What’s your favorite furniture style?
- 18th Century
- Arts and Crafts
- Modern
- Shaker
- Asian-inspired
- Other (post an answer in Knots)
You will not be able to change your vote.
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Replies
I like'em all,depends on the style of house it's going in.
Studio Furniture, John Cederquist, Gord Peteran, Tom Loesser, Wendell Castle, Judy Mckie, Wendy Maruyama, etc
http://www.furnituresociety.org/frames/fmembers/home.shtml
Historically, all other periods are what things evolve from.
Chris,
For sheer efficiency, economy, and ease of transportation, it is hard to beat the furniture at IKEA.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
What about the sheer durability of IKEA furniture? One little bump and the laminate breaks off.
Chris,
My message was written with tongue in cheek, and I tried to word it so that would be obvious. However, when I attempt to write in a humorous tone, it is also to poke gently fun at some ideas. Within the Knots family, "fine woodworking" is the goal. However, it is interesting that if you took the total value of all of the "fine furniture" sold by the best professionals on Knots, it would be a mere fraction of what IKEA sells. What does that say about how the world feels about furniture???In my house, we have some very nice furniture which my brother and I made. We also have a lot of old furniture (almost antique) that I have rebuilt. We also have some IKEA. My wife wanted some bookshelves to go in two certain spots in the den. I was too busy to make a set at that time, and she wanted them right away. We went to IKEA and looked around. We found a pair which is all wood, and just the right size, and nice looking, and they are easy to transport. In the spots they are in, they could last 1000 years, and serve their function well. And they didn't cost a fraction of what I would have spent on the wood alone.I go to IKEA about three times a year, and I study the designs, and I am amazed at how creative the IKEA designers are. They are so creative that they can design and build furniture that they have to transport around the world, and they still compete well with competition. There are other things I like about IKEA. I seriously dislike pompousness. Ain't no pompous people at IKEA. We do have our share here in Knots among the Fine Woodworkers. I guess I have learned to see beauty, creativity and intelligent application of design in many places. I try to keep an open mind. From their bottom line, one must conclude that they are doing something right.Hope you enjoyed that, even if you don't agree with it. It would have been far easier for me to say "I like 18th Century furniture". Actually I really do. But at heart, I am an eclectic.Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
CC, yet another poorly worded question, your guys must do those surveys by Madison ave. ad agencies for big corporations to prove the boss' position.
To build for me and mine-all except modern and Asian.
To build for sale- all except Asian and 18th century due to a lack of some skills.
To admire,LEARN and steal oops, modify ideas- 17,18, 19th century, arts and craft and shaker. These are the styles and construction that excite many woodworkers for fine woodworking. Got the message? Paddy
Yes, exactly right.
18th century style furniture (in particular Queen Anne and Chippendale) borrowed a lot of style elements for classical Chinese furniture.
For example this is Mr. Chippendales interpretation of that.
By the way, this is the symbol for fu (the animal bat), a symbol for happiness.
I bet lot of folks will be surprised to hear that their American Highboy is full of inverted Chinese Buddhist symbols.
Chris Scholz
Galoot-Tools
Chris, OUTSTANDING!!! Much thanks. Paddy
borrowed a lot of style elements for classical Chinese furniture.
Yes they sure did.. Some of the more modern Chinese seem a bit western and eastern in them and very nice to look at.
Chris,
I guess I should have answered 18th Century, but since my favorite is the Federal Period, which encompasses the late 18th and early 19th century, I voted for other.
Rob Millard
Chris,
I have an interesting idea. You don't seem to share my admiration for the furniture designers at IKEA, who annually outsell the "fine furniture designers" by millions to one. How about having FWW join with IKEA to co-sponsor a contest, which is run by FWW.
The contest is see if any fine woodworkers could design a piece that IKEA could make and sell at a profit. That would be a heck of a challenge, and it might be VERY rewarding to the winner or winners, who would share in the profits.
My guess is that IKEA would be up for it. What would they have to lose? Just think of how much they have to gain. They could harness the creativity of the best of the best in fine woodworking. The Fine Woodworkers stand a chance to show off their creativity and to make some bucks. This sounds like a winner to me.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
First of all, I must confess, I'm not a woodworker. I am a graphic designer. I love IKEA. I've spent about 8K there furnishing my semi-modern home. My budget and their design made the choice obvious for kitchen cabinets (and wall oven), bathroom vanities (and sinks and faucets), 2 huge bedroom wardrobes, a kingsize bed, night tables (and mattress), console table, shelves...well, you get the idea. I'm at the point where I can assemble their stuff in the dark.
