It always starts with a function. They need a table, a desk etc. In this case, they needed a console table, something smaller than a sideboard. Size is discussed and so is style. I have turned down a few commissions by those who wanted a piece that was so outside of the work that I do that I wonder why they even came to me in the first place. I have also done pieces that you will never see on this blog, ever! Stuff I am ashamed of, I was young and experimenting.
I like to design in a 3d software package called Maya. It was what I used in my animation days so I am fast at it and it is a massively powerful program, not that I utilize any of that power for my designs. I like to brainstorm and submit as many ideas as I can. I look at furniture from other companies online and get the client to send me images of pieces they like. I take bits from their favourites, blend them with mine and submit them back to see what they respond to. I usually present some very tame designs and some wild ones, just anything that comes to me without much of a filter. At this point proportion is hinted at without mocking it up, this is all doodling, things I like today and will hate tomorrow, it all takes time to see what will stick. I like to label the designs and present them in a concise email to make future dialogue easier, we know what pieces to refer to. This too came from my advertising days when presenting options to clients and it seems to work well.
These are the broad strokes. The finer details are settled upon later, this serves as a starting point so I can order wood and start mocking it up while it gets delivered. This is how I do it.
8 comments:
Great post. Option B. is tops.
That was my fav too!
Excellent post Lord.
Yes! I was going to say B too, and perhaps C for a "bigger statement" :).
C! having the base smaller than the cabinet is kinda funny lookin'
and google sketchup is nice for whipping together rough ideas without wasting paper, its free too!
That was a good one Ian, I must go for C. It seems to have the same flow as the cabinet, very continuous.
Anyway, good luck and see you next month!
I like C because it looks like Godfrey. The legs are similar enough to your benches and desk that I can see it being a continuation of the style you've developed.
If not, then D wins for pulling off the "cabinet atop a traffic barrier" look.
Thanks for the post, that was really interesting.
What is good about this process is you get to explore designs you can build at a later date.
an additional vote for C ... like balance/symmetry/asymetry. Option D really appeals to the mid-centurty modern kick I've been on as of late as well, though!
Post a Comment