Furniture Design: Introduction, Function, and Use

Furniture design is deeply rooted in the human condition. It is a social science that belongs to the humanities, an applied art that draws upon many design disciplines, and is dependent upon a working knowledge of materials and fabrication techniques. It is a holistic and interdisciplinary field of study.

The best of today’s furniture provides for many human needs and desires, revealing the latest conceptions of function and social use. In this course, we will look at the nature and history of furniture design, examining in detail the terms, function, and social use of furniture, including matters of comfort, performance, intended purpose, activity, structural integrity, spatial order, and aesthetics.