Most of us are doing it wrong.
As woodworkers, we eagerly await the start of a project. A trip to the lumberyard to select materials, bringing them home to the shop to acclimate. Then finally, we can start making dust.
But this is not the true start of the process. We’ve placed emphasis on the build aspect – the how, without giving due attention to the what and the why – the design.
I have done this backwards historically. I’ve placed more emphasis on the build than I have on the design. Don’t get me wrong, developing strong woodworking skills is critical to creating a piece that looks good, functions well, and will stand the test of time. However, neglecting focus on the design process can be a huge limitation to the potential of the maker.
This post is an attempt to codify my perspective on what makes a good design in furniture making, using simple heuristics that are easy to recall and apply.
I’ll discuss the four major concepts that guide my design process: form vs. function, restraint, scale and proportions, and evoking a response.
I’ll also include examples of work from other woodworkers to help highlight these concepts. These are people with a stunning portfolio of work and who’s skills in design and craft I aspire to emulate.
The ideas in this post are a snapshot of today. I expect and welcome the evolution of this process over time as I sharpen my eye, refine my taste, and raise my standards.
Ok let’s dive in.
Form and Function: A Happy Marriage
A quote from the late architect and woodworker, George Nakashima, comes to mind here…
“Each plank can only have one ideal use. The woodworker must find this ideal use and create an object of utility to man, and if nature smiles, an object of lasting beauty.”
Furniture’s ultimate goal is to provide utility. A table is to provide a study place to meet and share meals. A chair to provide a place for comfort and rest. A chest of drawers to store and protect belongings.
A piece of furniture, no matter how delightful in form, does not fulfill its purpose if it does not function as intended. This is why function should come first, to establish the objectives and major parameters of a piece.
Once those parameters have been set, the woodworker now has a well-bounded playground in which to experiment with form.
This is not to say that the opposite cannot be done (form-first approach), but the chance of making a compromise to the function or integrity of a piece is more likely if form and function are in conflict with each other.
Another consideration when weighing form vs function is how much the piece will be used or interacted with. For example, if you make subtle compromises to the structure of a chair to achieve a desired form, those compromises will not go unchecked. Continued abuse from sitting down, standing up, and leaning back will test the joints of the chair, ultimately loosening them and weakening the structure.
On the other hand, consider a hall table – a piece meant primarily for decoration. Maybe you display a couple of small items on the table or keep some stationery in the drawers. This might be an application where function could be subordinated to form if the goal is to create something unique and eye catching.
Choosing joinery is another area where things can go astray due to lack of intention. Once again, form and function need to be balanced here as certain connections in a furniture piece will require a certain type of joint for strength. Woodworkers should work to understand the various kinds of joints and where they are most effective (i.e. for compression, tension, torsion/racking, or shear). Using a joint for aesthetics can be a sound design decision, but only if it improves the design while also being appropriate for the structural requirements of the application.
Form vs. Function - Simple Rules:
1. Function defines overall parameters, form works within.
2. Level of interaction bias's function.
3. Choose joinery with intention.
Showing restraint for Simplicity’s Sake
I recently heard Nathan Day from Nathan Day Designs speak on a video about simplicity in design. One statement that resonated with me was “it’s not a place to show off all of your woodworking skills at once”.
This is such a helpful idea because it can be an appealing to an inexperienced maker to try to add as much complexity to a design as they can to show off woodworking prowess. But often it has the opposite effect – it’s busy, cluttered, and the eye struggles to try to understand what it is and how to feel about it.
Restraint means designing with more of a subtractive mindset than an additive one. Simple designs have an unspoken, but easily felt, elegance to them. Every part has a purpose, whether it’s functional or aesthetic.
This walnut trestle table made by Ishitani Furniture exemplifies the concept of simplicity and elegance. Every piece of this table base is absolutely necessary to support the large tabletop and endure frequent use over time.
Within the confines of utility and strength, Ishitani creates subtle beauty and interest from details such as the proud dowel joinery between the leg and the cap and the light wood accent wedges on the double through tenons of the stretcher.
The designer should decide what part of the piece is going to be the focal point. Upon interaction with a piece of furniture, this is where the eyes go first. By doing this, you create a hierarchy of emphasis which helps to decide which aspects of the design are going to stick out, and what aspects are playing a supporting role.
Too many main characters make for a bad story.
