It is known to assemble furniture by interlocking a series of component parts. However many known products are not particularly easy to assemble. It is an object of a preferred form of the invention to go at least some way towards addressing this. In a preferred embodiment of the invention this is achieved by a furniture system that has a plurality of panels each having a recess 23 (eg a cutout) in an upright end thereof, a plurality of male connectors each having an outwardly projecting stud 26 with a head and a stem narrower than the head, and a plurality of female connectors each having a keyhole opening 28 complimentary to the head 26 and stem of one of the mail connectors. The recess of each panel is complimentary to both the male and female connectors so that either connector can be fitted into the recess for normal function. The male and female connectors are secured in the recesses respectively, the head of a male connector of one panel can be inserted into the keyhole of a female connector of another panel and positioned behind a relatively narrow part of the keyhole to releasably lock the panels end to end. Each panel has at least one flared end and a substantially straight main central portion.