With the burgeoning Industrial Revolution, machine-made furniture replaced hand-made. In the 1830’s machines were invented to cut veneer and to press designs, which would previously been carved, into timber. At the same time, improved transportation meant that a wide variety of imported timbers, including mahogany, rosewood, teak and ebony, become available,

As a result the typical Victorian item was a reproduction of something from an earlier period, such as Victorian Gothic and Renaissance Revival with reproductions of Queen Anne furniture being the most popular.

Elizabethan furniture designs, with their panels of open decoration and strapwork and profusion of knobs were well suited to mechanical reproduction. At the same time, Elizabethan styles were associated with romantic notions of "Merrie England" and, so, became popular in the early Victorian period.

Partly because the frequency of earthquakes precluded the use heavy construction methods, traditional Japanese buildings, and the furniture in them, are light. The Japanese sat and slept on the floor and, so, had no chairs or beds in the Western style.

They used low tables for writing and most often stored their goods on open shelves or, in the case of kimonos, towels and swords, on racks. Unlike the Chinese who always made symmetrical shelves and placed furniture in pairs, Japanese shelves are usually asymmetric and items are admired for their uniqueness.

The one common piece of Japanese furniture is the tansu - a cabinet for designed for a man’s wardrobe. It usually includes a large space for robes, four large drawers for other items of clothing, such as sashes, and small drawers for accessories like inro (pouches) and netsuke.

The same style of furniture and furnishing was used at all levels of Japanese society; the difference being in the quality of materials (timber of lacquer) used and the workmanship.

These lamps had several shortcomings: the light was poor (not good enough for reading) and unsteady, they gave off odorous fumes, the light diminished as the oil level fell and, if hung, the oil reservoir would cast a large shadow.

With the growth of the middle class in Victorian England, wicker furniture became popular for gardens, conservatories and porches. Exotic shapes were development, many with oriental motifs adapted from colonial furniture, which was popular at the time.

In the Edwardian period, there was a reaction away from the Victorian elaborate styles; fine weaving and simple, elegant forms became popular.

The centre of the British cane and wicker industry was Leicester and Dryad was the leading factory. The best American makers include Gustav Stickley, the Heywood Brothers and the Wakefield Rattan Company. (Heywood and Wakefield merged in 1897.)

In 1917. an American inventor, Marshall Burns Lloyd developed a technique for manufacturing a substitute for wicker, made from paper twisted on fibre, which could be mass-produced in sheets. The versatility of the material made Lloyd Loom furniture extremely popular for restaurants, hotels and other public places.

During the late 17th century, pine began to be used as a foundation for veneering and marquetry. In the early 18th century, English cabinetmakers began to use pine for drawer lining and the backboards of cabinets and bureaux because pine was cheaper than the oak which had been used for these purposes.

While pine was seen as secondary in furniture for the gentry, in more modest circles, it was the primary timber. The farming communities of the British Isles, the peasants of Germany and Scandinavia and the colonists of North America and Australia all used pine as a major source of timber for their furniture.

Jacobean Furniture (1600 - 1700)

William & Mary Furniture (1700 - 1715)

While the most accomplished Art Deco designers were French, the style flourished in America but mostly in mass-produced furniture of lesser quality.
 

In Paris in 1895, Siegfried Bing opened La Maison de l’Art Nouveau where he sold furniture designed by Georges de Feure, Eugene Gaillard and Edward Colonna  The simple, light furniture featured tapering legs, gentle curves and minimal carving, giving it an airy, floating appearance. It was usually made of walnut or, occasionally, oak.

In 1897, another group of artists in Paris, calling themselves Les Six, held an exhibition of furniture in the Art Nouveau style. Their work featured sinuous, flowing lines, sometimes with gilt metal fittings.

While Art Nouveau flourished in France and England, with the exception of the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, it had little impact in America.

Arts and Crafts Furniture emphasises simple designs and prizes excellence of craftsmanship rather than elaborate decoration.  

From the 1820s in Europe and the 1840s in America, designers seeking a return to elegance created a Rococo Revival.

The style was a simplified form of neo-classical, retaining the symmetry and proportion but with more restrained decoration. Columns and cornices were less used but the lyre motif became common. Much use was made of lighter coloured veneers, such as walnut, maple, birch and ash, in contract with the dark mahogany and rosewood used elsewhere. Inlays of contrasting woods and, later, brass, were often used. Early pieces tend to be simpler and more classical in style; later pieces after about 1840) were more curved and decorated.

Gothic Furniture (1200 - 1425)

Renaissance Furniture (1425 - 1580)

During the early Renaissance period, the French courts employed Italian artists who brought Italian furniture designs, but with somewhat richer decoration.

Feather beds and pillows came into use. In the colder, northern countries, beds were surmounted by a canopy hung from the ceiling

In the 15th century, the southern German cities of Ausberg and Nuremburg became famous for the exuberance and virtuosity of their carved and inlaid cabinets. The earliest cabinets were placed on tables; later, they were made with stands..