FURNITURE – CHAPTER:

In any organization, furniture covers a wide variety of different item, which will be in constant
use and yet should retain their overall good appearance. People are seldom as careful of other
people’s property as they are of their own and the handling of furniture by large numbers of
people results in harder use than if one person was using it all time.

Therefore furniture needs to be:

 Practical in design, size etc.,
 Comfortable to use,
 Sturdy to withstand considerable wear and tear (maintenance free),
 Easy to clean and maintain,
 Price must be within the means of the establishment.
Whatsoever the type of an establishment is, each piece of furniture must be fit for its purpose
and meet the requirements of the guests and the housekeeper.
The following points should be considered when choosing
individual pieces:
 type of guest expected and standard of accommodation,
 guests’ length of stay,
 atmosphere to be achieved, e.g. modern, ‘old world’, and degree of comfort,
 shape and size of article in relation to the human body (the science of ergonomics)
 the durability of the article,
 versatility and flexible for movement etc.,
 ease of cleaning, e.g. castors on heavier items, shelves instead of drawers,
 drawers with wipe-easy surfaces rather than lined, use of shelf-shine protective coatings,
 standardization – items may be moved from room to room as required.
Style, Design and Construction
The style of any piece of furniture must tone in with the rest, though it will not necessarily be
of similar design. Design and size are closely related to comfort, for inappropriate design or size
may interface with the proper function or the serviceability of an article. The width of the seat
and the shape of the back of the chair are important to its comfort: the height of the table and
the chair in relation to each other, the height and depth of the wardrobe and the length and
width of the bed are other examples. Ergonomics is important when considering shape and size
of pieces of furniture in relation to the body.
Serviceability will also depend on design; shelves are probably more serviceable in the
bedroom than drawers, and ‘built-in’ furniture can save space, labour, floor and wall coverings.
Flexibility and movability of furniture may be required in some places to enable the rooms to
be put to different uses like extra bed, conversion of room to syndicate room for conferences,
exhibitions etc., when not only has the room to be set up in the morning but also returned to
normal in the late afternoon or early evening.
 Easily cleaned furniture, because of its design and the material from which it is made, is of
importance in all establishments but especially so when there is the possibility of a quick turn
round of rooms (fast check in – checkouts).
The method of construction and materials used will affect
price, appearance and durability and the finished article
should:
 be free from rough, unfinished edges or surfaces,
 be free from surplus adhesive,
 have the correct type of joints which fit well,
 stand firm on the floor and be rigid in use,
 if a cupboard or wardrobe, be stable and balanced whether empty or full,
 have drawers which run smoothly,
 have doors which fit properly and have stays to prevent them opening too far,
 have sliding which runs smoothly,
 have efficient locks, catches, hinges etc,
 have handles conveniently placed, comfortable to hold and free from sharp edges,
 have castors with no sharp edges.

