Furniture Design: Process Work Week 5

Sketch Up models of table

Design.... how I love and HATE you all at the same time! This week I toyed with my table design. The more I drew it, made models of it, and just looked at it.... the less I liked it. As my professor said to me, forms such as my table look most striking from the side but head on are pretty lifeless. I wanted a way to make the front view more interesting so I went back to sketching...

Here I am still experimenting with the side view. I started to think what if I changed the design completely. What if I made the table more like my object? The eraser is made so that no mater what side you turn it on it stands and is functional.

 

This iteration is a table that can be turned in multiple directions an on various sides. However interesting of a concept, I STILL had the same problem of it being uninteresting from the front. I started to walk around the studio to take my mind of things and I stumbled upon this model that looked similar to the sketch below

From the side it had all of these interesting lines and shapes coming together and from the front it was stimulating because the top portion stuck out further than the bottom creating depth. Then I started to apply a similar idea to my design. What if I broke the box-like shape up? What is if were 2 boxes that looked to be splitting or rotating on top of one another?

Quick sketch of my idea

I really like this one! It is 2 rectangles rotated on one another. It is mulch-directional much like my eraser; either side can be used. It is also interest from the front view. It has depth and movement when you view it head on. It was a very happy accident that I came across this idea. This coming week I need to:

1. figure out the dimensions
2. do some color studies; I really like the contrast of the white and black but want to see what other options look good.
3. Make a scaled model

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Furniture Design: narrowing down my design

Narrowing down which designs I like best... This one would be made up of pieces of wood that would come together and make a curved implied line through the top of the table. I'm not sure how functional this table would be but I didn't find it interesting enough to pursue further.

This table would have a glass top and the straight boards would create a curved X lines in plan view. I decided not to go with this design because I want to primarily work in wood & the glass would be the only way to see the curved line. On to the next...

This was my S table. From one side it would look like the top shelf is floating/suspended. There would be space for storage and shelving. I really like this table for its graphic nature but think it would be difficult, with only a beginner's knowledge, to engineer the table so that it could support things inside of the cubbies.

I really really really LOVE this table! It is this angular table, not functional at all but very sculptural. I was advised that it would be very difficult to join these complex angles together. It would need to be made from one piece of wood, like plywood, and bent. Out of my range of skills but one day... I am going to have this made...

Low coffee table. I think it is a classic silhouette that has been done before so I wasn't too jazzed. I also feel it would be very simple to fabricate and I want to challenge myself in this course more.

This is an angular side table with metal rails. More functional than some of my other sketches/ideas. I like that the it seems to be balancing on the small back panel. Below I started trying to find other iterations of this table. How would it look if I applied curved edges? Closed the shape in different ways?....

This angled table reminds me of an arcade character. It has this very striking quality to it from the side but head on, not as interesting. I started to think of different angles that could be incorporated into the design...

I decided I like it better when there is more open space and the shape is not complete. Now the task of trying to make the front view more interesting. I want to some how emphasis the side so that one would know that the side is the quasi-front.

 

Front view studies

 Next I started to make models to see what the front view looks like and how to make it more visually stimulating

My next step will be figuring out the jointery for the table, materiality, and ways to emphasize the side.

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Furniture Design: Process Work

I started my process with word association trying to dissect the eraser. I also did some quick sketches to correlate with the wordstorm I was doing.

Next I started interpreting illusions into pictures + furniture mainly playing with implied lines...

More Sketches

More investigations on positive and negative space

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Fall 2011: Furniture Design

I am really excited about being in this class because I find furniture mesmerizing. Furniture can be a focal point or a conversation piece in a room. This semester in this class we will be designing and fabricating a table made primarily of wood. We are supposed to find inspiration in a random object, analyze it and interpret it as a piece of furniture. My object is a Japanese Kadokeshi Plastic Eraser

The eraser has 28 corners and boast that the edges never round and stay sharp for precision erasing. I find it interesting because it is filled with opposites. 

• concave/convex
• positive/negative space
• round/sharp
• light/shadow 

I wasn't familiar with what the object was when I first saw it so I started thinking about how it has this intrigue about it; it looks to be this one thing but has a completely different function. I decided my concept would be illusions...

My inspiration board consisted of various types of illusions and the 1 common denominator I have found its the play of positive & negative space. I want to create a piece where the negative space is more interesting than the positive space... I've got my work cut out for me...

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