The scandal that toppled a government

One of the most famous chairs of the 1960s was the ‘Number 7 chair’ by Danish designer Arne Jacobsen. It was made of plywood and copy of it appeared in a photograph with the model Christine Keeler. She was pictured nude, with the chair back obscuring her body from the camera. The pose became iconic and been copied many times since.

Ploughshares into swords

The Prophet Isaiah spoke of turning swords into ploughshares but,a classic example of the very opposite occurred during the Second World War when under-utilized furniture factories such as Parker Knoll were able to put their woodworking expertise to good use and build the De Havilland Mosquito. This fact was noted with some irritation by the Commander of the Luftwaffe Herman Goering who, following a Mosquito attack that blanked out his radio broadcast said: “It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. … The British, who can afford aluminium better than we can, knock together a beautiful wooden aircraft that every piano factory over there is building…”

The table that changed the course of history

It is rare that an item of furniture can be shown to have so clearly – and dramatically – changed the course of history, yet that is precisely the effect an oak table had on July 20th 1944.

It was on that date that a bomb was exploded by senior German officers in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Although the bomb, hidden in a briefcase, was only a few feet away from the Dictator, a heavy oak table protected him from the blast and he suffered nothing more than a cut to the back of one hand.

An irresistible love of French furniture

'Love thine enemy' may be one of the more difficult Christian concepts but a curious thing about the British nation that it we often seem to develop a love of the people and cultures with whom we have been in conflict. The tough Nepalese soldiers that defied the might of the British Empire in the 19th Century for example, are today universally respected and admired as the Gurkha Regiments of the British Army.

Similarly one of our oldest enemies, France, has been in conflict with us on and off for around a millennium. Yet we adopt their words, their styles - and their furniture. Escritoires (a type of writing desk), jardinières (plant stands) and chiffoniers (sideboards) became the height of fashion amongst the middle and upper classes of Britain in the early 1800s, yet this was a period when the French were being fought in the Peninsula War, leading up to the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Today mercifully our battles with the French revolve more around matters such as EU farming subsidies, but there is a revival in popularity of French style furniture that, economic factors aside, shows no sign of diminishing any time soon. My own theory is that this has been caused by antique dealers beginning to search further afield - across the Channel - for new stock. This has created a demand that is now being exploited by furniture manufacturers.

Waiting times for furniture delivery

The furniture industry, in common with many others, has made great efforts to reduce its costs. One of the ways of doing this is to reduce the amount of money tied up in stocks of furniture waiting to be sold.

Nowadays it is common for many manufacturers to make furniture in response to customer orders rather than in anticipation of them. For customers, the advantage is a lower price, but the disadvantage is that unless a retailer has the specific item you want in stock, you will have to wait anything between 4 and 8 weeks before it is delivered to your door.

This can be a cause of great frustration and puts a strain on relations between customer and retailer - especially if there are any additional errors or hold-ups that add to the delay.

However, a belief that things were always better in the 'good old days' is not born out by an examination of the records. When the G-Plan range of furniture was at the height of its popularity in the 1960s, customers had to wait not 6 weeks or even 6 months, but an astonishing 18 months for delivery of their furniture!

Furniture Fact Today

In furniture, a Wellington is a tall, narrow chest of drawers, usually with five drawers. It is named after the Duke of Wellington as the officers of his army popularized the use of similar five-drawer chests as a means of transporting their belongings during military campaigns.

Mirror, mirror

Here's a quick and easy way to add some style and sparkle to a room - add a wall mirror. At this time of year everything can look a bit dull and flat, especially after Christmas when the decorations come down, but a wall mirror placed for example behind a side table adds a definite feeling of lightness and depth to a room. Perfect for brightening up a hallway or giving volume to a living room.

Size is important(!)and its a good idea to get as big a mirror as possible. I've bought mirrors in the past thinking they looked huge in the shop but when you get them home you realise you could have used one 6ins to a foot (that's 150mm to 300mm) bigger. So if in doubt, go for the bigger one. As to the style of mirror, you will find mirrors offered as part of many ranges of furniture so they match the materials and style of the rest of the furniture. Right Price Furniture offer a good selection and their wall mirrors have thoughtfully been listed all in one place.

Alternatively, you can use the mirror to add something more to the room. For example, if you'd really like oak furniture but your budget says no, then get a mirror with a nice oak frame. If you're trying to create more a rustic feel then choose a rustic mirror, for shabby chic a distressed painted mirror and so on. If you want to add a bit of sparkle go for a gold or silver frame. Whatever you choose, have fun!

Oh, and by the way, as this is supposed to be about furniture facts, did you know it wasn't until the Victorian era that the technique for silvering mirrors on a commercial scale was developed. Before then large mirrors in particular were only affordable for the wealthiest members of society.