Furniture Design

The comprehensive guide to furniture design-- expanded and updated

Furniture designers draw on a range of knowledge and disciplines to create their work. From history to theory to technology, Furniture Design offers a comprehensive survey of the essential craft- and practice-related aspects of furniture design.

Generously illustrated with photographs and drawings--including a new color section--this Second Edition features updated coverage of material specifications, green design, digital design, and fabrication technologies. It also features twenty-five case studies of furniture design that represent a broad selection of works, designers, and techniques, including recent designs produced within the last decade.

The book explores:

• Furniture function and social use

• Form, spatial organization, and typological orders

• Structural integrity and composition

• Accessibility, universal design, human factors, and ergonomics

• The design process, from schematics through fabrication

• Materials, processes, and methods of fabrication

• Professional practice and marketing

• The history of furniture design, from prehistory to the digital age

Complete with a glossary of terms and a comprehensive bibliography, Furniture Design, Second Edition is a one-stop resource that furniture designers will turn to regularly for the advice, guidance, and information needed to perform their craft.

Autorentext

JIM POSTELL is Professor in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati. He has taught design studio and seminar courses for thirty years and maintains an active design practice. He is the coauthor of Materiality and Interior Construction.

Klappentext

The comprehensive guide to furniture design— expanded and updated

Furniture designers draw on a range of knowledge and disciplines to create their work. From history to theory to technology, Furniture Design offers a comprehensive survey of the essential craft- and practice-related aspects of furniture design.

Generously illustrated with photographs and drawings—including a new color section—this Second Edition features updated coverage of material specifications, green design, digital design, and fabrication technologies. It also features twenty-five case studies of furniture design that represent a broad selection of works, designers, and techniques, including recent designs produced within the last decade.

The book explores:

• Furniture function and social use
• Form, spatial organization, and typological orders
• Structural integrity and composition
• Accessibility, universal design, human factors, and ergonomics
• The design process, from schematics through fabrication
• Materials, processes, and methods of fabrication
• Professional practice and marketing
• The history of furniture design, from prehistory to the digital age
  Complete with a glossary of terms and a comprehensive bibliography, Furniture Design, Second Edition is a one-stop resource that furniture designers will turn to regularly for the advice, guidance, and information needed to perform their craft.

Zusammenfassung

The comprehensive guide to furniture design expanded and updated

Furniture designers draw on a range of knowledge and disciplines to create their work. From history to theory to technology, Furniture Design offers a comprehensive survey of the essential craft- and practice-related aspects of furniture design.

Generously illustrated with photographs and drawingsincluding a new color sectionthis Second Edition features updated coverage of material specifications, green design, digital design, and fabrication technologies. It also features twenty-five case studies of furniture design that represent a broad selection of works, designers, and techniques, including recent designs produced within the last decade.

The book explores:

• Furniture function and social use
• Form, spatial organization, and typological orders
• Structural integrity and composition
• Accessibility, universal design, human factors, and ergonomics
• The design process, from schematics through fabrication
• Materials, processes, and methods of fabrication
• Professional practice and marketing
• The history of furniture design, from prehistory to the digital age
  Complete with a glossary of terms and a comprehensive bibliography, Furniture Design, Second Edition is a one-stop resource that furniture designers will turn to regularly for the advice, guidance, and information needed to perform their craft.

Inhalt

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xvii

Foreword xix

Foreword to the First Edition xxi

Chapter 1 Introduction to Furniture Design 1

Furniture 2

Design 8

Furniture + Design + (X) = Furniture Design 10

Data Visualization: Mapping Data from Research 12

Chapter 2 Function and Social Use 19

Human Body Supports 20

Sitting, Working, Resting, and Sleeping 20

Squatting and Sitting 23

Activities: Eating, Reading, Typing, and Writing 25

Containing: Storing, Displaying, and Organizing 27

Defining Space: Enclosing, Shaping, and Partitioning 28

Classifications Based on Social Use 29

Health-care Furniture: For Those Who Need Assistance 30

Hospitality Furniture: Restaurants, Lobbies, and Reception Areas 32

Institutional Furniture: Education 34

Multifunctional Furniture: Sit-Work, Sit-Sleep, and Store-Display 35

Office Furniture: Ergonomic Seating, Workstations, and Systems Furniture 37

Recreational Furniture: Play, Leisure, and Outdoor Furnishings 38

Religious (Liturgical) Furniture: Altars, Arks, and Minbars 40

Residential Furniture: Social Gathering, Resting, Dining, and Organizing 43

Retail Furniture: Displaying, Storing, Transactions, and Sales 46

Storage Furniture: Containing, Organizing, and Accessing 47

Chapter 3 Form, Spatial Organization, and Typological Orders 51

Form 51

Angular 56

Composite 56

Curvilinear 57

Orthogonal 58

Sectional/Modular 58

Spatial Organization 60

Centralized 61

Clustered 62

Grids 63

Linear 64

Radial 65

Typological Orders 66

Assembly Required (Ready-to-Assemble and Knock-Down) 66

Built-In/Stationary 67

Freestanding 67

Inflatable 68

Mechanical (Transformative Pieces) 69

Movable 72

Summary 74

Chapter 4 Furniture Case Studies 75

Overview of Furniture Case Studies 75

700400 BCE Greek Klismos chair 76

12001800 CE European coffer 78

17451750 French Rococo commode 80

17541780 Chippendale chair 82

18551859 Café chair, Model No. 14 84

19171918 Red-Blue chair 86

1922 Blocs Screen 88

1925 Wassily club chair, Model No. B301 90

1928 Siège à Dossier Basculant (B301) 92

19321933 Stools 60/65 94

19491950 Eames Storage Unit (ESU) 96

19501954 Antony chair 98

1951 Wire side chair 100

1968 Action Office 102

1987 Ghost chair 104

1992 Cross Check armchair 106

1993 Trinidad chair 108

1994 Living units 110

19941995 Aeron chair 112

1999 The Block 114

2000 Pathways 116

20032004 Jimmy's Buffet 118

2004 Knit chair 120

2006 Araneae coffee table 122

2011 Modular Vitrine System 124

Lessons from the 25 Furniture Case Studies 126

Chapter 5 Furniture Design Theory 129

Inquiry 129

Systems Theory 131

Firmitas, Utilitas, and Venustas 133

Firmitas 133

Utilitas 137

Anthropometrics 139

General Body Characteristics and Dimensions 141

Ergonomics 142

Posture 145

Proxemics 147

Venustas 150

Beauty 150

Geometry 152

Proportion 152

Modernism 154

Built Form and Culture 155

New Formalism: Theories of Digital Form 158

Chapter 6 Design 161

Design Principles 163

Balance: Structural and Visual, Symmetry and Asymmetry 163

Continu…