Design is a huge topic. From the visual appeal to how well a product will function, great design requires some serious forethought, testing and adjusting.
When it comes to designing exceptional furniture, the initial design stage is critical. Not only do you need to create something that will appeal to your customers, you need to ensure that what you create will also work properly and stand the test of time. You don’t want to experience the hassle and expense of recalling a faulty item. And on the consumer’s side of things, there’s nothing worse than buying chairs that wiggle their way loose after six months, or a table that is not balanced properly.
So what exactly does it take to design flawless furniture? Let’s take a look:
Form
First things first. If it doesn’t have an appealing style, chances are it won’t sell. That being said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and style is purely the choice of your consumer. So, knowing your markets along with their respective preferences and needs will help you pinpoint the look to go after. Keep in mind the types of furniture that traditionally sells well, as well as potential fads or trends; should you wish to capitalize on current styles. Form also plays into other factors, which we will touch on further below.
Function
It must work well. It would be completely useless to design the world’s most beautiful chair if no one can sit in it! Function is quite simply about making sure that your initial visual ideas (form) will also work well for whatever purpose the piece is intended for. When assessing functionality, strength testing and other types of testing can save you big money by discovering any hidden flaws in your desired design.
Another part of function is the actual dimensions of your piece. Is it high enough? If it is a set, do all of the pieces fit and work well together? These may seem like simple questions, but if you’ve ever had chairs that don’t fit under your table, you’ll know how important they are!
Engineering
This is where it pays to have both an experienced designer and a craftsman on board. It is at this stage where many projects lose profitability and quality. A good designer or craftsman can pinpoint certain adjustments to improve your project structurally, as well as make insightful suggestions on aspects like the type of wood to choose, types of joinery, cost assessments and strength requirements. This component of good design is about producing the desired form using the best possible methods and materials.
Manufacturing
It’s almost time to produce the actual furniture pieces! At the onset of the manufacturing stage is where you will assess and adjust your project specifications to ensure its manufacturability. It might require slight alterations to the form to ensure that you can produce the pieces at an efficient cost. Or maybe there are alterations you can make that will drastically reduce the time it takes to produce the parts. Whatever the conclusion, at this stage, efficiency is the name of the game.
Those are the four main considerations when designing wood furniture. At Newport Furniture, we have skilled craftsmen and designers who can greatly streamline the design process for you.
We’re here to help, give us a call at: 802.334.5428
