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Fantasy furniture
If you're in the market for a new dining room set or coffee table but can't afford furniture store prices, look no further than the model home furnishings sale taking place next Saturday in Kearny Mesa from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. And even better, whatever you spend goes for a good cause. The one-day “furniture fantasy sale,” as it's called, is sponsored by BIA Cares, the charitable arm of the San Diego County Building Industry Association. » More
Universal at last
Home design traditionally has been based on standards that address the wants and needs of average people most likely to live in a given type of residence. But as baby boomers age, and issues such as compromised eyesight and dexterity become apparent, there's a lot more thought given to concepts that make physical tasks easier. Design modifications are being made both in architecture and products that are better suited for multigenerational audiences with varied requirements.
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Technology points the way to smarter, greener furnishings
By Kim Cook
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Take the award-winning installation “Lightshowers” put on by DuPont Corian at this year's International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Egg-like polished rocks and smooth slabs of Corian were underlit, with nature sounds generated from a hypersonic speaker. When a person crossed the sound wave's path, it essentially “woke” the sound.
Or look at Vetrazzo, a Richmond countertop maker that turns a good portion of the state's recyclables – old traffic lights, curbside trash, windows, even dishware factory rejects – into chic countertops.
The technology boom echoes an earlier era: The icons of early 20th century Modernism – Breuer, Le Corbusier, van der Rohe, Gray, the Eameses and others – eagerly adapted machine-age materials like tubular steel and molded plywood into furniture that was new, daring and still accessible.
Now, advances are not just industrial – they're green. Eco-friendly paints and adhesives, water-driven machinery, precision lasers, even organic powder coatings for steel are all relatively new technologies borne of the industry's desire to balance style and stewardship.
With computers, designs are generated, presented and communicated digitally for what the industry calls “rapid prototyping and manufacturing.” What it means is that software helps the designer draw, say, a chair, then it creates a 3D prototype in a few hours, which can then be produced with minimal waste in a variety of customizations, a process that used to take months.
“An artist uses a special pen to sketch her design in the air – she can't even see what she's drawing,” he said. “A motion capture camera records her strokes, then the image is prototyped – the process is really remarkable.”
But does the “wow factor” translate into useful furniture? Max Shangle, chair of the furniture design program at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Mich., says products made with revolutionary technology must still resonate with the consumer.
“The question isn't, 'Can we make it?' but 'Should we make it?' At the end of the day, we have to produce things that appeal to and satisfy the consumer,” he said. “Using a radical new material isn't enough.”
In his book, “The Design of Everyday Things,” Donald Norman chides those who put artistry or gadgetry before good design. “Well designed objects are easy to understand,” he writes.
