Contemporary Furniture Research Articles

Above Standard: Villas Designed by Jan Dudek-Kornecki as a Contribution to the Study of the Housing Culture of Affluent Residents of Poznań in the Last Decades of the People’s Republic of Poland

In the 1970s both sociologists and experts on housing culture correctly noted that a tendency towards consumerism was developing in Polish society. These tendencies were described as the neo-bourgeois lifestyle. This lifestyle was supposedly characterised by a focus on material possessions and prestige. The achievement of affluence was pronounced to be the life aim of this group, and the outward marks of affluence (and the acts of demonstrating them) to be an important element of favourable self-assessment. It was noted that these consumerist aspirations resulted from the citizens’ acceptance of Western models. It was also stated that the main indicators of this style were the apartment itself, its standard and equipment, and the culture of leisure time. Poznań in the last years of the communist government in Poland seems to be a particularly fitting place to exemplify the phenomena characterised herein. It has for a long time been associated (not only in popular perceptions) with the bourgeoisie, the entrepreneurial spirit, and affluence; scholarly research points to the same fact. In those days, a detached house for one family, or a villa – especially one constructed to an individually commissioned design and with equipment that exceeded standards in various aspects – was a clear and socially distinctive signal of status to a far greater extent than it is at present. Such buildings were commissioned by members of the affluent intelligentsia, but also by numerous private entrepreneurs. Jan Dudek-Kornecki (b. 1928) was particularly fashionable and sought after as a designer of such villas. His designs were a compromise between the aspirations of his clients, the restrictions imposed by construction law, and the availability of building and finishing materials. Nevertheless, in terms of equipment they differed significantly from contemporary residential quarters, mainly due to the presence of antiques and works of art, as well as unique pieces of contemporary furniture acquired from exhibitions at the Poznań International Fair or from the furniture factory in Swarzędz. The essay offers an analysis of the practices and strategies of deluxe living in Poland in the period before the 1989 breakthrough.

Structural Analysis and Optimization Design of Laminated Bent-wood Chair

By means of computer-aided analysis, the structural mechanical strength of laminated bent-wood chair, which represents the mainstream product of contemporary furniture design, has been analysed, and the mechanical properties prediction and optimization design model of laminated bent-wood chair are constructed; the theoretical basis and method for the application of finite element method in the design and manufacture of laminated bent-wood chair are considered, and the optimum design for the structure and strength design of curved-surface furniture is discussed. Research shows that this study will effectively reduce the raw materials and production costs consumed in the development and utilization of new furniture products, shorten research and development cycle, improve labour productivity, and provide new test and methodology for furniture design and manufacturing industry.

Dutch Inlaid Aventurine Decoration: Study, Analysis, and Conservation

ABSTRACTA small group of seventeenth-century furniture comprised of four cabinets and one table distinguishes itself from contemporary furniture decorated with lacquer imitation techniques. Sumptuous patterns in European aventurine lacquer are inlaid into a background of ebony, thus creating a rich contrast. Inspired by the technique of Japanese nashi-ji lacquer, European motives are paired with the exotic effect of shimmering metal particles. Tying into previous research, one of the cabinets which was so far only known from photographs in early twentieth-century literature, was studied in-depth. A fragment from the table’s decoration could also be included into the technical study. The materials and techniques employed for the creation of these inlaid aventurine lacquer pieces were studied and compared to the hitherto studied three cabinets. The most recent treatment involving consolidating delaminated areas and replacing losses in the aventurine lacquer is briefly outlined.

Horizontal Fire Spread in a Contemporary Apartment Based on a Real Fire

The apartment fire tests comprise a set of two full-scale fire experiments in a dwelling building made from pre-fabricated concrete elements in April 2013. Two apartments were nearly identically furnished and fully instrumented with thermocouples, video cameras and gas extraction probes. The apartments were ignited successively whereupon the fire in the second apartment developed freely to post-flashover conditions and got the main focus in this report. The apartment was completely furnished with contemporary furniture and objects, and had an average fire load density for residential occupancy. A full description of the fire load, ventilation conditions and instrumentation are provided. The focus of this report is primarily to obtain conclusions on the horizontal spread of smoke throughout the apartment during the fire growth period. Velocities of smoke spreading were measured to be in the range below 0.05 m/s which means that the smoke migrated over the longest distance throughout the apartment for about 3 to 4 minutes while the flame did not leave the initial fire room. The main aim of the experiments was to collect a comprehensive set of data from a realistic and contemporary fire scenario to validate numerical simulations.