Chris,
Thanks for the reply.
I see now that you too are human.
Graphic design is a great field.
Enjoy your new post.
Let me know if can ever be of assistance.
This is a great group of folks on Knots. Some get a bit rambunctious once in a while, but that goes away, and things get back to normal.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Some get a bit rambunctious once in a while, but that goes away, and things get back to normal.
Till I get a NEW thought!I for one have NO problem with ANY style of furniture. I think I like Asian style because you can do all sorts of forms derived from in.
WG,
I really like your thought "I for one have NO problem with ANY style of furniture." It captures my feelings on furniture styles. I was thinkin'. When you die and are looking at the Gates of Heaven, and St. Peter meets you at the gates, is the first question out of his mouth going to be "What was your favorite furniture style?" By the way, IKEA is not my "favorite furniture style". I merely thought that designing for IKEA would be a great design project for any person who says they are interested in fine furniture. Here is a good idea for a future thread. "Come up with five interesting and challenging projects for an advanced course in furniture design."I can see some real creativity coming out of a thread on that topic.Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
could someone tell me what or who is IKEA, sorry to be so dumb, but have never heard of them, it may just be the area I am in
Thank you
http://www.ikea.com/
-Steve
ok, thanks, was just curious, I live in michigan and see they only have one store. and just never heard of t hem
Zuk,
I was just wandering through this thread and saw that you had written to me. I don't remember seeing a notice on that, but what the heck. I apologize. You got the info on IKEA from a mutual friend.When I wrote about IKEA, I wasn't saying that it is my favorite style of furniture. I was merely trying to get some folks to do some critical thinking. On Knots, IKEA doesn't get any respect. That is because IKEA doesn't purport to be "Fine Furniture". It is inexpensive furniture for the masses.I love to walk through the giant IKEA store near where I live. My wife and I have bought a few things there. Not many. Our grown kids, who have set up their own households, have bought some things there. The interesting thing about IKEA is that they sell more furniture in an hour than all other furnituremakers combined sell in a year. OK, that may be an overstatement, but it makes the point. IKEA may not be "Fine Furniture" but they are doing something right. If they are, maybe the fine woodworkers could study them and learn a little about doing market research. What good does it do a fine woodworker to build a masterpiece (as judged by other fine woodworkers) and not be able to sell it. He or she will have gotten accolades for expertise in design and construction, but not for marketing. IKEA IS THE GIANT OF FURNITURE MARKETING.If a person wants to be able to make and sell fine furniture, I suppost they could apprentice with a person who is a great woodworker but who can't sell enough to make a living (yet another overstatement made for the sake of argument). Another thing they could do is to study the IKEA furniture and their marketing, and their pricing, etc, and see if there is anything they can learn. Anyway, I am sorry that I didn't answer you when you wrote. I hope my message explains what I was trying to do. Glad you know about IKEA now.Have fun,
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
sorry about that, I don't know how everything on here works, I thought I was just posting, question to everyone, but I quess I goofed up and directed it to you, I was just curious what IKEA was, thank you for your explantation.
Bill G.
I think their commercials are great. especially the ones they don't play in the states.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=M9HhbKrbtyI
My tastes in furniture parallels my tastes in music. I like most furniture except modern, and in music all except Rap. (I like the old stuff)
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it.
And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Shaker "type". American rural country.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Out of all the choices, why wasn't contemporary there. I guess it could be modern but they are not the same thing. Contemporary studio furniture is my favorite. But all forms of furniture making and styles have been derived from somewhere. There are elements of all styles in each style. If that makes any sense.
http://www.kalafinefurniture.blogspot.com
I voted "other" because I like to make Campaign or Military style furniture with solid brass inlay etc.
But I like almost any style that is well made, from fine timbers, has character and fits and looks happy in a house.
And then there are Long Case clocks, and Vienna Regulators...
Chris Scholz, can you tell me anything about this Chinese symbol that I have found on each piece made by this factory in Hong Kong circa 1950?(All solid PNG Rosewood , Pterocarpus Indicus, with that cunning Chinese joinery)?
Philip,
yes, if I am not mistaken then this is the symbol for 'long life'.
1950 is a shall we say interesting time in Chinese history. There must have been quite a bit of fallout in Hong Kong. How were they able to source raw materials? The last thing most people must have thought about was fine furniture around that time. Tell us more when you get a chance.
