KCAD Furniture Design

06/04/2022

Just wrapped up a wonderful time at in High Point NC. Got to stroll through dozens of showrooms from around the world, at various price points from promotional furniture, to luxury Italian upholstery. Also attended an event for the 25th anniversary, and the .official Selects awards events. It was great networking with many new people, and reinforcing past connections in the industry. There is so much to learn about this $150B industry.
On Monday morning, Steve Wilcox, an adjunct professor at KCAD, gave us the opportunity to come with him to the Design Studio to get some trends insight and learn a bit about their finishes. Overall a very entertaining and productive market once again.

31/07/2021

Just got the Sauder 2020 Design Challenge pieces staged in the Commons of 17 Fountain.

These were designed during the spring semester of 2020, where students of the Product Development and Furniture Design 1 classes were tasked to come up with a piece for small-space living. After trend research, many sketches, and a trip to Sauder's factory in Ohio, presentations were conducted through Zoom with the design team at Sauder. Several months later, three students from Kendall, and three from Wayne State (who was also participating in the challenge, but not directly with Kendall) were informed that their pieces were going to be produced by the sample shop.
The pieces were featured in a press release from Sauder earlier this year, and were ready to be picked up this month.

Left to right:
-Cascading Shelf, Oliver McCarthy,
Furniture Design '22
-Rotary Cabinet, Jake Hanson,
Furniture Design '22
-Chirp Desk, Gavin McGuire,
Furniture Design '21

#2020

09/07/2021

Furniture Design alum Chris Eitel's connection to the late has evolved from intern to protege to now--following the legendary furniture designer's passing in 2016--steward of his enourmous legacy. ⁠
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Swipe through to explore Eitel's latest project as the Director of Design and Production for : a new reissue collection of 10 of Kagan's most seminal pieces curated and produced in collaboration with , and get the full story from via link in bio. ⁠
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📷 (L to R): ⁠
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- Eitel posing on Kagan's 'Barrel' sofa in the VKDG shop ⁠
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- ‘Biscuit’ sofa and ‘Branch’ coffee table⁠
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- ‘Elegante’ dining chair⁠
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- ‘Ellipse’ lounge chair⁠
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- ‘Double Pedestal Cubist’ dining table and ‘Elegante’ dining chairs⁠
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- ‘Lotus’ chair⁠
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- ‘In Flight’ side tables⁠
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- ‘Cycle’ chair⁠
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- Two examples of the ‘Roll Back’ sofa⁠
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(images courtesy of Vladimir Kagan Design Group; credit: Steve Benisty)

09/06/2021

I finally got the opportunity to go to High Point for the Furniture Market. With over 2000 vendors across the city, there was plenty to see.

We saw lots of bouclé in various colors, white and beige sheepskin, and colorful velvet upholstery. Line tufting was very common as well.
For casegoods, plenty of oiled and lacquered walnut, stone accents, and whitewashed oak. Caning is definitely staying around for a while, as are the empahsized curves and pill shapes.

If you haven't been, it is absolutely worth the trip, but make sure to have good shoes, there's lots of walking.

I got the opportunity to go as one of the buyers for Design Quest, and seeing how the ordering process worked was fascinating. I'll definitely be back in October.

19/05/2021

Here's a video covering part of the "Collections and Cocktails" event at the Public Museum starting tonight, and continuing through Friday, May 21st.

It's a fantastic video, so give it a watch!

Join the GRPM for the virtual 2021 Collections & Cocktails to celebrate the Museum’s extensive Furniture Collection, learn about the stories, preservation an...

19/05/2021

We want to congratulate Eric Schroeder, '17 KCAD Furniture Alumni and Product Designer at Bold Furniture, on his piece READY///ABLE, and its addition to the Grand Rapids Public Museum's permanent collection.

