Fang Hai

This sophisticated book shines a spotlight on the wide range and application of materials in use across the multitude of contemporary furniture designs around the world. Many furniture designers, interior designers, architects, and interior designers are seeking a stronger understanding of what there is to know about making successful modern furniture design decisions that enables them to provide creative and stylish furniture solutions that encompass the right materials and optimise spatial design, while delivering a beautiful aesthetic. Researched and written by two experts in the field of modern furniture design, Modern Furniture and Material Research offers a comprehensive analysis of the historical, economic, social, and cultural influences of various materials on the development of furniture across the early modern, late modern, and contemporary eras. The book also includes details on furniture production and application of materials, such as solid wood, bent wood, plywood, metal, synthetic materials, Chinese bamboo, cane, rattan, and cantilevered structures. Featuring more than 300 stunning full-colour photographs and illustrations, these pages offer a systematic and detailed account of material methodologies in furniture design worldwide. This is an essential book for every practitioner involved in spatial design.

Fifteen Lectures on Modern Furniture Design Methods takes an authoritative look at the representative works, methodologies, and expansive legacies of some of the world’s most influential creatives in modern furniture design. Richly illustrated with close to 400 full-colour images, each of the essays profiles practitioners who have integrated an interdisciplinary mindset with outstanding craftsmanship. The authors, both experts in the field of modern furniture design, technology, and innovation, present a comprehensive collection of works by 32 luminaries, such as Alvar Aalto, Jacques Bisson, Le Corbusier, Ray and Charles Eames, Shiro Kuramata, André Masson, Alessandro Mendini, Mies van der Rohe, Gerrit Rietveld, Eero Saarinen, Ettore Sottsass, Philippe Starck, Ilmari Tapiovaara, and many others.

Changes of materials and concepts used in modern furniture design are closely related to ancient Chinese furniture design. This book expounds the content that has to do with “Chinoiserie” in the history of furniture. “Chinoiserie” here refers to the form, function and design principle of traditional Chinese furniture. By sorting out the part of modern furniture design related to Chinoiserie, it is concluded that the Chinese furniture system is one of the two major systems in the development of the global furniture system, and the emergence and maturity of the Chinese furniture system was almost independent, and completely dominated by social functionalism. This book systematically discusses the decorative feature, beauty in form and development of traditional Chinese furniture, and elaborates on the modern design theory contained in traditional Chinese furniture, its influence on Western design and the development of furniture in the world.

Fifteen Lectures on Modern Furniture Design Methods takes an authoritative look at the representative works, methodologies, and expansive legacies of some of the world’s most influential creatives in modern furniture design. Richly illustrated with close to 400 full-colour images, each of the essays profiles practitioners who have integrated an interdisciplinary mindset with outstanding craftmanship. The authors, both experts in the field of modern furniture design, technology, and innovation, present a comprehensive collection of works by 32 luminaries, such as Alvar Aalto, Jacques Bisson, Le Corbusier, Ray and Charles Eames, Shiro Kuramata, André Masson, Alessandro Mendini, Mies van der Rohe, Gerrit Rietveld, Eero Saarinen, Ettore Sottsass, Philippe Starck, Ilmari Tapiovaara, and many others. Each of the essays focuses on key design attributes, including materiality (plywood, steel pipes, metal fabrication); principles, inspirations, modelling language techniques, and experimental design revolutions; fashion, art, and sculpture; craftmanship and creativity; modern office furniture, and so much more. The authors provide an incisive summary of the methodology of each of the designers, and offer insight into the essence of new furniture design innovations.

Pekka Salminen on kansainvälisesti tunnetuin suomalainen työskentelevä arkkitehti. Salmisen toimisto Pes-arkkitehdit on jo vuosia tehnyt töitä Kiinan valtavilla markkinoilla. Toimiston ensimmäinen merkittävä kilpailuvoitto oli oopperatalon suunnittelu Wuxin kaupunkiin. Rakennuksessa on paljon yksityiskohtia ja erikoisia rakennelmia, jotka on suunniteltu vain tätä rakennusta varten. Kirja esittelee loisteliaan rakennuksen valokuvin ja artikkelein. Saksalainen professori Falk Jaegerin haastattelu Pekka Salmisesta avaa oopperatalon arkkitehtuurin filosofiaa. Kirjasta on kaksi eri kieliversiota.