9. Complete the text with the words given: use, fashionable, joints, furniture, woodworm, veneer, provide, paint

Provenance can often be clearly distinguished by the carved motifs and the painted decoration. Period beds tend to be short, because people 1)... to sleep in a propped-up position bolstered by pillows. Pre-1850 French country 2). was generally made with pegs slotted in to keep the whole thing together. Some pieces may have dove tail 3). . The thickness of a veneer on a piece of furniture tells a similar story. Up until around 1830, 4). were cut by hand and were around 3 mm thick; it would have been impossible to achieve the wafer-thin 1 mm veneers of modern pieces.

These patterns can 5). accurate information on the provenance of a piece right up until the mid-19th century, when families began to move around more and take their furniture with them. Originally, a lot of the furniture was waxed; very few of the pieces produced in northern France were 6). (this furniture was made from rock-hard oak and did not have to be painted to protect it from 7) .). Later pieces, especially the softer, fruitwood furniture from the south of France, were often painted and they became particularly 8). during the 1920's and 1930's.

10. Read the advertisement for the versatile hammock chair. Underline what you think are facts and circle the opinions.

Facts are "real" objective information. Opinions usually include emotive words, positive/negative phrases and subjective (persuasive) statements.

We are delighted to offer readers this elegant hammock chair by British furniture designer Bill Brown. Solidly constructed in beech, the chair folds easily and is light to carry. You can transform it from an upright chair into a recliner and then a bed by simply shifting your body weight backwards or forwards. The cover, in Malabar's hand-woven Juku fabric, is backed with cotton canvas and can be easily removed for washing. Choose from terracotta/ aqua/ gold, yellow/ mid-blue/ cream, or sand/ black/beige. The generously sized frame is 84 cm (33 in) wide including handrests; fully extended, the chair is around 183 cm (72 in) long. It is your best investment. The hammock chair costs just $199, including carriage.

WRITE

11. Read the text and make a list of all main characteristics of modern furniture.

12. Match the words with their definitions:

    • To reject a) To make a complete change;

    • Chief b) To refuse to accept;

To revolutionize

c) The form in which a person or thing appears;

• Appearance d) A mixture of different kinds;

• Blend e) Most important, principal;

• To reduce f) To make smaller in size, number, power.

Modern furniture design

Nowadays many designers have rejected traditional furniture styles. The designers of this period have made use of new manufacturing methods and new materials to revolutionize both the appearance and the function of furniture.

A variety of modern furniture styles has appeared during the 1900's, but most of the styles share a number of characteristics. The chief characteristic of modern furniture is its abstract form - that is, its appearance is not based on recognizable forms, such as animals or human figures. Most modern furniture has little decoration. Designers have used as few materials as possible and have selected materials that are lightweight, hard and smooth. They have reduced the number of parts in a piece of furniture. For example, modern tables and chairs may have only one support instead of the traditional four legs.

Modern designers have also reduced the number of furniture forms used in a room. For example, some designers have eliminated traditional cabinets and cupboards and replaces them with sets of drawers and shelves called storage units. Some storage units are built into walls and become part of a room's architecture. Other are modular units, which can be moved and combined in various ways to fit a particular setting or to rearrange space in an area.

Although the middle and late 1900's have in many ways revolutionized furniture design, most buyers still purchase furniture reproducing earlier period styles. The French and English designs of the late 1700's and early 1800's remain consistently fashionable and current taste prefers a blend of historical and modern furniture styles.

People all over the world spend hundreds billion annually on commercially produced furniture, making it one of the leading consumer industries in the world.