Furniture Design in Scandinavia
Courses
If you are a student in one of the following courses, then you will go on this tour:
Objectives
- Learn about methods of designing and manufacturing furniture
- Study contemporary and traditional Scandinavian design, interiors, and architecture
- Develop analytical sketching and visual note-taking skills for design purposes
Previous Activities Have Included
- Visit to furniture showrooms and exhibits: Asplund, Nordiska Galleriet, Svenskt Tenn, Malmsten, Design Torget, Källemo
- Tour of furniture manufacturers: IKEA and Korhonen
- Study of the integration of furniture and architecture in Paimio Sanatorium, Hvitträsk, Aalto Studio, Otaniemi Auditorium, and Stadsbiblioteket
Description
The study tour to Sweden (Stockholm) and Finland (Helsinki) visits furniture factories, showrooms, and museums that exhibit a combination of aesthetics and fabrication and inform each student’s design process. Students also see contemporary and older architecture where furniture is integrated with the interior design. Furthermore, the tour gives an impression of Scandinavian history, geography, and culture. The sites on tour promote sensory experience, allowing students to develop their critical observation skills through diagrammatic and representational analysis.
Students are required to sketch in their journals and are expected to develop initial concepts for their chair designs. In their sketchbooks, students create physical and conceptual expressions of furniture seen on tour. The manufacturing process and designers encountered on tour are also points of inspiration.
