Good design functions well, looks great

What exactly constitutes “good design”? There’s no single answer to this open-ended question because needs and tastes vary from person to person.

It’s possible to say, however, that a successful design — which to me is the same as a good design — is one that functions effectively and appeals to the eye of a particular user.

That definition, by the way, was first used some 50 years ago in regard to modern design. But not everyone agrees with it. Critics view such a standard as so subjective that it allows for some pretty off-the-wall creations.

Maybe so. But what about the converse? Isn’t it fair to say a “bad design” is one that functions poorly and fails to appeal to its user?

Q: Our renovated kitchen includes off-white wooden cabinets, dark granite counter tops and flooring consisting of ceramic pavers. Now we’re looking for stools to go with a maple-topped island.

We’d like to add wooden pieces, but the ones we’ve seen look like they belong in a bar. Can you suggest where to find some graceful wooden stools that will fit in a fairly small space?

A: The market will supply what consumers demand, we’re always being told. But that doesn’t seem to hold true for situations such as the one you’re describing. Why do so many readers complain about how hard it is to find good-looking, small-scale tables, cabinets and seating pieces?

A few manufacturers do respond to this need; it’s just that they’re generally not well-known. Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers, for example, a company based in Freeport, Maine, has been producing craftsman-quality furniture since the 1970s. Among the pieces available through the company’s Web site (www.thomasmoser.com) and at showrooms in some major U.S. cities are the wooden stools in various styles shown in the accompanying photo. The kitchen seen here appears similar in layout and design to your own.

What unifies this grouping is the distinctively American styling of each of the pieces. And wooden stools do serve as welcome additions in contemporary settings that could use some warmth and hominess. It’s also a pleasure to touch these contoured cherry wood saddles.

Such a selection may well meet your functional requirements, and these stools will probably tickle the tastes of most prospective buyers. As I note above, that qualifies them as examples of good design.

Rita St. Clair is a syndicated columnist with Tribune Media Services Inc. E-mail general interior design questions to her at rsca@ritastclair.com.