Current standards on interior decoration & furniture
Furnishing our world
Tables, beds and other furniture are objects that surround us day by day. Standards define minimum requirements for interior furnishings and specify test methods and criteria that have to be met by furniture. However, they go beyond functional aspects when it comes to safety or issues related to indoor climatic conditions and ecology.
Systematic standards
- Credit: ASI prm
Austria has its own standards for furniture. They harmonise terminology and draw up a clear system for marking products. In three standards made up of several parts, requirements and tests are laid out for all types of furniture up to mattresses.
General furniture standards in Austria (examples):
ÖNORM A 1600 (three parts): Furniture - from types to marking
ÖNORM A 1605 (twelve parts): Furniture - Testing - from tables to fabrics and upholstery materials
ÖNORM A 1610 (eleven parts): Furniture - Requirements - Materials; from dimensions to surfaces
Passing the acid test
- Credit: ASI prm
European furniture standards place the emphasis on testing furniture. Key aspects covered by them relate to whether and how fast a product or its components is ignitable, how resistant surfaces are against mechanical and chemical action and how strong and durable surfaces are.
European furniture standards (examples):
ÖNORM EN 12721: Assessment of surface resistance to wet heat
ÖNORM EN 1021 (two parts): Furniture - Assessment of the ignitability of upholstered furniture
ÖNORM EN 1022: Domestic furniture - Seating - Determination of stability
ÖNORM EN 1725: Domestic furniture - Beds and mattresses - Safety requirements and test methods
ÖNORM EN 13722: Furniture - Assessment of the surface gloss
An optimum environment at work
- Credit: ASI prm
Desk and work chair may be a question of image for the boss. Nevertheless, they should be functional - just like for all other persons working at offices. European standards define minimum requirements for desks, swivel chairs and other furniture so that they are functional and permit ergonomic work while trade across borders is facilitated.
Office furniture (examples):
ÖNORM EN 527 (three parts): Office furniture - Work tables and desks
ÖNORM EN 1023 (three parts): … - Screens
ÖNORM EN 1335 (three parts): … - Office work chair
ÖNORM EN 14073 (two parts): … - Storage furniture
Well conceived for children
- Credit: ASI prm
Furniture fulfils its purpose - be it designed for sitting, eating or storing. Special attention, however, has to be given to furniture to be used by children - from toddlers to kids going to school. Here, priority is given to safety and ergonomics.
From toddlers to school-age kids (examples):
ÖNORM A 1640: Furniture for children in kindergartens and crèches
ÖNORM EN 12227 (two parts): Playpens for domestic use
ÖNORM A 1650: Chairs and tables for general school education
ÖNORM EN 1729 (two parts): Furniture - Chairs and tables for educational institutions
ÖNORM EN 14434: Writing boards for educational institutions
Tailored solutions
- Credit: ASI prm
Primarily, furniture is used at home and at work. It can, however, serve many other purposes as well. Experts have also given thought to special applications and developed basic principles, for example, for laboratory furniture, theatre or cinema seating or functionally optimised garden and camping furniture.
Specialised furniture standards (examples):
ÖNORM EN 14703: Furniture - Links for seating linked together in a row
ÖNORM EN 14727: Laboratory furniture - Storage units for laboratories
ÖNORM EN 581 (three parts): Outdoor furniture - Seating and tables for camping, domestic and contract use
More than functional
- Credit: ASI prm
More and more standards go beyond functionality alone. Furniture must not only serve its purpose, but has to integrate into an overall system. In this way, ecological requirements find their way into standards just like the question of how to assess optical defects.
All the trappings (examples):
ÖNORM C 2321: Assessment of optical defects
ÖNORM C 2380: Paints and varnishes - Oils and waxes for timber surfaces
ÖNORM EN 13779: Ventilation for non-residential buildings
ÖNORM EN 15251: Indoor environmental input parameters for design and assessment of energy performance of buildings
Cosy and ecological
- Credit: MIRAKO
Safeguarding basic requirements is the main task of standards in the field of furniture. Over time, specifications develop that embrace ecology, cosiness and ergonomic issues.
