How To Be a Great Furniture Designer

Introduction

If you want to be a great furniture designer, it’s all about the details. What separates the average designers from the great ones is their attention to detail and their ability to solve problems. Here are some tips for what makes an effective designer:

Design with purpose

Design with purpose.

Design for the end user, not just yourself or to impress others. Your design should be functional and aesthetically pleasing, but also meet a specific need in the environment in which it will be placed–it’s not just about making something pretty. Think about how your furniture will be used by people and what effects that use might have on its durability or sustainability over time. For example, if you’re designing an office chair for someone who works at home, then you know they’ll probably want a more comfortable seat than those used at work (where chairs are often chosen based on how much money they cost).

Simplify your style

When you’re first starting out, it’s important to focus on one or two styles. You don’t want to try and be everything to everyone. You’ll end up creating a mishmash of design elements that will confuse your clients and make them uncomfortable in their own home.

As a rule of thumb, if you’re trying too hard with any particular style element (i.e., trying too hard with retro), then back off on it–you don’t want your designs looking like they came from an episode of Mad Men or worse yet…the 80s!

Solve problems by designing for them

Designing for the end user means understanding who will be using your furniture. This can be as simple as knowing their age and gender, but it also requires that you consider their lifestyle and habits. If they have children, are they active or sedentary? What kind of activities do they engage in? Do they have pets or allergies? If so, how does this affect what type of material should be used for their piece of furniture?

Designing for the environment means considering where the piece will be placed within its surroundings–how much light or shade is there; what kind of temperature range does it experience; how often will it get wet or dirty. Designing something that looks great but falls apart when exposed to certain conditions isn’t helpful if all potential customers live somewhere else!

Think about real life use

• Think about real life use.
• Design for people of all ages, abilities and circumstances.
• Consider how your design will be used by people with pets, children or other living things in the home.

As a designer, you are responsible for the end product and its long-term impact on the environment. The best way to do this is by thinking about how your furniture will be used in real life situations: if someone has limited mobility or uses a wheelchair; if there is a child around who may want to climb on top of it; if there’s an elderly person who needs help getting up off their chair after sitting down at dinner time (or any other time).

Focus on solving real problems.

• Design for the real world.
• Design for the people who will use it.
• Design for an environment that is not ideal, but functional in its own way.
• Design for a specific purpose and budget, rather than designing something that is beautiful just because it can be done–and then charging an exorbitant amount of money for it because you think people will pay more if they feel like they’re getting something special (even though they aren’t).

Conclusion

If you want to be a great furniture designer, focus on solving problems and creating things that people will actually use. Don’t forget about the importance of simplicity, too!