Adam King Studio Fine Furniture & Antique Restoration

In the previous post, we looked at some basic fundamentals of design to help get you started. Now that you're off and sketching, I wanted to let you know about a few indispensable tools that are readily available anytime anywhere. These simple, yet often overlooked, aids can really help eliminate a lot of the guesswork during the initial stages of design.

Function
That's right, function. The intended function of a piece will help determine it's size, shape, features, and even what materials to make it from. Now, I am fully aware of the whole debate surrounding the idea of function vs. art. It is not my intention to even address this issue right now. I'm simply making you aware that the consideration of function can certainly be a help when designing a piece. Standard sets of measurements exist for just about every furniture type out there. These are set by, you guessed it, the function of the piece. Are you making an end table? Is this a cabinet to display a precious collection? Whatever the anticipated function, your designs can be guided by understanding what you want this piece to accomplish.

Proportion
This is, by far, one of the greatest tools a designer can have at their disposal. The Greeks and Romans had this tool, and Nature displays it prevalently. Proportion is essential in achieving a balance and harmony between the overall piece and the parts that comprise it. Whole articles have been authored on this one subject, so forgive me if I'm too brief in my attempted explanation.

So, how does one figure the proportion of something? Well, leave it to those genius Greeks to solve that for you. The Golden Ratio (sometimes called the Golden Mean or Golden Rectangle) is a simple formula that allows you to take one known measurement and then find all the remaining measurements of the relating sides or parts.

It may sound complicated, but it's actually very simple. The numerical value of the The Golden Ratio is 1.618. Let's say you are making a table, and you know that the top has to be 28" in width. What would be a pleasing length for the top? Simply take 28" and multiply it by 1.618. You get 45.304. Now you know that the top would be proportioned if you make it around 45" long. If you know the longer measurement, then simply divide by 1.618 to get the shorter measurement. Realize that this isn't a concrete rule to follow. This formula simply gives us guidelines to help suggest measurements that are pleasing to the eye and are in proper relation to each other. I use this to figure table top sizes, dimensions for doors, the panels within the doors, even the frame parts of the doors can all be calculated. Drawers, legs, cabinet depths, these all can be calculated. Get familiar with this tool and discover what golden opportunities it affords.

Intuition
"The best tool is the eye. Train the eye. The eye guides your hands to achieve the form. If the eye says it's right, it is right." - Tage Frid

Tage Frid taught my teacher back in the late forties and early fifties. He instilled this principal of intuition in each of his students. As a result, my teacher passed this on to me. In fact, I would hear him say almost this exact phrase to all of us at one point or another. His purpose was to help us develop that sense of balance and proportion to the point that it became almost like a second nature. This intuition affords a sense of liberation and freedom as you work. It allows the eye to guide the whole process.

Sometimes, even when all the numbers add up, and everything seems to scale on paper, things still don't seem quit right. Your intuition can quietly and accurately inform you when something seems balanced and when something seems terribly out of proportion to another part. Did you know that the eye is one of the best tools for finding the point of exact center? Seriously. Try it. Like anything else, the more you exercise it, the easier it becomes to use. This is one tool, we are all born with. You just need a little trust in yourself to begin to develop it.

In the end, after it's all said and done, does the piece seem right? Does it seem balanced? If not, then what is it that is unbalanced? Go ahead. Change the drawing. Alter the design based on this intuition. Now, step back and look at it again. As you're shaping that compound curved table leg, put aside the templates and just begin to shape it by eye. Carefully take in all the angles visually and let the eye guide the process. Now, hold it up to one of the finished legs. All it takes is a little time and trust. Train the eye. It's the best tool we have.

Are these tools that you employ frequently in the design process? What others do you use? What tools do you consider invaluable to good design?

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Photo courtesy of Ethan Hein