Conservation of Twentieth-Century Furniture

Conservation of Twentieth-Century Furniture provides comprehensive and accessible coverage of the materials and techniques that are encountered in furniture of this century. After putting the design, manufacture and conservation of twentieth-century furniture into context, the volume then offers an A-Z of materials organised into 12 chapters. Within each chapter a wide variety of material types are discussed, observed, analysed and contextualised, and a list of further sources is provided. The furniture discussed in this book ranges from designer craftsman, individually made pieces, to factory-produced batch items, and includes cabinet work, decoration, surface finishes and upholstery, observing the traditional repertoire of materials, as well as innovative materials and processes introduced over the course of this century. Following the material chapters, the book also includes brief case studies that illustrate some examples of twentieth-century furniture conservation, with a focus on metal, plastic and wood. Conservation of Twentieth-Century Furniture is the primary resource for those working on the manufacture, history and care of furniture of this period, including conservators, curators, dealers and collectors.

Jake Kaner is Professor of Furniture at Nottingham Trent University and prior to that Buckinghamshire New University, where he studied and conserved twentieth-century furniture collections for many years. He has worked with English Heritage architects and leading museums. He has supervised at the RCA, London, lectured at UK Art and Design university departments, and given research papers at the Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, the Pinakotek der Moderne, Munich, the Design Museum, London and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Clive Edwards is an Emeritus Professor of Design History at Loughborough University. After a career in the retailing of furniture and interiors he completed a PhD on Victorian furniture technology. His published works include monographs and articles on aspects of furniture history, technology, materials and trades, furnishing textiles and the manufacture and retailing of domestic furnishings, as well as contributions to multi-authored works on interiors, architecture and home furnishings.

1. Introduction; 2. Overview of Twentieth-Century Furniture Design and Manufacture; 3. Overview of Twentieth-Century Furniture Conservation; 4. Introduction to Adhesives; 5. Board Materials; 6. Composites; 7. Metals; 8. Plant Materials; 9. Natural and Semi-Synthetic Plastics; 10. Synthetic Plastics ; 11. Stones and Minerals; 12. Structural Upholstery; 13. Surface Coatings; 14. Textiles and Fibres; 15. Timber and Related Products; 16. Case Studies of Specific Conservation Models; 17. Conclusion.