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The furniture industry spans centuries and employs millions of people in various roles, from mining to selling. Before the Industrial Revolution, furniture was mostly handmade for the wealthy. Mass production made furniture accessible to the masses, and today, there are styles for every budget and taste. The industry is vast and complex, involving many stages before a piece of furniture reaches a home.
Sitting in a chair might not generate great ideas about history, but the truth is that every single piece of furniture in your office, home, or even park is part of an industry that spanned centuries and provided jobs for millions. The furniture industry is a vast collaboration, involving any work that touches furniture anyway. The people who mine ore and stone, plant and harvest trees, mill lumber, design furniture, manufacture furniture, apply paint and varnish, or store and sell furniture, are all part of the giant, historic furniture industry.
Furniture has always crossed the words of practicality and art. Until the Industrial Revolution, most people living on modest incomes made their own furniture. Nobility and royalty, however, could engage the finest and most artistic makers to design sofas, tables, and bedsteads, to fill their castles and noble halls. Long before the mass production of furniture afforded easy access and lower prices, the furniture industry was a highly lucrative area of trade for the nobility, who demanded and were willing to pay a premium for the finest woods and exotic, the most artistic designs, and the best upholstery in silk and velvet
The Industrial Revolution is seen as a major turning point in the furniture industry. With the invention of assembly lines and the development of machine power, good quality mass-produced furniture was finally available to the masses. The popularity of mass production greatly increased the size of the furniture industry as demand for basic supplies such as wood, metal and glass skyrocketed on the back of increased manufacturing capacity. The days when most people built their own rudimentary furniture would soon be a thing of the past in much of the world.
Today, the furniture industry remains a vast business employing millions of people with different skills. As handcrafted furniture has moved from a luxury to an expected staple, the market has expanded to cater to all levels of budget, taste, and style. Gone are the days when one type of decor ruled the style of the day; today, a person can decorate a room in a French country, mission, British colonial, or any other historic or modern style. Also, because discount furniture makers copy popular styles, a room can be furnished in almost any style at almost any budget; a feat that would have been unheard of and nearly impossible before the mid-20th century.
Taking a moment to consider all aspects of the furniture industry can quickly become overwhelming. Considering everything from lumber to paint to delivery, it’s not unusual for a simple table to go through dozens of stages before arriving at a home. Although furniture is now so easy to find, buy, and install that it might be easy to imagine it simply existing, the vast arms of the furniture industry stretch across the globe, making contemplating the journey of a simple chair a wonderful diversion.
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