Modern furniture design recognizes the role of furniture as being more than just tools for specific use. Traditional design heavily depended on the cultural and technological orientation of the users. The more sophisticated a person is, the more sophisticated were his appliances. The social and economic class also determined the perception of various models and stereotypes for home fittings, fixtures and accessories.
In more advanced societies, the home furnishings defined the status of the owner. The royalties for example had special furnishings made by specific carpenters. In fact, in some communities, it was against law to own the same type of appliances as the king. Religion also determined the design concepts and requirements for chair, table, sofa, stool, bed etc. All movables like desk, bookshelf, wardrobe, sideboard used in religious rites such as church worship in the Buddha temple was specially designed.
Therefore, unlike traditional design that was determined by the social orientation, the contemporary designs are more personalized, sophisticated and need oriented. There is no more restriction on what an individual may desire in his home appliances.
Personal space is a major consideration when designing modern day household items. Perspective is created by the shapes and color scheme. The texture is also manipulated to achieve aesthetically pleasing design. In a workplace, furniture designs have continued to evolve from a closed workstation to a more open and shared workstations.
Technological advances have also forced a change in modern fabrication of home appliances. Remember the introduction of network cable and the resultant tables that provided the space for cabling? Now with the wireless internet and intranet technologies, the design of modern home accessories had to drop off some of the unnecessary parts. Then shrinking computers have also meant that we no longer need large desks that held the big desktops. Technology is indeed forcing a rapid change in modern office furniture designs.
Contemporary design concepts continue to be inspired by some traditional designs. The Indian and Italian furnishings are examples of traditional furniture that have inspired modern designers.