CFDA Newsletter

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The Joint Show between the IDSA and the CFDA is on!
The Chicago Cultural Center accepted our proposal and we will be having the
Deceptive Furniture there in the Fall of 08'
Please let us know how you can help with the show.

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Program Schedules:

November 13 Glass Studio - Jamie Stevens has been affiliated with Chicago Hot Glass since its founding in 2001. Tonight she will be taking us on a tour of their shop. The craft of working in glass tends to be more decorative than functional, yet this rapidly evolving medium has begun to cross over into furniture applications. This is a wonderful opportunity to see where, how and what they are doing. The meeting will be held at 6:45 at 1250 N Central Park Ave. Chicago IL 60651. Central Park Ave is 3600 west -1/2 mile west of Kedzie Ave and the studio is 1 block north of Division Ave. For Directions from I-290 or I-90/94 see our website at http://chicagohotglass.com/ or use this link to the directions page http://www.chicagohotglass.com/newpages/contact.html .

December 11 Armoires and Entertainment Centers - Lloyd Natof, Bill First, Rob Frazier and John Kriegshauser will show examples of Armoires and Entertainment Centers that they have made and talk about those pieces and general considerations that pertain to the design of small tables. Other members are welcome to join in. We will have both a digital projector and a conventional slide projector available. If people will send me their digital images by e-mail I can prepare a CD in advance of the meeting. Kriegshauser@iit.edu

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CFDA Meeting Report:

CFDA Minutes - October, 2007

Business Meeting
The business meeting started at 6:50 p.m.

Twelve members were in attendance, and we welcomed two new visitors, Nicholas Paredel and Greta deParry. Greta is a student at IIT and Nick is a graphic designer.

Lloyd Natof issued a membership report. Right now there are thirty-one paid up members and we have an additional roster of twenty more whose dues are outstanding. Our bank balance is $4,200.

Chris reported that Jamie Stevens, the CFDA Historian, is doing a committee member survey to document the roles, responsibilities and requirements of each office. If anyone has not responded to Jamie yet please do so. She is also collecting information to document our history, complete with programs and memorabilia from past shows.

Per John Kriegshauser, conversations with the Morton Arboretum have gelled and we'll have two weeks for the show to be centered around Labor Day of 2008. Per the Arboretum, they will fund a reception and also fund the advertising campaign. At the end of those two weeks it'll then be incumbent on us to work the logistics for our exit - and any subsequent move-in to a new venue at that time. It was again mentioned that we may want to appeal to Edith Makra, at the Arboretum, to see if there is any available grant money to be shared with us for all of this.

Bruce mentioned that he has a contact at the Field Museum, but that we'd need to formally pursue whether they're actually interested in this show.

Work towards a website, a budget and volunteers needs to be coordinated.

Publicity for this show will start early, so please complete your pieces as early as possible.

And we need a better name than just "the ash borer show". We need a punchy, on-point name that will sound and look good while being advertised. If anyone has any ideas please let us know.

Dolly mentioned that the Department of Agriculture is interested in a mini-version of the ash borer show. They're looking for a take-around, perhaps a table and matching chairs. Dolly will present more detailed information to the group via the website.

Chris transitioned us into the IDSA/CFDA joint show, which is slated to happen from October 10th of 2008 through January 5th of 2009 and will be held at the Cultural Center. Attendance during this time frame is projected to approach 25,000 people. The first of the joint meetings between the IDSA and the CFDA will happen at the end of this month.

While yes, on the one hand we have time to breathe prior to this show, we still need to know if anyone has available time to volunteer. If you can offer your help please contact Chris.

The business meeting concluded at 7:10

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Meeting Program:
Small Tables

John presented pictures of some work by Antonio Gaudi and illustrated how that design aesthetic moves him. He talked about how small tables have evolved a side, or secondary role behind larger thematic pieces. He highlighted how the modern coffee table seems to have taken a design leadership role in many living rooms. He presented photos of some small tables that he built and highlighted some of the challenges.

Rob Frazier brought along an oak table which was reportedly the first piece that he built. It employed a clever convertible design where the top is independent of the leg assembly. In tall form it can serve as a small writing desk, and when flipped to shorter form it can serve as something akin to a coffee table. He also brought along his latest piece, which was a set of cast fiberglass blocks. The blocks work in a freeform manner and can serve the aesthetic needs of the day. By being made from cast fiberglass resin they can reasonably be expected to survive the great outdoors - a bonus.

Bill First presented a set of pictures of several of his pieces, employing clean lines and what he described as straightforward designs. Through all six pieces presented we got a sense of economy and clarity. One piece, which Bill describes, as 'Ravinia friendly" was a short collapsible scissors-leg table. It's perfect for take-alongs, and it always seems to get attention wherever it goes. We discussed how some of the designs may or may not directly scale up from small tables to larger forms. We highlighted how the challenge is that when elements need to be proportional that the scale-up becomes an issue.

