnic and you can browse exclusive range in aluminium such as cast aluminium furniture, aluminium patio furniture, aluminium sling furniture, aluminium wrought iron and stainless steel aluminium. It can add charm to your indoor and outdoor as well which offers durability and comfort. Being well known for its resistance to rust and corrosion, aluminium furniture is perfect for outdoor appearance where it is exposed to the elements. It is high in quality and low in prices.

PLASTIC it is also cheap & light weight like aluminium. It is a low maintenance material and is now often used for outdoor furniture. These can easily be stacked and stored. Storage at very low temperature or in direct sun light should be avoided for this type of furniture, as it negatively effects the life span & durability of this type of furniture.

Today’s furniture is the perfect combination of diverse materials – wood , glass , brass, wrought iron , acrylic , fabric , sand stone etc. in multifacious permutations and combinations to create a distinct line of furniture. Each material is used for certain desired effect, wood for warmth and elegance, little bit of brass for effect, wrought iron for sturdy simplicity and so on.

Ø COMMON FURNITURE ITEMS IN GUEST ROOMS

When picking out guest room furniture, it may help to first focus on these 5 essentials to make the job that much easier. Once you have these essentials in place, you can always build around them to create a welcoming space for your guests.

A comfortable guest room takes most of the stress out of a guest’s visit for all concerned. Fortunately you only need some very basic common sense home furnishings to create a room that any guest will appreciate.

A Comfortable Bed

The most important thing you can provide for a guest is a good, comfortable place to rest. You probably know first-hand how difficult it can be to fall asleep in strange surroundings, especially if they also happen to be uncomfortable.

To let your guest rest easy, you need a comfortable bed and a good mattress.

A smaller room could be furnished with a stylish daybed that comes with a trundle bed for an additional guest.

You can also choose to place a sofa bed in the guest room instead of a daybed. Dress up the bed with fresh pillows and bed linen. Adding a memory foam or feather mattress topper can make an overly firm mattress more comfortable.

Ward robe

A ward robe is essential part of a hotels guest room. It is very important for the guest as the guest always require the wardrobe to stack his/her clothing & accessories. A wardrobe is an absolute must in any guest room, because any guest is bound to welcome some storage space. It would be more convenient to be able to store items, and not have to pull them out of bags all the time. Within the ward robe extra blankets & pillows can be placed in the upper shelves so that guest can use it if required

A Cosy Chair/single seated sofa

Any guest will appreciate a comfy chair when some private time is needed. It can be a good place to rest and relax or just to sit and read.

Good Lighting

Make sure that guests have easy access to enough light. There should be some lighting by the bed to read, and they should be able to turn on a light upon entering the room as it takes a while to get used to the layout of a room. Provide a nightlight, and your guests can choose whether to have it turned on or not. Accidents can occur in unfamiliar surroundings when you can’t see well enough to find your way in the dark.

A Luggage Rack

A luggage rack is a great thing to have in a guest room. It is very convenient for packing or unpacking. It also saves bed covers from being snagged or dirtied by luggage placed on top for packing or unpacking.

Luggage racks can also come in handy even if you cannot provide enough storage. It will enable your guests to get their belongings in and out of their bags easily. Luggage racks can be conveniently folded and put away out of sight when your guests are not using them.

SUMIT MANWAL