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Furniture Designer

 

 

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What is a Furniture Designer?

Furniture is usually the term used to describe ‘movable objects’ one finds in a house, home or office environment.

The job of a Furniture Designer is to design and create new pieces of furniture by using parts of industrial design. These products are either sold as individual custom-made pieces or can be made in larger quantities in a factory. Mass produced furniture is usually sold in furniture chain stores.

Here are a few examples of furniture:

  • Bedroom: (beds, headboards, side tables, chairs, bookcases, cupboards, etc)
  • Lounge & Diningroom: (chairs, tables couches, coffee tables, lamps etc)
  • Office: (desks, chairs, conference tables, shelves, storage spaces etc)

Furniture can be functional, decorative (like pieces of art) or both.

Materials that a Furniture Designer may use:

  • Wood
  • Plastic
  • Hemp
  • Material/Textiles
  • Metal etc, or a combination

Some Furniture designers who work for themselves may create one-of-a-kind pieces while others, who work in furniture manufacturing companies, will design pieces for mass production.

What does a Furniture Designer do?

  • researches through magazines and the internet for what’s trending and various style designs
  • creates new concepts and designs
  • chooses the right materials for the job
  • meets with the client/manufacturer to discuss requirements
  • sketches preliminary drawings
  • quotes on the job
  • makes final drawings either by hand or by using cad (computer-aided design) programmes
  • crafts the piece of furniture by hand or using various tools
  • keep up to date with skills and furniture fashion
  • attends furniture shows and training sessions
  • if a freelancer – markets their own business

Are you … ?

  • creative?
  • good with your hands?
  • a person who can think in 3d?
  • interested in interior design?
  • quality driven?
  • willing to work unusual hours?
  • able to deal with difficult clients?

How do I become a Furniture Designer?

There are not a lot of places that offer just Furniture Design.  It’s usually part of another course.

Furniture Designers can start their furniture-making-skills-learning at school by taking woodwork and/or metalwork.  This will give them a base to work from.  From here, they can either study Industrial Design, Interior Design, Carpentry etc to add to their skill-set.

  • COLLEGE OF CAPE TOWN

Offers the following:

  • National Certificate: Furniture-Making: Wood Level 2
  • National Certificate: Furniture-Making: Wood Level 3

 

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Upholsterer … or … Industrial Designer … or … Interior Designer

Is becoming a Furniture Designer the right career choice for me?

 

 

 


    Qualification Required