Want to Become a Furniture Designer? Here Are the Steps to Follow
Hello, friends!
I have visited today a super interesting lecture by Sergio Ferrandi about a process of becoming a furniture designer.
Let’s say you are an interior designer and have passion for product design. Or you need to design something specific for a particular project. Or making sketches of furniture and creating new designs is your hobby and you want to make a living out of it. How to start? And how to succeed?
Sergio shared a very detailed explanation on how new products are born, what is creative process behind it and how to implement your designs in reality. Here are steps to follow.
- Understand the need. All new products do not appear out of the blue but are created to satisfy a certain need. For example, this chair was created for the restaurant which is located near a theater. Designer looked for an idea or an object that would unite those two spaces and they’ve come up with a violin shape for a chair back:
2. Search for inspiration from nature. This is an amazing resource – in fact all what you need to do is to train your eye to notice beautiful shapes and textures and then use them in your designs.
3. Don’t only see things which lie on the surface – dig deeper and practice abstract thinking. For example designers of Mast Elements were inspired by the shape of Manta ray:
4.Try not to repeat the exact shape from nature, but understand its structure and proportions:
5. Designers from Mast Elements then researched which material would allow them to repeat this flexible organic shape and they decided to try carbon fiber – super strong and durable material, which could be only few millimeters thick. This is another important aspect – try to be innovative not only with shapes and colors, but research new materials and try to implement them in your designs.
Let’s say you have already designed a piece of furniture. Now, what’s next? How to manufacture it?
- Research the factories and make the list of those who work in the same style or you think might be interested in your design.
- Find out the contact details of a person responsible for taking the decision of manufacturing new design.
- Write him an email with your sketches/or CAD model included (1 or 2 is enough – don’t include detailed specification ). If they like it, they will offer to manufacture it.
I hope I have inspired you to create something new! Have a fabulous weekend!
