An attempt will be made in this study to arrange the furniture of Colonial America into a proper sequence relative to the development and changes made in their design and construction.

This is a research project to design a series of flat pack furniture that assemble without using any hardware and tools. The furniture series included a chair, a table, a coffee table, a side table, a bed and a sofa. Wheels were designed in the furniture to create mobility with the exception of the bed. Sustainable materials, such as Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certified plywood and High-density polyethylene (HDPE), had been used to produce the furniture. Rapid prototyping (RP) processes were being used to shorten the design process, such as Computer Aided-Design program (CAD) and Computer Modeling software to design; 3D Printer to create small scale model; Computer Numerical Control (CNC) to create full-scale prototype. Flat packaging has been used in the series to provide convenient to transport the furniture and the shipping cost.

In my M.F.A. thesis, I am going to talk about the process of revising my furniture series and designing new furniture in the series, which includes Chair ONE, Table 1⁄2, Bed ONE, and Sofa ONE. I am revising the area that didn't work very well. In Chair ONE, I have revised the seating area to provide better stability. In Table 1⁄2, I have revised the support structure of the table. As I learned from the current structure, the tabletop start to bend as the tabletop dimension increased, as my table 1⁄2 has three different kinds of tabletop. I have added a second beam across the table legs to increase support to the tabletop. In Bed ONE, I have added supporting structure for the bed frame. I noticed the plastic beam bent as weight added in a duration of time. A new supporting structure is needed to provide better stability of the structure. In Sofa ONE, I have increased the dimension of the seating area. The plastic piece on the seating area isn't long enough to support the cushion. It doesn't provide a comfortable seating position for user. The only solution is to extending the seating structure. Also, a supporting structure added to better support for the seating area Finally, I have designed a dining set for this series, which include a dining table and four chairs. The chair and the table are based on the design of my furniture series, but it will be a completely new set of furniture.

Skövde Kulturhus is a cultural centre in Skövde that have been remodelled to incorporate new areas and to improve the old ones. The centre has different locals where different activities can be performed such as watching movies and theatre plays, dance, etc. In the art gallery, one of the new areas is the workshop, and for this, new furniture is needed. During the project, a set of a table and chairs have been developed for the workshop, following some specifications, set by the personnel of the Cultural Centre and by the conclusion from the different investigations. This report covers the whole process from the different researches to the evaluation and the development of the final concepts; it follows a modification of the Cyclic Strategy Method process, which includes the research and different design tools to create the concepts, as morphological chart, braindrawing and a study of the form. User studies have been made to get a good understanding of the way a person uses this furniture using surveys; ergonomics research has been made to design furniture for all kind of people; and market research have been made to discovered what kind of furniture is usually used. All these researches have been investigated to create the optimal table and chair for the activities done at the Centre. The final solutions, which have been evaluated against other concepts, are a wooden table, whose design and modular form permits to join other tables to work in teams; and a wooden chair, which have been designed for different people size. Both would fulfil the requirements and fit in the new cultural centre.

No description available.

This thesis focuses on the career of Philip Weiss in the furniture industry in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from 1950-1975, as the exemplar of a larger paradigm of émigré or foreigner culture, with a strong affinity to alienation, intellectualism, and Modernism. The thesis contends that the Jewish émigré was attracted to Modernist principles because of its abstract structure, rejection of tradition, and avant-garde framework. Jewish individuals became prominent in the arts associated with Modernism, such as design, architecture, photography, and painting. Modernism enabled artists to express themselves without adopting conventional subjects, forms, attitudes, and techniques, and made it well-suited for the émigrés’ position in the twentieth century. Modernism, with its attachment to intellectualism and exploration of new technologies and materials, was a natural fit for Weiss. Weiss arrived in Canada as a Holocaust survivor and immigrant, and began to reshape the narrative of his life through the furnishing of his identity. He became a furniture designer and manufacturer, and acquired status and respect in his community. Modernism played a significant role in his personal and business life, and initiated a lifelong connection with its tenets of progress, innovation, and creativity.

This thesis focuses on the career of Philip Weiss in the furniture industry in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from 1950-1975, as the exemplar of a larger paradigm of émigré or foreigner culture, with a strong affinity to alienation, intellectualism, and Modernism. The thesis contends that the Jewish émigré was attracted to Modernist principles because of its abstract structure, rejection of tradition, and avant-garde framework. Jewish individuals became prominent in the arts associated with Modernism, such as design, architecture, photography, and painting. Modernism enabled artists to express themselves without adopting conventional subjects, forms, attitudes, and techniques, and made it well-suited for the émigrés’ position in the twentieth century. Modernism, with its attachment to intellectualism and exploration of new technologies and materials, was a natural fit for Weiss. Weiss arrived in Canada as a Holocaust survivor and immigrant, and began to reshape the narrative of his life through the furnishing of his identity. He became a furniture designer and manufacturer, and acquired status and respect in his community. Modernism played a significant role in his personal and business life, and initiated a lifelong connection with its tenets of progress, innovation, and creativity.

No description available.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 34-37).

Thesis (MA--Art and Design) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2003. / Also held in print (57 leaves, col. ill., 30 cm.) in Wellesley Theses Collection. (T 709.05 HAR)