Finding the right furniture plan isn’t easy. I know my next project is usually driven by the “honey Do” list and that means that is has to fit in with the decor. If you are going to build a project you may want to understand the styles of furniture that you can choose from. I thought I would do the work for you and give you an idea of what each style provides.
The key styles that are the most popular are Mission, Modern, Retro, and Country.
Modern styled furniture is just that – Modern. If you can picture clean lines and geometrical shapes, then you will have an idea of what Modern furniture looks like. Think of George Jetson, or your favourite Sci-Fi movie, and you will get a picture of what modern looks like. If this is the style that you are looking for, you may want to go to IKEA and purchase it because this style of furniture can be either hard or easy to make depending on the shape of the finished piece.
Mission styled furniture is a little more woodworker friendly. It has a distinct style that makes it stand out. The chairs typically have tall backs, and all are designed with basically straight lines and very little curves. The hardware has the old tarnished brass look. If you can picture Mennonite furniture, then you will be pretty close to identifying mission furniture. The style is characterized by simple, functional designs made of oak and stained wood with minimal ornamentation. Leather and Native American designs are often the motif of the coverings.
Country Style furniture gained popularity in the 1980’s. It is a casual style often featuring nature and nostalgic motifs. You will also find much hand crafted elements and even distressing of the wood. This style of furniture is the most practical and useful edition of traditional furniture. There are several types of country furniture. French Provencal, American country and English country are some of them to name. Each of them has its own distinct feature and appeal; you can hardly categorize them as rural. However, you can find some common features like painted finish and muted colors, in all of them. Floral, stripes, checks are most common prototypes in fabric used in country style furniture.
Retro Style furniture belongs to, or has the look of having been made in the decades between the 1950s and the 1980s. This style of furniture tends to look back nostalgically on times past and tries to imitate it. This style of furniture can be whimsical and can allude to pop culture. If you can picture the big bold colors and sleek lines, then you have done it right. Unfortunately for the avid wood worker you will have to dig deep to find a plan you can build that resembles this style as they tend not to be made of wood, but of metal.