Tor Faegre took us into the woods and shared his rustic furniture, which he's been making for two decades and which he sometimes teaches at the Morton Arboretum. Tor's peeled willow twig base console table was a study in dynamics. He reported that the lightness of the table often makes people pause and worry about its strength and stability (neither of which are a problem!). And the cherry top with dogwood base was equally striking. Peeling green wood is apparently best done in early spring of fall. It doesn't peel very well during summer. So Tor finds himself stockpiling enough material to get through the summer. And finally, to maximize his sales potential, Tor has found that sizing the tables as per FedEx and UPS's maximum box sizes is the way to go.

Lloyd Natof presented pictures of his striking veneered work. He described his pieces as rectilinear and that he seems to explore volumetric space. The several pieces presented certainly bore that out. Interestingly, the pieces served definite functions without looking quite room-specific in their functionality. And the choice of veneers on the pieces presented worked quite well in context with the design.

Phil Haywood shared with us his explorations into 'structural impossibilities', as seen by a large slab of wood being cantilevered over a relatively smaller metal base. And he also shared an example of a deconstruction of a table, where things were literally turned on their sides from traditional table design. A glass outrigger provided stability to an upright dimensional slab of wood, with water-jet cut holes to accommodate round shapes and then more cantilevered glass shelves to offered limited horizontal surfaces.

Matt Seiler shared a few Deco-inspired tables which either needed to be direct takeoffs from existing pieces or were subtle reinterpretations of existing forms. These pieces incorporated curved elements with veneer flowing from one surface to another over radius corners. Matt then shared a new prototype pair of tables that were used to explore some design ideas. The identical tables when separate seemed to work somewhat less successfully than when placed back-to-back to act as a single unit. The group exchanged some thoughts on how to overcome some outstanding design challenges to further unify the design on these prototypes.

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Member Profile:
Phil Haywood

My name is Philip Haywood; I am a 21 year-old student living in Chicago, IL and studying architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. To best describe who I am, however, it is necessary that I summarize some of the experiences that have led me to this point in my life .

The Past:

My family surroundings have played a major role in who I've become. Although my extended family is admittedly large (I have over 60 first cousins), we have an unusual number of entrepreneurs within the family. Six of my fourteen aunts and uncles operate their own businesses, not to mention that both sets of grandparents were also entrepreneurs along with my own parents. Their professions range from school teacher, to machinists, woodworkers, and architects. As I grew up, I was able to work in several different fields where my roles included janitor, construction manager, and cabinetmaker - to name a few. It was among all of these jobs that I found a passion to create.

Certainly, the most influencing of my jobs were that of a cabinetmaker and a construction manager. Within these roles I was exposed to the design process as well as the production of a finished product. I was obviously forced to learn basic carpentry skills and construction principles but because each role was within a very small company, I was also exposed to every other aspect required to run a business.

After graduating high school in 2004, I began to focus solely on my studies and attended the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis. While at Herron, I majored in furniture design for one year before transferring to the Illinois Institute of Technology to study architecture. While my passion may still lie in furniture design, I recognized a need for the broad design education of an architecture curriculum as well the benefit of a professional licensure.

The Present:

Since moving to Chicago, I have had the great opportunity to study under John Kriegshauser at IIT. John introduced me to the CFDA in addition to instructing me in IIT's Materials Lab courses. While at IIT, I have found a new desire within furniture design and woodworking. I love the " no compromise" attitude of furniture design where the designer can also be the builder. I have been fortunate enough to also work with an emerging cabinet shop in the western suburbs called Crooked Oak. Although I have only worked there for five months, I have been exposed to areas of woodworking that I didn't know existed. Working with automation and new materials has opened my eyes to what is possible within the furniture and woodworking industry. Besides working at Crooked Oak, I split my time between school and other hobbies including photography, graphic design and web design.

The Future:

As my education nears an end, I am constantly deciding "what I want to do." Although nothing seems to go exactly as planned, I often dream about applying the design philosophies I've learned within furniture to architecture and any other design fields. I have recently found a desire to create a sort of " master design" whether in architecture, furniture, or the digital world. I recognize a need for integration among all systems of design, especially in the corporate world where businesses must have a consistent aesthetic within their advertisements, website, and building. It is within this area that I intend to focus an increasing amount of time. I can only begin to imagine the possibilities for integrated design across various mediums.

My Design:

The pictures included with this profile highlight a few of the pieces I am most proud to have created.

• A coffee table designed with the intention of minimums. This table was reduced to its necessary function of holding drinks, reading material, and a vase. The elimination of a table top is intended to reduce the clutter that often serves as an eyesore within busy homes.

Materials:
White Oak
Stainless Steel
Glass

Finish:
Oak fumed with ammonia and covered with linseed oil and wax.

• An end table designed to create a physical illusion. This piece was designed with a heavy wooden mass supported by slender steel legs at a seemingly impossible cantilever.

Materials:
Red Oak
Mild Steel
Acrylic

Finish:
Oak finished with oil based stain and clear lacquer
Steel heated and finished with paste wax

• This necklace is designed to be clean and simple - comparing the harsh geometry to the delicacy of the human body. The box accompanying it provides a dedicated storage space to showcase the necklace.

Materials:|
Aluminum
Braided Stainless Steel cable
Poplar
Stainless Steel Plate

Finish:
Poplar finished with oil based stain and wax
Steel heated and finished with paste wax