Furniture has a long memory. Since the beginning of written history humans have created furniture pieces in different ways using different methods, which are called ’styles’. Today, a piece made in one style can be much more valuable than a piece from another style. If the piece was made when the style was originally fashionable, chances are the piece is an antique and almost priceless. That doesn’t mean that pieces made in older styles today are any less valuable, especially if they’re made from good wood. Looking for them at unfinished furniture stores or any other furniture store is a hard road to take, however.

So, what are some of the styles and the eras they came from? They are usually divided into three categories: Traditional, Contemporary, and Mission. The Traditional-style room is organized, planned, and peaceful. There is nothing random or wild about a Traditional room. A Contemporary-style room is simple, using only the fundamentals to achieve a space. A minimalist view of furniture arrangement characterizes a Contemporary room. Finally, a Mission-style room isn’t likely to be seen anymore, since it was only popular from 1890 to 1920, and they’re mostly to be found in California. These rooms were distinguished by their elegance of design and a harmonious unity between purpose and form.

Specific styles, on the other hand, are a lot more varied than the three general categories. For the rest of this post, we’ll go through the styles one by one and discuss which one goes with what particular style of room.

The earliest style known is Gothic, first appearing in the 17th century. Many Gothic pieces were made of oak and featured simple but heavy designs. Most Gothic design principles were influenced by the architecture of the time, with right angles being a prominent element and curved lines being noticeably absent. A Gothic-style piece of furniture goes best with a Traditional-style room.

As buyers of Gothic furniture began to decline, the Early and Late Colonial styles rose to prominence. These styles mainly used pine and relied upon square lines with heavy decoration. An Early Colonial furniture piece goes best with a Traditional-style room and a Late Colonial goes best with a Contemporary-style room.

By the early 18th century, a style known as Queen Anne became popular. Queen Anne designs were known by agile lines and curves, with natural detailing. Common wood types used for Queen Anne pieces were oak, mahogany, walnut, cherry, and maple. Queen Anne designs generally go well with a Traditional-style room.

At the end of the 18th century, four kinds of Georgian styles replaced the Queen Annes’ in popularity. Georgian Chippendale, through the addition of baroque carvings, added to already well known designs. Georgian Adam made use of straight lines; Georgian Hepplewhite exhibited straight, thin legs that complimented Georgian Adam’s straight-edge lines; finally Georgian Sheraton created designs that utilized straight lines even more than Georgian Adam. The majority of Georgian designs used mahogany. All Georgian styles go well with either Traditional or Contemporary rooms.

The Regency style first appeared in the 19th century. Mahogany remained the wood of choice but new curves were added, creating a boldness unseen in previous styles. In the U.S., the Federal style was commanding attention, creating American interpretations of common English pieces. Throughout the 1800s, mahogany slowly yielded to rosewood walnut. Detailing on pieces underwent a change from simpler patterns to heavy, dark ideas. This heralded the ascendancy of the Victorian styles, one of the most (if not the most) popular and enduring styles available today. Regency goes best with Traditional as well as Federal, but Victorian can be used with any of the three types of rooms.

There are many reasons to buy unfinished furniture, especially if you are looking for quality. First, it’s impossible to buy inferior woods. You can see the unfinished wood and judge for yourself whether its quality or not. Many furniture manufacturers use second-rate woods in their furniture because they can hide the quality of the wood under thicker stains and paints.  Second, you can experience the joy of finishing furniture yourself. There is nothing like sitting down at a table that you finished, enjoying your favorite meal. Third, if you cannot finish your furniture on your own, or you do not feel comfortable doing so, many stores will finish your selection for you, custom-fitting your furniture to your style.

Buying good cheap unfinished furniture can solve a big problem many people have with buying furniture: It’s easy to repair the little damages that happen to furniture from time to time. Small nicks, pen marks, scratches, all these are simple and painless to fix. With finished furniture, its a lot harder because not only does is it difficult to repair small damages, but the wood itself might be poor stock, as I said above. With unfinished furniture built from good wood, repairs do not have to be irritating. Buying and finishing your own furniture helps preserve it’s value, enabling you to pass your furniture on to your children.

A hidden benefit to buying <a href=”http://quickunfinishedfurnitureguide.com”>unfinished furniture</a> is the value it adds to your home. High caliber wood adds richness to a space, no matter if its a bedroom, living room, kitchen, or other room in your house. If you ever sell your house and suddenly discover you will have to sell your furniture, the high caliber wood will increase the price that potential buyers are willing to pay you for your furniture. You can also auction your furniture off at a higher bid, or fetch a higher price for it at online retailers and bargain websites like Amazon or EBay.

Finally, good self-finished furniture offers a priceless classy feeling to your home. It makes the interior your home warm and welcoming. With the kind of wood that you get with unfinished furniture, wherever you place your furniture in your home, you can always count on visitors, guests, company all agreeing that it makes your home a class act. And that is worth whatever the price you paid for your furniture many times over. So think about buying unfinished furniture and finishing it yourself for your home. You will not be disappointed.

Unfinished furniture is an investment for your home. It can help you achieve the kind of style you’re looking for, because you can finish your furniture however you want. If you’re the kind of person that likes to be creative, or isn’t satisfied with most major furniture brands on the market, and wants something special for your home, unfinished furniture is right for you.

Of course, after deciding that you want unfinished furniture, making a decision about the kind of unfinished furniture that you want can be a hassle if you don’t know how to sort out good furniture from bad. Generally speaking, good unfinished furniture will be solid and made from good wood. Typical woods used for unfinished furniture are: oak, pine, alder, ash, aspen, birch, beech, cedar, maple, mahogany, hickory, eucalyptus, and cherry. Each of these woods offers a particular advantage for your home.

For example, cherry often defines Quaker, Mission, and country styling. Oak was an early favorite among English craftsman and was a prime building material for the American colonists. These and other woods add value to your home by giving it a natural feel, especially if you live in a rural area.

If you like do-it-yourself projects, buying unfinished furniture can be very satisfying, especially if you enjoy interior design. If you’ve never finished furniture before, it’s easier than you might think. Painting or staining your furniture is all that’s really necessary. You can varnish it for that extra shine after you’ve painted or stained it. Make sure you stain or furniture with the right kind of wood stain or paint. For instance, if the stain you chose is slow-drying, it will be difficult to work with in damp or rainy conditions. If the paint you chose is oil-based, the paint will be high in toxic fumes, so make sure you prepare your work area correctly.

For how-to guides, there are many on the market that can be of service to you. If you’re anxious about how the project may turn out, or aren’t sure if you can achieve the look you want, think about hiring an experience professional, or ask a friend who has finished furniture before for help. It will definitely be more cost-effective if you buy whole unfinished pieces from unfinished furniture stores rather than ordering each piece custom-made, which can be very expensive if you don’t know what you’re doing.

In the end, your total price may be higher than it would be if you simply bought furniture from a discount store, or even a major brand store. But, if you’re interested in a custom look for your home, unfinished furniture is the way to go.