Furniture

The V&A has been collecting furniture and woodwork for over 150 years. This diverse collection is unrivalled for breadth and quality, spanning over six centuries of British and international furniture production – from Japanese lacquer and furniture from the 1851 Great Exhibition, to innovative contemporary design.

Examples from East Asia, South Asia and the Islamic Middle East sit alongside more than 14,000 pieces made in the West, from moveable furniture and clocks to musical instruments, plastic and leatherwork, and fragments of architectural woodwork both large and small. Highlights include the Great Bed of Ware (about 1590), Ranjit Singh's golden throne (1820 – 30) and the magnificent carved and gilded interior of the Norfolk House Music Room (1748 – 1756).

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Highlights from the Furniture collection

Discover the fascinating design stories behind our Furniture collection, spanning over 600 years of British and international furniture design and production

  1. Read

    Thonet and the invention of bentwood furniture

    Pioneers of both furniture design and manufacture
  2. Watch

    The skeleton in the cabinet: unveiling a 17th-century mystery

    Unlock the secrets of this rare and beautiful cabinet from modern-day Colombia
  3. Watch

    Moulding a seat for Marcel Breuer’s Short Chair

    Find out how a contemporary version of Marcel Breuer’s iconic Short Chair is made
  4. Read

    Frank Lloyd Wright

    The foremost American architect of the 20th century
  5. Read

    The conservation of Marie Antoinette's chair

    Follow our Conservation team on their fascinating journey to restore an 18th-century chair made specially for Marie Antoinette
  6. Read

    Box of mysteries

    Discover more about a mysterious Colombian cabinet dating from the 17th century
  7. Read

    Deckchair design: from ocean liner to Modernist villa

    Discover how ocean liner style influenced an iconic Modernist chair designed by Eileen Gray
  8. Read

    Space-Age chairs

    Bold, futuristic, out-of-this-world – discover five iconic space-age chair designs
  9. Watch

    Conservation of a Japanese palanquin

    Follow V&A Conservators as they treat an elaborately decorated Japanese palanquin in our collection
  10. Read

    Art Deco in the home

    From luxury handcrafted writing desks to affordable factory-made tea services, discover Art Deco in the home
  11. Read

    The influence of East Asian lacquer on European furniture

    Find out how the desire for Asian lacquer influenced Western furniture for centuries

  12. Read

    The making of an iconic image: Christine Keeler, 1963

    A political scandal, a chair, a photograph. Discover the making of an iconic image.

  13. Read

    The sophisticated Modern home

    Explore a selection of homewares that embody timely, elegant and most importantly, Modern, design
  14. Watch

    Marcel Breuer's Short Chair

    Discover the history of one of Marcel Breuer's best-known designs
  15. Read

    The Garden Egg Chair

    Behind the story of the Garden Egg Chair's mass production lies a fascinating tale of Germany's East/West relations
  16. Watch

    How was it made? Furniture

    Discover the hidden processes and techniques of furniture-making
  17. Read

    The Great Bed of Ware

    Discover the bawdy history of one of the V&A's best-known objects

  18. Watch

    Eileen Gray and her experimental 'S' bend chair

    Introducing the pioneering female designer behind the experimental 'S' bend chair
  19. Watch

    Conservation of the Poynter Room grill

    See the magnificence of the metalwork return
  20. Watch

    Dressing a 17th-century dolls' house: ASMR

    Step inside a tiny dolls' house
  21. Watch

    Opening a decorative mopa mopa cabinet: ASMR

    Marvel at the intricate detail and hear the drawers being gently pulled open
  22. Read

    The Chandigarh Chair

    Discover the untold origin story of a design classic
  23. Watch

    How to build a box for a musical instrument: ASMR
  24. Read

    Revealing the secrets of an amber cabinet
  25. Watch

    Revealing the lost art of the ancient scagliola marble technique: ASMR

    Watch the artisans at work

Collection highlights

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  1. throne chair
    Maharaja Ranjit Singh's throne, throne chair, made by Hafiz Muhammad Multani, 1805 – 10, Lahore
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  2. cassone chest
    Cassone chest, about 1488, Mantua, Italy
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  3. screen
    Screen, designed by Eileen Gray, 1923, Paris, France
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  4. chair
    Materialized Sketch, 3D-printed chair, designed by Front Design, printed by Alphaform, 2005, Stockholm, Sweden
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  5. cabinet
    The Yatman Cabinet, designed by William Burges, painted by Edward John Poynter, made by Harland and Fisher, 1858, London, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  6. storage unit
    ESU 421-C, storage unit, designed by Charles & Ray Eames for Herman Miller Furniture Co., 1949 – 50, US
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  7. console table
    Chiswick table, console table, designed by William Kent, made by John Boson, 1727 – 32, London, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  8. bed
    The Great Bed of Ware, designed by Hans Vredeman de Vries, 1590 – 1600, Ware, England
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  9. chair
    Garden Egg Chair, designed by Peter Ghyczy, manufactured by Elastogran GmbH, 1968, Lemförde, Germany
    V&A East Storehouse
    View by appointment
  10. medal cabinet
    Medal cabinet, designed by Charles Percier, made by Martin Guillaume Biennais, about 1810, Paris, France
    V&A South Kensington
    On display
  11. bell cittern
    (Back) Bell cittern, by Joachim Thielke, about 1700, Hamburg, Germany
    V&A South Kensington
    On display

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Background image: Fauteuil Transatlantique chair, Eileen Gray, 1925 – 30, reupholstered in the 1960s, France. Museum no. Circ.578-1971. Given by the designer. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London