I’ve been interested in old types of furniture that perhaps aren’t used anymore in modern day society. But why? Have they just become obsolete or is it another reason? Let’s find out more on this and all of the interesting types of furniture. Find out other furniture types such as the Kotatsu here.

So – let us begin. Firstly there are usually a lot of different types depending on what country you come from and what your culture is. Then we generally split this up into rooms, so you have your bedroom furniture, living room furniture, kitchen furniture and then all of the rest of it! So we have a lot to get through but I am going to start with some of the more historical and stranger items that I have found. 

Stipo a bambocci

As the name may suggest this was a piece of furniture made in Italy. A sort of highly ornate and stylised writing desk made popular in renaissance Italy. Which would have only been available to the upper classes of Italians at this time. 

To identify one of these, look out for the figures of bambinos (babies) with chubby cheeks and features. They are very unique indesign and shape and context. There is often biblical contact showing Adam and Eve and cherubims around the outside. 

These writing desks are usually made from Walnut which is a highly expensive and expressive wood. The grain on walnut is fantastic. 

The first instance of these stipo a bambocci is around 1560- with demand and production halting in around the early 17th century. 

There are very few that still remain today. The cost of these tio make in the 1560s time period would have been colossal. For one, often they imported the walnuts from places like Georgia and Iran which were very expensive. Burr walnut was preferred. 

But to get this level of high craftsmanship was also costly and only a handful of people would have been able to make this level of writing desk. 

Because of this  – few were made in those times, which means that only around 12 known pieces exist today. Which of course is a shame, but also stresses to us that we have a rich history that is still accessible to us today in museums of times gone by 

Klinai

This is the greek word for couch. Interestingly the Greeks and the Romans had a similar thingm, but named differently. The Greeks would lay down to eat, chat and generally hang out. Roman Klinai are also a thing, but they were called something else. 

Triclinium

This would be a room with three Klinai in it placed at right angles to one another. Perfect for chatting and eating with close friends and associates, the triclinium was the hub of activity in a Greek household.

I suppose our dining room would be equivalent to this, but this was more of a private, quiet affair with decorative walls and a room to impress guests and dignitaries. Perhaps it was more like where you would meet someone for a working lunch.