Neo-Kingly Things: Contemporary Furniture in the Restricted Field

Within the broad, market-driven category of contemporary design there exists a smaller culture of production, namely, elite, limited-edition furniture that seeks to straddle the line between design and art. Focusing on these neo-kingly things – so named as they represent today’s throne chairs and other high-status furniture objects – this article explores how these rarified objects function as tastemakers, informing and influencing how contemporary style can be understood, how stylistic themes are established and how meaning is conveyed through design’s interconnected dimensions of form, materiality and style.

Relation between contemporary furniture and technology

Furniture, the indicator of the identity, belief and prestige, being always in interaction with person’s life, is in addition to its function, a meaning carrier and communication object. Furniture, which were previously manufactured due to practical, aesthetic and status based needs, but started to be used deliberately in order to transmit messages by the beginning of the last century; has reached a broad meaning content and diversity by the influence of the technological developments at present, too. Contemporary artists and designers deem this form as a tool which transmits thoughts, philosophy, ideologies, statements, ideas, feelings and can at the same time be used as an application area where experimental manufactures, composite materials, scientific researches, contemporary design and production methods can be tried out.

Law, Design, and Market Value: Lessons from the Cantilever Chair, 1929–1936

The cantilever chair is both a modern classic and a tradable commodity. Iconic designs, such as those by Marcel Breuer, are part of museum collections and are being produced for the contemporary furniture market. Moreover, there are countless other variations of the cantilever principle on the market. This article explains the emergence of the upmarket segment for iconic designs through historical sources. The focus is on the role of intellectual property rights and their interaction with management, branding, and pricing activities in the early 1930s. The article establishes that legal and perceived authenticity of cantilever designs were necessary but not sufficient to establish the upmarket segment. A substantial premium could only be charged once customers revealed that they had a high willingness to pay for authentic furniture that was chrome-plated.

Please do not sit? The display of contemporary furniture in historic locations

The display of contemporary artworks at historic locations has become widespread. Contemporary art projects that resonate with a historic context provide an opportunity for creative interpretation ...

Paper: An Emerging Green Furniture Material

Green and environmental protection has become a theme of contemporary furniture design. As a unique furniture material, paper has characteristics like wide source, easy processing, non-toxic and pollution-free. It has been used in the development and design of furniture. Paper furniture has broad application prospects.

The Cultural Dimension and Its Influence on the Relationship between the Textile and Furniture

The tapestry contribute to the charm of interior design and comfort of men, its delicate colours complete the style of furniture , certain tapestries , in robust drawing , combine very well with a rustique or contemporary furniture. The tapestries of chairs, “au petit point” , naturally accompany the old wood as those of the Beauvais factory. With branches and flowers under the reign of Louis XIV, with medallions under the reign of Louis XVI, with ancient scenes in the Empire , in round bouquets under the reign of Louis-Philippe, the tapestry seat have their frames or their background animated by the decorative themes which characterize each style. The research aims to examine the close relationship between the textile and furniture in the light of The cultural dimension of each society from the XVII century to the XX Century in France. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n11p295

