Furniture Design Commons^™

Recombobulation- Taking The Bad With The Good, Gregory T. Kmieciak

Masters Theses

Recombobulation, a play on the word discombobulated (completely disoriented and utterly confused), is intended as a joke.  In the lore of the Milwaukee airport, the Recombobulation Area is located between the TSA check point and the boarding area, or likewise right after you land and before you are heading out of the airport. It's an area to regroup, get your bearings, or if you're anything like me, have a beer.

I've chosen this made-up word as a thesis title, both for its informal tone and to pay homage to my home town. It offers an air of lightness to otherwise …

For Now, Eriq Wities

Masters Theses

…For Now follows a body of furniture made as the culmination of four years of intense transition. Through personal narratives, I reflect back on my work, investigating and recognizing the value of impermanence in relation to hand handcrafted heirloom furniture, using beautiful, functional, livable pieces as tools able to register time rather than resist it.

This thesis considers what it means to make heirloom objects for lives that are never fixed. The pieces are meant to be touched, used, altered, and continued. They are finished only for now.

Circling, Eun Yong Lee

Masters Theses

This thesis explores Korean aesthetic sensibilities from the perspective of material logic, placing at its core the process of reinterpreting and materializing them. Here, ※material logic§ refers to the relationships among materials that emerge from a particular group＊s accumulated understanding of materials, as well as from the ways in which they combine and use them.

Useful Useless Object, Jisu Han Jung

Masters Theses

If spicy ramyun is spicy for others but not for me, is it still spicy

ramyun? This question begins Useful Useless Object, my investigation

into furniture as a site where function, perception, and value are

constantly negotiated rather than fixed. From this question, I

explore how meaning is shaped by the unstable relationship between

object and user. In furniture, usefulness is often treated as an

objective standard, measured by comfort, efficiency, or practicality.

However, this project argues that usefulness is never universal;

it is subjective, relational, and dependent on individual experience,

expectation, and desire.

Through making objects that sit between …

An Introduction To East Asian Art In Three Journeys, Victoria Weston

OER Textbooks

Please Note: This is the full version of this record. For individual tour guides, visit the following links:

Guide Part 1: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/oer_textbooks/4/ Guide Part 2: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/oer_textbooks/5/ Guide Part 3: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/oer_textbooks/6/

This book is an introduction to important art forms practiced in China, the Korean peninsula, and Japan. It is in no way an encyclopedic treatment of the art histories of East Asia. Rather, it is a textbook for a single semester course. Each section is devoted to one year in time and framed by historical factors that naturally encourage comparative analysis. Students learn methods of visual analysis while also exploring …

There Is A Puddle In Stonehenge, Nathaniel Newcomb

Theses and Dissertations

I began by making what I called "furniture": finding discarded logs and using a chainsaw, I milled out slabs of wood far larger than any normal board or beam, and gave them the function of chair, table, shelf. Sometimes it was a "shelf" in name only, and was commentary on furniture. In my practice, using discarded wood is necessary for the sake of the earth; making original pieces is necessary for the sake of my soul. I am reminded of megaliths when I erect these enormous forms in wood. I make intuitively, and like the meaning of megaliths, obscured by …

Function Follows Material, Pablo Ejarque González

Masters Theses

Dear Designer,

How often do we find ourselves lost in the design process, unsure of the next steps? It’s tempting to view every aspect of design as a problem needing a solution. However, function is not a problem. For a long time, I approached design from a problem-solving perspective, treating material as a secondary consideration after the idea had already formed. This approach needed to change.

This book is a journey—a map of material exploration. It is an embrace of experimentation and innate curiosity. Many of the experiments conducted did not culminate in finished furniture pieces, yet this does not …

So Far So Good, Cooper Goldman

Masters Theses

What is the most beautiful object in the world?

The thick, heavy, white, porcelain diner mug.

Describe what you make…

Home goods and furniture. Crafted with attention to detail, with materials that you can feel good about.

Why do you make what you make?

Through the elevation of ordinary objects, we can elevate our daily routine.

The Future Is Over, Dotan Appelbaum

Masters Theses

History is constructed out of the narratives by which we organize the substance of all that has ever happened. Our understanding of the contemporary moment is determined by how we shape our history. The future is a promise that emerges from how we contextualize our place in time.

This thesis starts by acknowledging that the futurity promised by enlightenment liberalism is inconceivable in the face of contemporary horrors and climate catastrophe. Given this reality, what are we doing as designers? With a Benjaminian understanding of and a Foucauldian approach to history, this thesis constructs a history of design that follows …

Untitled, Lucia Steele

Masters Theses

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Furnicreature, Yijing Huang

Masters Theses

Project "Furnicreature" reimagines domestic furniture and furnishing as unique 'creatures' with anthropomorphic features such as 'facial' expressions, 'body' gestures, dynamic movements, as well as distinct personalities, to foster interactive experiences. By blending the inanimate with the animate and adding humor into the approach, the 'Furnicreature' project not only cultivates mindfulness, empathy, and care towards possessions but also promotes humility and responsibility. Its storytelling and dynamic design inspire imagination and prompt reflection on oneself, surroundings, and relationships. With sustainability as a long-term goal, Furnicreature aims to encourage a departure from everyday challenges and foster a more mindful and empathetic engagement with …

Postindustrial Playbook++, Maxwell Fertik

Masters Theses

There is no such thing as an undisrupted ecosystem. Every inch of the planet is impacted by industrial development and its chemical legacy has mutated the soil and water. As a response, this thesis is designed to promote abundant over extractive resources and visualize a post-industrial reality. It consists of a series of objects, writing and design research on the relationship of industry and ecosystem.

