Furniture Design

The comprehensive guide to furniture design— expanded and updated

Furniture designers draw on a range of knowledge and disciplines to create their work. From history to theory to technology, Furniture Design offers a comprehensive survey of the essential craft- and practice-related aspects of furniture design.

Generously illustrated with photographs and drawings—including a new color section—this Second Edition features updated coverage of material specifications, green design, digital design, and fabrication technologies. It also features twenty-five case studies of furniture design that represent a broad selection of works, designers, and techniques, including recent designs produced within the last decade.

The book explores:

• Furniture function and social use
• Form, spatial organization, and typological orders
• Structural integrity and composition
• Accessibility, universal design, human factors, and ergonomics
• The design process, from schematics through fabrication
• Materials, processes, and methods of fabrication
• Professional practice and marketing
• The history of furniture design, from prehistory to the digital age

Complete with a glossary of terms and a comprehensive bibliography, Furniture Design, Second Edition is a one-stop resource that furniture designers will turn to regularly for the advice, guidance, and information needed to perform their craft.

Author - 

JIM POSTELL is Professor in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati. He has taught design studio and seminar courses for thirty years and maintains an active design practice. He is the coauthor of Materiality and Interior Construction.

James Christopher Postell

SOME OF THE CUSTOMER REVIEWS ABOUT THIS BOOK [ SAMPLE ]


1) Best Yet Written on the Subject Matter! - I'm an aerospace materials engineer who has been obsessed with carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) for the last 25 years. My grandfather was a self-taught violin maker, and as a child I was obsessed with wood, spending my summer days watching him craft works-of-art with the simplest of hand tools.

Today I am obsessed with the synergism of the two materials - to create contemporary furniture for knowledge workers and modern home owners of the globe - without the outlandish pricing structure that say a Jules Sturgess tacks on to his products (not to say that his designs are not great).

In the past I purchased many a big, heavy book on furniture design. Aside from great photos and historical content, they contained little on the design process itself.

Jim Postell's Furniture Design, Second Edition is in a league by itself. Finding it available as a (well done) Kindle Edition was a welcome surprise, as I currently reside in Mexico.

Clearly the book is based on his course work over the years. For the student designer and the non-designer (as myself), this text is one of the best that can be found on the subject matter. It is well worth the price, considering the only better option would to enroll in his coursework.

By Michael K. Milauskas on December 2, 2012

2) 1st year furniture design book - This is a general overview of furniture design and manufacturing. It has a little bit of many concepts in design and construction. I would call this an Introduction to Modern Furniture Development. Look like Jim Postell did a bit of traveling to take all the photographs himself. I would guess by the price it must have been written to be a college text book. Outrageous price for what it is. It is not a hardback but color printed boards.

By HW on January 12, 2013

Buy -

Furniture Design