The design of this dresser by Nick Pedulla from Pedulla Studio perfectly highlights the concept of emphasis and hierarchy in design. The construction of the cabinet carcass and base is intentionally simplistic. This allows your eye to be drawn immediately to the beautiful and intricate end grain chevron pattern on the right side of the drawer fronts.
If additional ornament were to be added to these pieces, it would have likely taken away the impact of the end grain chevron design, making it difficult to focus on any one feature.
We should also consider the space where a piece of furniture will live. What is that space like? What’s the style? The dynamic of the space can help to inform the level of simplicity the piece needs to interact well with the other elements of the space.
I have certainly fallen victim to this phenomenon before. A finished product looks fantastic on its own, but then when placed into its home environment it looks out of place, or it fights with other elements for prominence.
Restraint - Simple Rules:
1. Don’t show off
2. Who’s the main character?
3. Does it play well with others?
Proportions and Scale
Proportions are subtle but powerful. Something might seem visually interesting or boring, but we might not know why.
Let me introduce a concept (that I just learned thanks to google) called processing fluency.
Processing fluency is the phenomenon where things that are easier for the brain to process feel more beautiful, trustworthy, and well-made.
Certain ratios used in furniture are more visually appealing than others, such as the golden ratio (roughly 1:1.6) which is found throughout nature and architecture. Other simple ratios can be used such as 2:3, 3:5, 4:7 etc.
This figure from sketchplanations.com explains the golden ratio and some examples found in nature, art, and architecture. Don’t worry about exact numbers, but we should understand the concept.
There’s plenty of science to explore here, but the guiding principle should be to try to find that sweet spot between simplicity and variation. If a design’s proportions are too simple, there’s no cognitive reward. If it’s too complex, it leads to mental fatigue. Balanced proportions make it easy to process and more interesting.
A walnut record cabinet made by Nick Pedulla from Pedulla Studio. Notice how the five horizontal compartments are not evenly spaced (the center compartment is wider) which breaks a pattern enough to bring visual interest.
The center compartment is also not evenly divided. This was likely driven by function as the top compartment will house a record player, but a collateral benefit is a pleasing ratio that draws you in.
Scale has to do with the size of a piece of furniture in relation to both the user, and to the space it will inhabit. A design can make the following considerations in regards to scale:
· What’s the right size for the space in which it will live?
· Are the ergonomics right?
· Should it exude a feeling of grandeur or modesty?
This is another easy error to fall victim to because we often design something on paper or in CAD completely isolated from its final environment. Then, when the finished piece is placed in the room, it looks out of place, or it doesn’t fit the user’s body.
Proportions and Scale: Simple Rules:
1. Use appealing ratios (organized complexity)
2. Size up the user and the environment
It Should Evoke a Response
This is the X factor. It’s hard to describe or create a set of rules for.
The best way to accomplish this is to know what kind of response you wish to evoke with the design, and then test it.
The test: Do you feel the way you want others to feel when they interact with the design? If yes, you have something. If no, keep iterating.
Now this isn’t to say that people will feel the same way about the piece that you do when creating it. No one’s beliefs, knowledge, personality or life experiences are the same as yours.
That piece might mean something different to them, and that’s ok. But we’re still more effective if we set out to design with this intention.
This stationary chest from Kobeomsuk Furniture immediately evokes a feeling in me of intention and elegance. The beautiful grain continuity of the drawer fronts, which feature a hard contrast between heartwood and sapwood, draws you in. The subtle brass pulls add elegance without being overpowering. The hand-cut dovetailed drawers provide a feeling of strength, quality, and longevity.
The woodworker can use skill in design to evoke feelings of grandeur, calm, stability, conflict, elegance, nostalgia, and creativity.
The differences could be subtle and are difficult to explain with words. A good design should be able to carry a conversation on its own with those that interact with it, in its own language.
I’m going to coin this term vibe-based requirements (VBM). You can’t explain it, but you know it when you see it.
Evoking a Response: Simple Rules
1. Choose the emotion you want it to evoke
2. Test it
3. Iterate
Conclusion
Once again, this perspective is a snapshot in time. Tastes, standards and personal systems will evolve as they should.
There are so many great artists out there to derive inspiration from, but ultimately, we have to experiment to find what works for us. The beauty is in the reps – the dozens of projects that we undertake. Some we are proud of the end result, some maybe not our favorites. It is through this iteration of designs and good ole practice that we begin to find the essence of our own design trademark - what feels true to us.
Thanks for reading, and throw a comment out if you have different perspectives on these design concepts and how you incorporate them into your process.