Furniture’s design should excite as well as serve function

Recently, I had the distinct honor and privilege to be nominated by a committee of design professionals to be the keynote speaker for the annual Student Career Forum held each year in the city by the bay, San Francisco. Presented by the American Society of Interior Designers, International Furnishings and Design Association and National Kitchen and Bath Association, it’s an event that has enjoyed a long and rich history for the past 40 plus years and is a wonderful networking and learning experience for beginning designers from California and Nevada. To be given the opportunity to influence young people and hopefully set them on the correct path in their life and career is an experience I will long cherish.

Among the many pointers and lessons I shared with them that day was not to be afraid to think “design” and not be shy about expressing their artistic vision. I encouraged them to think out of the box and explore all possibilities on behalf of their clients, who, I assured them, would love and appreciate them all the more for their efforts. And of course I emphasized, as I always do, to allow form to follow function — then you can never go wrong.

I’m not exactly sure when I first fell in love with the out-of-the-box concept of compartmentalizing the contents of a wall unit, which is another way of saying “everything that has a place, in its place.” I don’t understand why more designers and builders don’t embrace this concept because the results are often so effective — and so functional.

What most of us are accustomed to seeing in a wall unit is a frame with shelves. Period. And naturally I’m all for that. But, why can’t there be design in the placement of those horizontal planks of wood as well?

In my efforts to go out of the box, I look for every chance to not only create an interesting overall look for a unit, but to make it come alive with a design for shelving that accommodates key items in specified locations (i.e., compartments to feature art works and books), while at the same time delighting the eye with an unexpected geometric look, sometimes enhanced by cantilevered shelves that may begin and end in any number of surprising configurations.

This approach works wonders and is an avenue of design that I encourage all of you to explore at some point. The results are certainly worth the extra time and energy you’ll need to devote to the creative process, as the following examples will demonstrate.

A short time ago, I was hired to design custom furniture for an executive office. The long wall (about 20 feet long) opposite the desk was to feature a wall unit that would hold a large plasma TV, pictures, some books, a number of accessories and art pieces. The unit was finished in beautiful ribbon mahogany and featured wonderful radius ends — a great overall look in itself for this 15-foot-long cabinet. But the interest and excitement generated by the unit no doubt came from the unusual and unexpected placement of the shelves. Anyone seeing this wall unit, would not soon forget it, believe me.

Another great example of doing the unexpected with geometrically enhanced design was in a home office/game room in a very contemporary space filled with dynamic finishes (such as a violet lacquer faux-goatskin desk). There, I placed a unit with a most interesting and unusual shelf pattern, finished in silver, high-gloss metallic paint. This client, obviously, would have nothing to do with any ordinary kind of wall unit that might feature something as predictable as simple adjustable shelving.

And finally, I was called in to create an entertainment cabinet that would feature storage for a great number of DVDs, CDs and audio components as well as a TV, which had to be given room for possible growth should the homeowner decide to purchase a larger one later on. To make it all work, the cabinet had to be brought forward in the existing niche and still appear as though nothing had been altered.

Once again, the engineering of the cabinet and overall function took second place to the unusual placement of the shelves and various storage areas placed strategically throughout the cabinet. The client had not only acquired an extremely functional unit that met all her requirements, but a great conversation piece as well and one that appeared to fit the existing space without any problem at all.

The results of thinking and designing out of the box can be exciting and extremely rewarding. Put the tried and true behind you, be sure that form follows function and get ready to live with inspiring and exciting design.

Stephen Leon is president of Soleil Design International and has been designing and manufacturing custom furniture and cabinetry for more than 25 years, along with his accomplishments in interior design. He has served on the board of directors of the Central California/Nevada Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. Questions can be sent to soleildesign@cox.net.