Contemporary furniture design is a recent innovation, starting roughly after the Second World War and continuing today. The goal of such designers was to change the trend from traditional, solid, furniture that focused on function first and aesthetic second, to a more multifunctional area of furniture design. This meant the furniture may be crafted with more than one function in mind; with new and interesting materials and colours; and with a smoother, sleeker look that is both inviting and comfortable at the same time.

The female perspective on furniture design was perhaps downplayed before contemporary design came on the scene. This was largely because women were not at all involved in design and were not the primary spenders of the household. They were, however, the members of the household who were in charge of taking care of the home and ensuring that it was clean, comfortable and ready to receive guests; and also, that it was ready to impress. Because of this, women did have a larger impact on the furniture industry than many people today will realise. They wanted furniture that reflected their standing in society, that made their homes beautiful and of course that was functional for whatever purposes they had in mind.

Modern women do not hold exactly the same roles as their predecessors within the home, however they have retained a large responsibility in terms of home care and decoration. Women in the modern home are often the family member who decides to redecorate, to buy furniture and to arrange the house in a particular way. Contemporary furniture has ensured that modern women with a desire or responsibility to decorate their homes have a wider, more eclectic range to choose from. These contemporary designs not only provide a variety of options for the modern home, but they can also be real space savers as the size of the middle-class home has shrunk considerably in the last century.

In essence, contemporary furniture has allowed women to take even more pride in themselves and in their homes because they are able to show more individuality and personality in their home designs with pieces like novelty chairs, large corner sofas, sofa beds, modern coffee tables and dining sets and every furniture piece you can imagine. The perspective of the modern woman on contemporary furniture is that it is more reflective of her freer role throughout society, as opposed to the traditional role and ancestral home filled with dark, not-so-comfortable furniture.

Choice is freedom!