Chris
Chris Scholz
Galoot-Tools
Chris, I think you are correct about the symbol, as the owner of this furniture also says she thinks she remembers the maker telling her that.
I think things were rip roaring in the 50's in Hong Kong, as the Blitish were there in full force and everybody was under control (;). No shortage of nice timbers like that PNG Rosewood, and no question of saving the planet etc.
The lady concerned has a whole house full of furniture made by the same maker, all of PNG Rosewood, all a sort of shellac finish.She wanted me to remove scratches etc and re-finish it, so we agreed that table tops and horizontal surfaces would be re-finished with catalysed lacquer, the rest being finished with a Danish type oil, which she likes.
So I have had a good look at their different methods and joints, which have stood up perfectly to time.
Here are some pics of some of the pieces I re-finished.Philip Marcou
Very interesting. I read somewhere that 1930's Chinese reproductions/interpretations of Western furniture are extremely hot in collectors circles right now.
It seems to have been quite fashionable to commission Western style pieces of furniture in the 1930s (and I guess that must have lasted a lot longer in Hong Kong). At the same time a small group of scholars (notably Gustav Ecke) started documenting and collecting traditional style furniture. The 1930's seem to have been rich in exquisite joinery, fine woods; and heavily carved items that were catering to the Western taste.
If you ever get a chance to visit The Honolulu Academy of Art, they have two rooms that trace the mutual influence of Western and Asian art (for example Western made Chippendale and Chinese made Art Deco.
My hypothesis is that you can learn a lot about the relative health of a culture by looking at the furniture they produce. Thanks for the photographs!Chris Scholz
Atlanta, GA
Galoot-Tools
Very interesting. I read somewhere that 1930's Chinese reproductions/interpretations of Western furniture are extremely hot in collectors circles right now. I was in China only three times. My daughter told me to go to 'check it out' I never told her I saw some guy burning off the hair of a dog at the curb side!I went to anyplace that had WOOD! Mostly old they displyed. Some looked OLD and some I thought looked modern. All from LONG ago!
You need to check out the Hong Kong, Shanghai and Macao antiques dealers. Lot of the action seems to be going on in museums. Way beyond my budged, so take it for what it's worth.
Chris Scholz
Atlanta, GA
Galoot-Tools
See this link..http://www.chinafurnitureonline.com/I have two adopted granddaughters from different parts of China, They are Wonderful! I guess I never thought much about China until I saw how beautiful they are!
Hello all,
Mine is nouveau retro for my self, its a mix between Art nouveau, Arts and Craft and a bit 70 tis.
Other wise its just what the client wants with a bit of my input to make it better looking if needed.
Cheerio bernhard.
My fav furniture style is Greene and Greene. Although the brothers are sometimes lumped with Arts and Crafts, and although they read a lot of G. Stickley in their early days, their furniture has a very different feel that STickley furniture. The simple answer is the the oriental element they imported. Regardless, the final result is unique and usually beautiful.
Jim Bell
I don't think Nakashima's furniture quite falls into your groupings but it is my overall favorite "style", a term he would not use .
Hi,
I like Nakashima's work but also his approach. After reading about him, I have begun talking to my wood and listening to it. We have some interesting conversations. My wife walked in on one of my conversations with a nice piece of wenge the other night. She just doesn't understand the need for a woodworker to "become one with the wood", and to do what the wood says. :-)
Have fun. Speak to the wood. Listen to it.I was thinking of coming up with a new TV series about an apprentice woodworker, which is based loosely on the old Kung Fu series. There is a lot of inscrutable oriental wisdom, an apprentice named "Grasshopper", a blind master woodworker, and some phenomenal pieces of woodwork. "Grasshopper, you will be ready to leave this place when you can snatch this piece of bocote from my hand." What do you think? Will we be able to get sponsors?
Mel
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,
Many of the pines I've spoken to are as dumb as a post.
Ray
Ray,
You said that many of the pines that you have spoken to are as dumb as ####post. I find that many species of wood seem dumb at first, because they are shy. But the more you converse, the more comfortable them become. One group of pines spoke very softly, almost whispering.Some of the pines are hard to understand. Mostly the southern pines. There was one pine who was especially humorous. There are entities which really like pine. They get excited about it. I believe they are referred to as pine nuts. Gotta go. I am being called by a piece of bubinga.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
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