전통짜임의 활성화를 위한 조형적 분석

본 연구는 전통공예기술인 짜임을 현대 가구디자인에 활용하기 위해 조형적인 분석을 통해 사용자가 쉽게 접할 수 있도록 체계적으로 정리하여 보급하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 정리된 짜임의 분석 자료를 토대로 가구를 제작하는 데 쉽게 적용할 수 있도록 하기 위해 기본적으로 짜임을 이용한 가구로 생성될 수 있는 형태를 조사한 결과, 판재+판재의 결합으로 이루어진 가구, 판재+각재 2축의 결합으로 이루어진 가구, 판재+각재 3축의 결합으로 이루어진 가구로 나누어 볼 수 있었다. 그리고 가구의 위치에 따라 사용되는 짜임을 파악하기 위한 분석으로 가구의 상부에 주로 사용되는 짜임의 종류와 가구의 중앙부에 사용되는 짜임, 가구의 하부에 주로 사용되는 짜임으로 분류하여 각각의 짜임을 분석하여 정리하였다. 이와 같이 짜임은 그 사용되는 위치나 가구의 형태에 따라 그 구조를 이루는데 필요한 짜임이 다르다. 그래서 일반인들이 처음 짜임을 접할 때는 어떤 짜임이 어디에 사용되어야 되는지 파악하기가 힘들다. 따라서 본 연구에서 가구의 조형분석을 통해 가구의 형태별, 가구의 위치별로 적용할 수 있는 짜임을 분석하여 정리함으로써 장인이 아닌 일반인들에게 대중적으로 짜임의 활용도를 높일 수 있는 계기가 될 것이다. This study aims to analyze the formativeness of zzaim (traditional craft techniques to combine two or more materials to make an angle or to weave them to make a slope side) and systematically classified these techniques to help furniture manufacturers effectively utilize them in the design of contemporary furniture. From this data, furniture manufacturers can have benefits to understand which type of zzaim techniques will be appropriate to their plan of building furniture, and practically use relevant techniques in the field. This study classified four different applications of zzaim techniques depending on sites, such as (1) the top, (2) middle body, (3) lower body, and (4) legs of furniture. In summary, zzaim techniques are differently applied depending on the application sites and formative types of furniture. This feature makes general furniture manufacturers who want to apply zzaim techniques for the first time have hard time to understand which kind of technique should be applied to which part. Recognizing this problem, this study expects general manufacturers as well as master artisans to more effectively utilize zzaim techniques by providing the systematic data on the formative analysis of types of furniture and application sites.

Industrial Design Innovation of Sarawak Contemporary Furniture Design

This paper is part of a fundamental research on indigenous Dayak's motif of Sarawak as part of innovative design element for a contemporary chair design. Reviews of existing study on relation between novel, augmented, and copied designis used as a basis for establishing a distinctive Sarawak image in the Malaysian furniture industry through the approach of methodology of industrial design. The research opportunities are focus on a number of significant disparities that have restricted the development of competitive furniture designs from Sarawak in particular. These disparities include the manufacturers’ unfamiliarity with innovative design approach, a lack of understanding on the importance of good design, uncertainty on user needs, and inappropriate use of critical design elements. The introduction of pioneered material species; despite providing new alternative to materials, adds further disparities to new furniture design and development as more resources will need to be allocated for design management, development, testing and validation. This article provides an academic perspective on the contribution of industrial design to both innovation and performance. This perspective can be referred and adapted by the furniture industry player in Sarawak to establish a formal furniture design framework that emphasis industrial design, which could enable them to compete in the local and international market.

Application of Chinese Lacquer Art in New Cultural Furniture Design

This paper is intended to explore a new method which the tradional lacuqer art is applied in contemporary furniture. The new furniture is called as new cultural furniture. It is full of the sense of the times as well as the Eastern taste. By practicing, the three principles, which infuse the lacquer art with a new life, are concluded. They are the modular design of the lacquer decoration, the modernization of techniques, and the judicious choice of patterns and images in accordance with the taste of the times.

‘In seen and unseen places’: The Henry G. Marquand House and Collections in England and America

The essay examines the architectural design, art collections, and construction of the mansion of railroad financier Henry G. Marquand. The author explains Marquand's collection of both English and U.S. art and the incorporation of such art into the mansion's interior design. Emphasis is given to Marquand's efforts in collecting historical art made by such painters as Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Frederic Leighton, and Edward Poynter, as well as his commissioning of contemporary English furniture.

Bending Modernity: Chairs, Psychoanalysis and the Rest of Culture

AbstractComing from the premise that in order to capture the social in action, we have to be able to re‐construct or re‐assemble reality through parallel histories, I propose to re‐examine the notion of modern subjective culture by focusing on a historically specific interaction of human and non‐human actors. The main vehicle of comparison utilized for this purpose is the cultural history of psychoanalysis and contemporary furniture design.Specifically, the bent‐wood furniture and its emblematic example, the Thonet chair, are used to recover a cultural history of design through bending. By cross‐referencing such design practice with the contemporaneous to it moment of psychoanalysis, I propose that the cultural logic of the fin de siècle, viewed through this particular configuration of the human and material cultures, rests on the practice of plasticity; a conditions which, since then, has become an indispensable component of modern individuality and its numerous identity “construction‐projects”.

