Make Good: Rethinking Material Futures
A V&A curatorial project investigating the use of natural, renewable materials in design and architecture.
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Furniture
The V&A has been collecting furniture and woodwork for over 150 years. This diverse collection is unrivalled for breadth and quality, spanning over six centuries of British and international furniture production – from Japanese lacquer and furniture from the 1851 Great Exhibition, to innovative contemporary design.
Examples from East Asia, South Asia and the Islamic Middle East sit alongside more than 14,000 pieces made in the West, from moveable furniture and clocks to musical instruments, plastic and leatherwork, and fragments of architectural woodwork both large and small. Highlights include the Great Bed of Ware (about 1590), Ranjit Singh's golden throne (1820 – 30) and the magnificent carved and gilded interior of the Norfolk House Music Room (1748 – 1756).
Collection highlights
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Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne, throne chair, made by Hafiz Muhammad Multani, 1805 – 10, Lahore -
Cassone chest, about 1488, Mantua, Italy -
Screen, designed by Eileen Gray, 1923, Paris, France -
Materialized Sketch, 3D-printed chair, designed by Front Design, printed by Alphaform, 2005, Stockholm, Sweden -
The Yatman Cabinet, designed by William Burges, painted by Edward John Poynter, made by Harland and Fisher, 1858, London, England -
ESU 421-C, storage unit, designed by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller Furniture Co., 1949 – 50, US -
Chiswick table, console table, designed by William Kent, made by John Boson, 1727 – 32, London, England -
The Great Bed of Ware, designed by Hans Vredeman de Vries, 1590 – 1600, Ware, England -
Garden Egg Chair, designed by Peter Ghyczy, manufactured by Elastogran GmbH, 1968, Lemförde, Germany -
Medal cabinet, designed by Charles Percier, made by Martin Guillaume Biennais, about 1810, Paris, France -
(Back) Bell cittern, by Joachim Thielke, about 1700, Hamburg, Germany
Features
Highlights from the Furniture collection
Highlights from the Furniture collection
Discover the fascinating design stories behind our Furniture collection, spanning over 600 years of British and international furniture design and production
Thonet and the invention of bentwood furniture
Thonet and the invention of bentwood furniture
Pioneers of both furniture design and manufacture
Conservation: revealing a skeleton on the cabinet
Conservation: revealing a skeleton on the cabinet
Unlock the secrets of this rare and beautiful cabinet from modern-day Colombia
Moulding a seat for Marcel Breuer’s Short Chair
Moulding a seat for Marcel Breuer’s Short Chair
Find out how a contemporary version of Marcel Breuer’s iconic Short Chair is made
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
The foremost American architect of the 20th century
The conservation of Marie Antoinette's chair
The conservation of Marie Antoinette's chair
Follow our Conservation team on their fascinating journey to restore an 18th-century chair made specially for Marie Antoinette
Box of mysteries
Box of mysteries
Discover more about a mysterious Colombian cabinet dating from the 17th century
Deckchair design: from ocean liner to Modernist villa
Deckchair design: from ocean liner to Modernist villa
Discover how ocean liner style influenced an iconic Modernist chair designed by Eileen Gray
Space-Age chairs
Space-Age chairs
Bold, futuristic, out-of-this-world – discover five iconic space-age chair designs
Conservation of a Japanese palanquin
Conservation of a Japanese palanquin
Follow V&A Conservators as they treat an elaborately decorated Japanese palanquin in our collection
Art Deco in the home
Art Deco in the home
From luxury handcrafted writing desks to affordable factory-made tea services, discover Art Deco in the home
The influence of East Asian lacquer on European furniture
The influence of East Asian lacquer on European furniture
Find out how the desire for Asian lacquer influenced Western furniture for centuries
The making of an iconic image: Christine Keeler, 1963
The making of an iconic image: Christine Keeler, 1963
A political scandal, a chair, a photograph. Discover the making of an iconic image.
The sophisticated Modern home
The sophisticated Modern home
Explore a selection of homewares that embody timely, elegant and most importantly, Modern, design
Marcel Breuer's Short Chair
Marcel Breuer's Short Chair
Discover the history of one of Marcel Breuer's best-known designs
The Garden Egg Chair
The Garden Egg Chair
Behind the story of the Garden Egg Chair's mass production lies a fascinating tale of Germany's East/West relations
How was it made? Furniture
How was it made? Furniture
Discover the hidden processes and techniques of furniture-making
The Great Bed of Ware
The Great Bed of Ware
Discover the bawdy history of one of the V&A's best-known objects
Eileen Gray and her experimental 'S' bend chair
Eileen Gray and her experimental 'S' bend chair
Introducing the pioneering female designer behind the experimental 'S' bend chair
Conservation of the Poynter Room grill
Conservation of the Poynter Room grill
See the magnificence of the metalwork return
Dressing a 17th-century dolls' house: ASMR
Dressing a 17th-century dolls' house: ASMR
Step inside a tiny dolls' house
Opening a decorative mopa mopa cabinet: ASMR
Opening a decorative mopa mopa cabinet: ASMR
Marvel at the intricate detail and hear the drawers being gently pulled open
The Chandigarh Chair
The Chandigarh Chair
Discover the untold origin story of a design classic
How to build a box for a musical instrument: ASMR
How to build a box for a musical instrument: ASMR
Header image:
Background image: Fauteuil Transatlantique chair, Eileen Gray, 1925 – 30, reupholstered in the 1960s, France. Museum no. Circ.578-1971. Given by the designer. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London