This piece was designed by Eric in his senior year at KCAD, and is currently on display for the remainder of the week as part of the 2021 Collections and Cocktails event featuring furniture exhibits from West Michigan furniture companies. The exhibition will conclude this week with a fundraising event to support the Museum’s Collection of over 250,000 artifacts and specimens, caring for and preserving these pieces, including their stories and use in the Museum’s educational programs - Wednesday 5/19 through Friday 5/21.
There are still tickets available! https://www.grpm.org/2021collections-cocktails/

There will also be an auction for a variety of items, from furniture, to a brunch and a private tour of KCAD's Baker Furniture Collection.

17/04/2021

Eames' Week Day 4

For the last chair I have for you, this is the Eames' leather and aluminum side chair.
Designed in 1958, and made of a single shell, the seat has two aluminum cross bars that act as a pull, and the mount for the seat post. The base is cast aluminum, keeping the chair extremely light yet comfortable. While not as innovative as the other chairs I've shown this week, it definitely made an impact on executive and office seating.

16/04/2021

Eames' Week Day 3!
Today I have our two shell chairs, one on the 4 leg wire base, and the wire frame rocking base. They were designed by the couple in 1948 and 1950, originally made from fiberglass.
They were the first major use if fiberglass in furniture, as it was a material that could be made in a mold and produced quickly. A moldable material like fiberglass is necessary for the compound curves the seat has. In the late 90's, polypropylene was introduced as the main material, since it had a faster cycle time, cheaper cost, and was easily recycled, which reduced waste.

13/04/2021

Day Two of Eames' Week!

This is the Eames' Elephant, a small bent plywood sculptural seat that tests the abilities and constraints of molding plywood.
Designed in 1940's, the piece was prototyped, but never went into serial production. In 2007, Vitra added it to it's continuous product line, offering it in plywood, as well as injection molded plastic at a lower cost. The plastic also makes it perfect for the original target consumer, kids. They also added a smaller version.
Here in the gallery we have a red plywood elephant, and a 1/6 scale model (also from Vitra). I couldn't help but put them together.

12/04/2021

Chair of the week 12!
Should be 13, but I may have forgotten to post last week. To make up for it, I'm going to be highlighting a chair or two every day this week, for what I'm calling "Eames Week". All of the chairs will be part of our collection of Eames designs.

To start this week off, I have a pair of DCM chairs, designed in 1945, and produced by Herman Miller.
Made with revolutionary molded plywood on chrome plated frames, Charles and Ray Eames changed how we look at and design furniture. Their use of molded plywood opened a new door to complex, compound forms that have a high structural durability paired with the lightweight nature of plywood.
Bent plywood was used during WWII a few years prior to make contoured splints to help stabilize limb injuries of soldiers, and were designed by Charles and Ray. After the war, production went back to furniture, where the technology was widely used in mid century modern design.
The back and seat also sit on rubber shock mounts that are electronically welded to the wood, adding another new way of bonding multiple materials without using metal fasteners.

Check back tomorrow (Tuesday) for the background on the Eames Elephant!

02/04/2021

Chair of the week #11!
This week I have an Italian chair from 1810. It has been finished with a red paint/lacquer, and hand gilded details.
The crest features two gargoyles drinking from a fountain. It has gilt rosettes on the top of the legs, and in the center of the splat. Four saber legs support the chair, and it has an upholstered seat. The paint has chipped and flaked away in many areas, creating a beautiful, natural distressed look.
When I saw this piece at first, I thought it was a French Empire piece, but after reading the tag realized it was Italian. It always surprises me when I see pieces that resemble or mimic styles from other countries are the same time. Though it was made over 200 years ago, it shows how trends can travel and influence in ways similar to how they do today.

#1810

25/03/2021

Chair of the Week #10!
This week I have one of the most intricate chairs in the gallery. It's a Chinese Horseshoe Chair from 1840. While made in China, it was designed for American export, and not intended for use, but for decoration.
With a japanned finish, the frame is inlaid with many Mother of Pearl details. The back splat has a landscape scene with personage. There are metal (brass or bronze) mounts that secure the frame components while adding decorative form.

#10