Furniture as a Design Product

 

ABSTRACT Furniture has been one of the indispensable articles of our living areas from past to present. Furniture is significant element in the planning of a building enabling the spaces to specifically perform their functions. Various spaces such as the living room, office spaces, concert halls and schools provide manifold services, which may require that furniture design is to be practiced in relation to these manifold services. In addition to wood, various materials are being employed in the manufacture of furniture. Factors such as the risk of forest depletion and sustainability require minimizing the utilization of wood. In addition to traditional methods in furniture design, the utilization of infinite elements and such programmes as solidworks, various measurement test analysis methods, contemporary manufacturing techniques and current technologies could provide environmentally friendly products reducing material consumption and shortening the process of manufacturing. While reducing the number of materials, weights and parts in furniture manufacturing, criteria such as durability, difference in appearance, the utilization of materials appropriate to the function should be considered. This paper explicates that furniture design could be considered with different viewpoints thanks to the principles of the discipline of design. It stresses some key points that should be noted in furniture design. Some experimental studies that combine technical and aesthetical works are mentioned.