One of the most important focus points of the MAK Furniture and Woodwork Collection are the pieces of furniture from the Baroque and Rococo eras. Chairs, tables, cabinets, and entire interior designs from the time of Absolutism can be found in the Collection in the ornate and splendid forms typical of this era. The exhibits that are particularly worth seeing include the furniture and marquetry panels presented in the Permanent Collection. They were made in Brussels in the 1770s by David Roentgen for the governor-general of the Austrian Netherlands, Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine. They are considered highlights of German cabinetmaking.

The Collection includes a large group of furniture from the Empire and Biedermeier eras as well as Historicism and Art Nouveau, which are each represented by outstanding examples. An important phase in the history of design is outlined by the exceptional collection of bentwood furniture, based on which an overview of the furniture production of the Thonet company as well as its competitors from the 1830s to the 1930s can be gained. During World War II, important historical holdings of the MAK Furniture and Woodwork Collection were lost: almost one third of the Furniture Collection was destroyed by the war. After the war, the museum put a lot of effort into rebuilding the furniture department. With new purchases, the attempt was made to acquire representative examples of the Wiener Werkstätte and the period between the wars. The MAK Furniture Collection of Viennese Modernism is one of the most important ones worldwide. It includes pieces of furniture by Otto Wagner, Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, Adolf Loos, as well as Dagobert Peche, and Josef Frank.

In the 20th century, the classification of the Collection changed from material to typological: the Furniture Collection no longer only includes objects made of wood, but also furniture made of tubular steel, plastic, cardboard, or textiles.

These historical holdings are complemented by active collecting, which is increasingly dedicated to contemporary furniture production. The border area between art, architecture, and furniture design has emerged as a new focus of the Collection. Contemporary acquisitions by well-known international designers and architects like, for example, Matali Crasset and Jerszy Seymour mark new positions in experimental furniture design.