A series of chairs
As we have talked about in our previous blogs, furniture has a long rich history and with the January Furniture Show fast approaching we decided to have a look at pop culture and how it has had an impact on furniture design over the years.
First off, I hear you say how could popular culture have anything to do with furniture or furniture design? When looking at the definition of pop culture its defined as the culture of the people and is determined by what we get up to everyday such as what we wear to what we watch on television. It’s the commonality of these that both reflects and influences people’s everyday lives. It allows everyone to feel part of something bigger and gives people a sense of identity and belonging.
Television series plays a large part in popular culture as many people consume many hours of television every day. Therefore, what you watch can have a big impact on your life. For example, what kind of furniture you want to buy can be down to seeing it in a programme you have been watching and then the demand for this type of furniture increase and influence future designs. Pop culture takes something that was part of a niche market or idea such as furniture design and makes it accessible to the masses.
In popular television shows there are always pieces of furniture that play an important part to the plot, that the characters either gather around to interact with each other or are a focal point for a specific character. These pieces of furniture become integral to the actual storyline and can become additional characters themselves. Why not join us in looking at our top 5 iconic pieces of furniture from popular television series.
Big Brother – The first diary chair
Big brother when it first came on to our screens in 2000 captured all of our attention as a revolutionary real-life Truman Show. However, the contestants knew they were been filmed 24 hours a day and were competing for a cash prize.
The series is mainly seen as a social experiment and requires housemates to interact with others who may have differing ideals, beliefs, and prejudices. Housemates also have to visit the diary room where they share their thoughts and feelings on their fellow housemates and how the game is progressing. The diary room features a different design each year, and is frequently the last room of the house to be revealed to the public.
The Diary room chair from the start of the show has captured the nation’s interest and has established itself as a pop culture icon as its design changes each year. Each year there is always much discussion over the design and viewers always have a lot to say about the way it looks. From the start of the show the originality of the designs have always been different and unusual which is what captured the attention of the nation. This has had an impact on furniture design as suddenly everyone wanted one or one like it, this is why the original Big Brother chair makes the list.
Mastermind – The contestants chair
Mastermind was a British game show that was well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting, and air of seriousness. Contestants face two rounds of questions in the black chair to answer questions on their specialised subject and a general knowledge round. The sombre atmosphere is helped by Mastermind's intimidating theme music, "Approaching Menace" by the British composer Neil Richardson.
The questions contestants are asked during the show reflects the interests of modern Britain and vary from popular culture to general knowledge questions. The chair used in the show is one of its most famous icons. It’s a black leather chair that is lit by one spotlight and the rest of the studio is left dark. The inspiration for this came from the interrogations the show creator faced when he was a POW in World War 2. The chair is again one of the main characters of the tv series with only the contestants casting a shadow over its leading role. It showcases how an inanimate object can quickly become a pop culture icon and influence peoples thoughts and feelings on furniture and furniture design.
Friends – Central Perk sofa
Friends was a milestone sitcom when it debuted over 20 year ago as the show followed the personal and professional lives of six friends living in Manhattan. It became one of the most best loved tv shows of all time especially the storyline of Ross and Rachel. When you think of friends, the first things you think of besides Rachel and Ross is Central Perk, the coffee shop. The sofa in Central Perk plays a key role in the series where they hang around on the comfy orange sofa drinking large cups of coffee and chatting to each other about their lives. This was a new culture for viewers who were used to plot lines revolving around bars or family living rooms whereas this gave them something new. It could also possibly explain why there are now so many coffee shops with large comfy sofas, you never know?
Game of Thrones - The Iron Throne
Thanks to http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/733868-the-iron-throne for the image
Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama series that premiered in 2011 and very quickly became a popular series. Its set in a fictional continent and has several story lines running at once. If you are a fan I’m sure you already know the plot line inside out!
The Iron Throne is very much part of the series and is allegedly made from knives and swords that were surrendered to the King. They were then melted down by and beaten and bent into the throne of imposing appearance that is part of the series today. The royal seat has very much become the icon for the entire series as that is the first thing people think of when they think of The Game of Thrones. One of the main plot lines is who should rightfully sit on the Iron throne. This makes the throne one of the main characters of the show and a pop icon in its own right due to the massive cult following the series have. The throne is used in all the TV series marketing and you can even buy one if this is something you would like to add to the décor of your living room.
Captain Kirks Star Trek chair
Star Trek the original series tells the tale of the crew of the Starship Enterprise and its five year mission to ‘boldly go where no man has gone before’. Our final chair is Captain Kirk’s command chair which was first seen on our screens in 1966 where James J Kirk was captain of the USS Enterprise and would order his crew from his command chair at the centre of the bridge. The command chair became an iconic piece of furniture and was influenced by the post-modern, pop culture design movement of the 1960s. The chair became just as important a role as the characters themselves and plays an important part in the franchise. You can even buy similar chairs for your house if so desired.
These are our top 5 iconic furniture pieces from our favourite television series. As you can see the impact these iconic pieces of furniture have had on popular culture has been massive. Each piece of furniture are very much characters in their own right and play important parts in each of the series plotlines. All these tv series played a part in putting unique furniture designs in front of the masses and made furniture a fashionable topic. This meant that the masses were talking about furniture design and the alternatives out there.
Why not let us know what your favourite iconic pieces of furniture are?
Interested in finding out how more come and chat to us at the January Furniture Show at Hall 5 Stand G40, from 22nd -24th January 2018
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