When selecting furniture the following points should also be

considered:
1. The furniture should be in proportion to the size of the room, dimensions of the room and
available space should be kept in mind at the time of selecting furniture.
2. To bring in harmony in furnishing its proportion should relate to the rooms architectural
design. E.g. Rectilinear rooms look good with rectilinear furnishings. If we have carved or
curved openings, carved or curved furniture should be selected.
3. The furniture should be of plain design. Unless an article of furniture is useful as well as
beautiful it should not be allowed occupy space.
4. The furniture should be comfortable and sturdy. Nearly all the furniture should be made for a
person of average height. A standard easy chair is 22-24” deep and is 17” high and a bit lower
at the back. Other chairs are about 19” deep and 18” high. Arms should be at least 7” above
the seat. The seat back should normally be 17*19” high.
5. At the time of selecting furniture, one must take care of its construction. One should make a
complete examination of it; its draws, joints, surfaces, edges, backs and undersides should be
examined. Check the:
 RIGIDITY: All furniture should stand firmly by jiggling. All the legs should be even and firm.
One should place a hand firmly on a table or chest or drawers etc. and try to rock it back and
forth. It should be sturdy enough to withstand firm pressure. Any place which wobbles or
jiggles is poorly constructed.
 UNEXPOSED PARTS: The finishing on the underneath part of a table, chair etc. should be
sanded smooth with a sandpaper and stained to match the rest of the piece. On poor quality
 furniture, these unexposed areas may have little finishing. The wood may be rough and
uneven and the colours may not match.
 JOINTS: The various sections of a piece of furniture must be joined firmly and securely. Careful
joinery is an art that is of utmost importance to the consumer. Nails, screws, glue are also
used to hold sections together at points of strain. Nails are the least desirable but they are
quick and cheap to use. Various methods are used to join the framework of chairs, tables,
desks etc. On high-quality furniture, the joining is nearly perfectly matched as smooth and
tight. Few types of joints are
 Butt: A butt is a simple joining made by nailing or glueing two ends together. It will not
withstand much strain.
 Dovetail: A series of projections fit into a series of grooves. The grooves are often fan-shaped.
This is a secure joining and indicates good craftsmanship.
 Dowel: A small peg of wood is used to join two edges. The dowel pins are used for various
types of joining on chairs, frames etc.
 Double-Dowel: Provide added stability.
 Lap: Two pieces have equal sized grooves so that they join firmly when placed together.
 Miter: Square corners are often mitred. Each edge is cut at a 45° angle and the two are held
together with glue or nails.
 Mortice and Tenon: This is one of the strongest joints for frames of chairs. A groove also
called a mortise on one edge is cut to fit a projection called tenon on the other edge. The
projection and the groove may be square, rectangular or triangular. Sometimes glue or screws
are added for extra stability.
 Tongue and Groove: A projection on one edge fits into a matching groove on the other edge.
 CORNER BLOCKS: Triangular pieces of wood are often used to support and reinforce the
frames of tables, case goods and seating pieces. They are screwed and glued into place to
keep one side from pulling away from the other.
 GRAIN: Grains of wood in legs or posts of furniture should run vertically otherwise the chair or
article might split with the grain.
 FINISHES: The surface of the wood is treated and polished to develop a beautiful patina
colour. Patina is the mellowness or glow that comes from rubbing and polishing.
 DRAWERS: the drawers should glide back and forth easily. They may be mounted on metal
tracks, with wheels or ball-bearings to ensure easy movement. A drawer stop or a tiny lock on
the back of the drawer prevents it from pulling all the way out. TABLE TOPS: The joinery on
the table top should be barely visible. The table leaves need to fit perfectly when inserted in
the table.
 CABINETS: Open and close all the doors making sure that they do not sag. Check to see if the
doors fit well.
 LOCKS: If buying in bulk care should be taken to ensure that all locks are different and that
duplicate or replacement keys are available.
 Classification of Furniture
 Wooden furniture
 Wicker and cane furniture
 Metal furniture
 Plastic
Upholstery Material
The upholstery coverings will to great extent determine the appearance, durability and cost of
the piece of furniture and may be made from textiles, i.e. woven fabrics, hide or plastics. The
covering required to be:
 Resistant to abrasion, snagging, creasing, soil and fading,
 Non-flammable,
 Non-shading,
 Pest proof,
 Easily cleaned
 Elasticity & resiliency
Types of Coverings
a.Textiles- Cotton based, Satin, Velvet, Organza, net, Corduroy, Leather
The textile coverings are the types of fibre, yarn and weave used in the production of the
fabric.
Smooth fabrics, e.g. brocades and damasks of cotton, rayon or synthetic fibres show soiling
more but hold dust less than the rougher, textured fabrics of wool, wool/nylon and wool/Evan
mixtures. The latter has a warmer appearance, are less slippery and are less likely to show
shine on clothes when sat on.
Cut and uncut pile fabrics, e.g. velvet, corduroy, or moquette made of wool, cotton, rayon or
synthetic fibres are hardwearing but hold the dust, and cut pile fabrics may show shadowing.
The use of synthetic fibres, e.g. nylon, dralon etc, either alone or in the mixtures and blends
increases the durability and ease of cleaning of many coverings.
b. Plastic – vinyl
There are many plastic materials available. They are more easily cleaned, equally hardwearing
and less expensive than leather coverings. They are mainly vinyl.