Thinking and the Art of Furniture

This article argues that furniture has been a source of ontological curiosity and an object of epistemological significance for some of the most important and formative modern intellectual traditions. Drawing on J. J. Gibson’s theory of affordances, the article shows how furniture has afforded a variety of intellectual meanings and can be seen as something of a worldly context giving shape and sense to what many modern intellectuals have understood by “the world.” Drawing on analyses of the way in which modern empiricism, rationalism, experimental science, and contemporary discursive psychology have “wondered” about the nature and significance of furniture, the article suggests that these intellectual endeavors have taken furniture as the primary disavowed object of their inquiries, and in so doing they have been tacitly complicit in confining modern intellectual life to the indoor realm. The article also discusses the extent to which the increasingly technoscientific nature of contemporary furniture poses some profound—and possibly unanswerable—questions as to how the modern philosopher can make intellectual sense of this indoor world. The article goes on to argue that popular science and science fiction writing are superior to philosophy in this respect and can be usefully seen as potential heirs to the modern philosophical tradition, and that if philosophy is to remain interesting and relevant in the present time, it must return to its ancient “outdoor” peripatetic roots.

A Reexamination of Self‐Monitoring and Judgments of Furniture Designs

Recent research has suggested that the personality trait of self‐monitoring affects how people perceive the symbolic meanings of such products as clothes, furni ture, and other self‐presentational props or possessions. In particular, Thompson and Davis (1988) found that high versus low self‐monitors judged traditional fur niture styles as more aesthetically pleasing and contemporary furniture styles as more prestigious. However, several possible flaws in their design raise questions concerning the validity of their findings. A data set originally collected for a different purpose showed some promise of addressing these issues. The reanal ysis of these data produced results that generally support and reinforce those of Thompson and Davis. Specifically, as found by Thompson and Davis, self‐ monitoring was related to the evaluations and impressions of furniture. Further and more important, self‐monitoring moderated the effects of differences in tra ditional versus contemporary styles in a manner that supported the relevance of this personality variable to judgments of furniture designs, thereby reinforcing its potential usefulness in practical applications.

Plan Furniture 1932 1938: The German Connection

Although it was short-lived and of uncertain commercial success, it can be claimed that Plan Ltd. was one of the more significant modernist experiments in the manufacture and retail of contemporary furniture and furnishings in Britain during the interwar years. It was largely reliant on German precedents and a rationalist design ethos which then prevailed as 'modern'. This embraced austere lines, devoid of extraneous decoration, constructed of materials and by methods which reflected the machine age. Hence tubular steel or plywood were favoured, and rectilinearly patterned fabrics in checks or stripes. The name of Plan is synonymous with its founder, Serge Chermayeff,1 who was one of a small group of indefatigable pro-moderns in the late 1920s and 1930s, commencing as an interior designer2 and subsequently practising as an architect.3 Indeed, its connection with Chermayeff is what makes Plan so intriguing. It also raises some important questions concerning the reasons why Chermayeff established Plan, how it relates to his earlier work for Waring and Gillow and when Plan furniture first appears in Chermayeff's interiors. The latter is particularly important because it reveals how it was that PEL chairs identical to Plan were seen in the BBC studios commission before Plan Ltd. was formed in December 1932. From where and under what circumstances was Plan furniture introduced? How

Modern Organic Materials Meeting

responsible for a variety of artefacts: contemporary sculpture, textiles, film archives, modern furniture, paintings, industrial artefacts and objets d'art. The participants included curators, collectors and conservation scientists, but most were conservators. This balance was reflected in the speakers' programme, with the addition of representatives from industry and appropriate university research departments. The papers, published as preprints by S.S.C.R., fell into three broad categories. The first included basic information about polymers, their degradation and the development of the modern industry. A second, smaller section included information on both highand low-technology methods of identification in current use. The remaining papers presented interesting case histories on a variety of objects and materials.

Mind in Matter: An Introduction to Material Culture Theory and Method

Mind in Matter: An Introduction to Material Culture Theory and Method