I love furniture! I love to look at it, I love to touch it, and I love to make it.
Here’s the rub; I find a lot of the furniture available in stores today just doesn’t work. Now I know that somewhere in the dark recesses of the manufacturer’s offices a designer is coming up with amazing designs and wonderful concept drawings of the furniture the factory will someday build. But it seems when those great designs hit the light of day something happens that causes the design to go from “great” to “just okay.” I think the process of taking that fabulous drawing and turning it into a product that can be manufactured at a certain price point is the culprit here.
Think about it if you will… The parts for say a sofa or a coffee table are all re-drawn using a computer. The computer program understands what the machinery can and cannot do. Design details are adjusted or eliminated to comply with the needs of the manufacturing process! I’ve seen so many awesome furniture designs go from terrific concept drawings to ugly duckling realities because of this. The manufacturer adjusts here and tweaks there so the piece can be mass-produced, meeting a price point or achieving the greatest output. They are also looking to minimize the volume of waste in the raw materials they use.
Of course there is nothing wrong with all of this, but I do wonder if we aren’t losing something of the designer’s vision in the interpretation. Next time you find yourself wandering through a furniture store, pay attention to the look and the feel of the furniture at various price points and you will see what I mean.