[Clifton]

Hello all, I recently started design school. It’s been a wonderful experience. I am personally finding a lot of interest in furniture and chairs. I was curious to get to know some of the chairmakers here and how you go through the process of designing your own chairs. Do you prefer a functional piece or something aesthetically explorative.

Topic

[Jonas Jensen]

#2027609

Functional.

Interesting question.

I want pieces to be functional, but they should preferably look good too.

Actually I have never made a chair, but I have made a settee and some stools. Lightness in the look is something that I strive for. But that is just a matter of personal taste.

I have been influenced by my parents who have had a good range of different classic pieces of modern furniture at home, and the worst example of a chair in my opinion is “The egg” by Arne Jacobsen.

That thing looks really interesting, but sitting in it is a different story, so that has directed me towards the functionality first approach.

In my opinion there is a very fine line between boring looking and aesthetically pleasing looks. If the design is bad from from the start, it won’t help to make excessively turned ornamentation on the piece. But if the design is right from the start, a few decorations can really enhance the look by attracting the eye to specific parts of the piece.  But I would stick with a “less is more” approach. Overdoing the ornamentation often leads to a cluttered look.

Brgds

Jonas

[Author]

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