In many ways it is a playbook++, laying out possible strategies or “plays’’ for making do with what exists around us amid collapse.

Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica)(ي'ڑ*), a plant that grows in the most degraded …

Sanctuary, Harsha Kejriwal

Masters Theses

When I first arrived in New England, I was accustomed to thinking of winters as short but pleasant periods. For me, winter was a break from the strong and relentless sunlight of summer in Central India. But the contrast between my childhood winters and the same months in the Northeastern United States was dramatic. Statistically, Providence has an average of five hours of sunlight a day whereas Central India enjoys 9.5 hours during its coldest months. This pronounced change in light piqued my interest. I was struck by the various phenomena created by natural light during these cold months. Sunlight, …

Living In Nature & Design With Nature, Yuya Zhou

Masters Theses

“Each material has its own personality. What we need to do, as a co-worker, is to understand the material characteristics, negotiate with these materials and find a common space to create a beautiful design along with the materials.”------ Yuya Zhou

From the flexible use of biodegradable materials by the Yanomami people, to the brief introduction of the concept of biodesign, and to the organic combination of biodesign and furniture design, it is clear to see that furniture not only undertakes the functionalities as a product, but also plays an important role in constructing a harmonious environment and improving people’s mental …

Thingle Things: An Exploration Of The Imperfect, Jesse G. Groom

Masters Theses

I am fascinated by the “imperfect” and ask: What are these so-called flaws? Might they just be misalignments with the plane of expectations which coat our visual processing? The relationship between object and human has grown ever more assuming since the advent of industrial production methods. I posit that the efficiency and profit driven decisions which underly this scale and mode of making have subsequently forced matter into the molds of our whims with little allowance for evidence of disobedience. During the opportunity of my own fabrication practice, however, I can discover new possibilities for the typologies of the things …

Negotiating Balance, Oscar Adolfo Soto

Graduate Theses

When we enter a room with a bed and dresser, we imagine that someone goes there to sleep. When we enter a larger room, with rows of uniform desks facing a whiteboard or lectern, we understand that people go there to learn. In most cases, the intention for the space and how we are to conduct ourselves in it is determined before the furniture is selected. When we are not privy to those intentions, the furniture itself can offer clues that help us understand what we are to do. As a contemplative device, I apply this framework to the world …

Waiting Room, Adam Lefebvre

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Waiting can be exasperating, but sometimes that helplessness, knowing there is nothing to do but wait, is a comfort.

I have come to understand the value of the handmade through using and living with thoughtfully crafted objects. I am attracted to goods made by people who give voice to their material. When this is done well, I slow down and pay more attention to the object and the task they are performing.

Attraction and distraction. What are the differences between objects meant to attract our attention and those meant to distract? I would much rather lead a life full …

Downey, John Michael, B. 1951 (Fa 1350), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1350. Folklife project titled "Antiques" by John Michael Downey for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University. Project includes an illustrated paper about the acquisition and use of antiques collected by friends and family members in DeKalb and Haralson counties in Georgia, Warren County, Kentucky and Rockingham County, Virginia. Survey sheets may include brief description of antique’s origin, use, sample of handwoven coverlet, color photo, illustration, text classification, and bibliographic source.

Contemplative Interiors: Ceramics And Furniture, Alla Myzelev, Kala Stein, James Johnson

Geneseo Authors

Exhibit Catalog for the show Contemplative Interiors exhibited at the Lockhart Gallery at SUNY Geneseo from February 6, 2019-March 15, 2019. Exhibit Curator: Alla Myzelev.

Rizer, Michael C. (Fa 1186), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1186. Student paper titled “Early Toy Making” in which Michael Rizer interviews two sets of couples, the Barnes and the McKees, regarding their crafting ability as it relatesto miniature, hand-carved furniture. Rizer offers a brief description of each toy maker and details the various types of materials, models, and carving techniques used in the creation of the miniatures. Included in the paper are color photographs of the craftsmen and women along with pictures of their wooden furniture pieces and one reel-to-reel audio tape of interviews conducted by Rizer.

Ua1c11/46 Walter Nalbach Photo Collection, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Photographs of Walter Nalbach, Kentucky Industrial Education Association and his retirement dinner. Includes images of furniture made by Nalbach.

A Study Of The Design And Production Of Modern Danish Furniture Including Personal Observations, Richard F. Dickinson

Graduate Student Research Papers

It is the purpose of this study (1) to present a brief background of the history of modern Danish furniture design, and (2) to relate some of the recent and varied applications observed in the use of woods in modern Danish furniture which may be introduced in a design or planning unit.

Gothic Forms Applied To Furniture, Metalwork And Decoration For Domestic Purposes, Bruce James Talbert, Special Collections, Fleet Library

Furniture

2 p. ℓ., 6, [2] p. 30 plates 44 cm. Title within ornamental border. English edition published in 1867. A continuation with title: "Examples of ancient and modern furniture, metal work, tapestries, decorations, etc.," was published in 1876. Stamp embossed cover, gold stamp ornaments and title, title in Gothic lettering. From the Gorham Design Library. Gift of Lenox Inc.