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- Meeting/Program Schedule (John Kriegshauser)
April’s Program: Sean Scott. Sean designed for Niedermaier, a firm that began as a provider of display fixtures and expanded into designing furniture. Two years ago Sean left Niedermaier to found his own, independent design firm. Clients like what Sean is doing for them, and they have been keeping him busy. In this fashion sensitive, deadline driven industry Sean’s time is precious, and scheduling him has required much advanced planning. Don’t miss this chance to hear from someone at the cutting edge! May—Lee Weizman, Chris David and David Orth on their experiences at the High Point furniture show. June--Barry Newstat on his finely crafted, purist, wood furniture
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CFDA March 9, 2004 - Membership Meeting Report
John Kriegshauser
| In attendance: A. Abraitis, Cathy David, T. Faegre, R. Fiersten, B.
First, R. Frazier, M. Hebert, A. Jackson, J. Kriegshauser, L. Natof, P.
Radecki, J. Sopoci, S. Scott, M. Speer, D. Tagliere, guests: Wayne Movrich, Curt Vevang, Stephen Leos CFDA Portfolio Website Sustainability Show Committees Announcements Design of Furniture Class: Gallery 37 is offering a class on Tuesdays from 5:30-8:30 from Mar. 30-May 18. The class will be taught by Peter Klick of Klick Interiors.
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The
Return of Ornament?
Tor Faegre
| I just started to read a small book by James Trilling
titled "The Language of Ornament". The first two paragraphs
jumped out at me and made me think about ornament in a new way. This
text also alerted me to watch out for a design shift that is already
underway. Here is the introduction: "Ornament--the elaboration of
functionally complete objects for the sake of visual pleasure--has a
unique place among the arts. It is as old as humankind, yet for most of
the twentieth century it was systematically excluded from the mainstream
of Western art-making and art appreciation. From time to time throughout
history, individual styles, subjects and uses of art have been
suppressed by religious or political movements, or even by radical
shifts of fashion, but the modernist polemic against ornament is
qualitatively different from anything that preceded it. Never before had
so fundamental an expression of the creative spirit been singled out for
elimination. Fashions change, and ideologies lose their force. Ornament
is becoming acceptable again, but its rehabilitation is far from
complete. Most readers of this book will have friends or colleagues for
whom the modernist disdain for ornament is the still the mark of
superior cultivation and progressive taste. Nevertheless modernism has
largely run its course and begun to recede into history. Ornament should
once again speak for itself as it did universally for thousands of
years. The problem is that few people remember the language of ornament
well enough to enjoy it, let alone use it creatively."
Here is a challenge to furniture designers. Most of us were raised with some of the modernist ethic of clean surfaces, free of ornament. Or we rely on wood grain pattern and colors to provide the effect of ornament without having to carve or color the ornament in by hand. This book is an attempt to reeducate artist in the vocabulary of ornament. It can help us reassess the role ornament can play in our designs.
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Advantages
of developing niche products in Argentina
Cecilia Vilches
| As a brief introduction.... Cecilia Vilches comes to us
from Buenos Aires, Argentina.... She is interested in communicating with
CFDA because she feels the organization gathers a very special group of
designers. She
has already submitted a piece to our February newsletter and plans to
send us other articles periodically.
She is a theme furniture designer and consultant for extremely-focused consumer-oriented furniture, and has developed 3 product lines to be exported to very specific US retail chain stores this year. Please visit her web site: www.ceciliavilches.com.ar Antanas |
| Advantages of developing niche products in
Argentina
Current consumer trends and future expected projections indicate an ever growing market-share of niche oriented products designed and specifically manufactured for special target groups with tastes, habits, and values distinctly different from other consumers. Paradigmatic examples of niche oriented products can be found in the home-furnishings and furniture industries, including candles, collectibles, specialty products, children products, bathroom faucetry and appliances, all sorts of leather products and other custom made semi-serial manufactures. In the case of theme-furniture, many valid examples can be found at www.amenwardy.com + www.poshtots.com and/or www.corbin.com. In view of this trend, Hand Made Products & Components (HMP&C) have evolved and grown considerably in the past decade, adequate design, development and manufacture of which is almost always more permeable and effective for timely delivery of customized orders than what traditional serial manufacturing can respond to. As a matter of fact, the HMP&C niche product supply most of the times meets market needs that traditional serial manufacturing simply can’t deliver because : · HMP&C can be designed, developed and manufactured at high
speed. An excellent HMP&C is the Dino Bench, a lightweight children’s bench, ideal for playrooms, kindergarden, elementary schools, waiting rooms, hospitals, dentists, doctor’s office, restaurants, barber shops, country clubs, grandma’s & grandpa’s, etc. Safe, comfortable, durable, resistant, environmentally friendly, and built with flame-retardant materials. Comes in green and orange colors (unisex) + pink (girls) + blue (boys). The Dino Bench has been designed and developed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Nonwithstanding, despite the high profits potentially obtainable by satisfying HMP&C special niche market demands, their cost-effective and speedy design, development and serial manufacture requires (a) many special skills and (b) a very specific industrial scenario. Fortunately for some, a most special and sometimes bizarre South American country, namely Argentina, has both. Argentina is located at the Southernmost tip of the Americas but, different from every other country in our continent, has benefitted by massive Italian and Spanish immigration during the 20th century. Accordingly, its capital city Buenos Aires resembles Madrid both physically and culturally, with wide middle classes, many universities, technical institutes, and research facilities, with literally thousands of small and middle sizes businesses (SMBs) which in turn employ many thousands technicians and professionals. The big difference though with Spain or Italy is that prices are at least a third less expensive, sometimes even more ! HMP&C niche products design, development and manufacturing advantages of Argentina are 1) well trained, fully available and knowledgeable Human Resources All of the above also allow for the possibility of only designing and developing a given HMP&C niche product in Argentina, leaving its serial manufacture to be done elsewhere, closer to the US, once that a small batch production run manufactured in Argentina has proven its marketability. Still, despite the slightly larger freight costs and logistics requirements, Argentina today can probably compete in the serial manufacture of HMP&C in better terms than any other country of the Americas, both quality wise and price wise. 1) Human Resources Experts in paint technology, adhesives, and many other specialties are also easily found in Argentina. Also worth mentioning is the fact that many specialized vendors and suppliers are also particularly helpful and knowledgeable in the solution of specific design and development problems, including but no limited to, the preparation of specially modified products and/or custom made samples or trial prototypes at very low price or, many times, for free. In turn, University research centers and testing facilities employ all sorts of highly qualified professionals, many of whom have been educated and trained in US universities, including but not limited to, chemists, physicists, engineers, biologists, industrial designers, who are many times essential for the solution of key design and development issues related to HMP&C. In fact, 20% of the adult population in Buenos Aires has tertiary or university degrees. All of the above allow to design, develop, and manufacture HMP&C niche products in Argentina which may even include a wide variety of materials and ground-breaking processes in the very same product. (2) Logistics As Buenos Aires is criss-crossed by tens of avenues, highways and super-highways, direct face-to-face contact and hands-on discussions with vendors, craftsmen and technicians is an everyday experience which designer-developers well know may turn out to be the only way to solve the problem at hand. Internal freight of parts and components is incredibly easy and fast in Buenos Aires, probably unmatched by any other industrially developed area in the western world. Thus, internal freight costs are also incredibly low. Furthermore, more than 2000 yearly expos, fairs, and exhibitions are held in Buenos Aires, covering all fields of technology on raw materials, finished products, machinery and services, thus allowing to make contact with the latest state-of-the-art developments. The corresponding Chambers of Commerce are also an excellent source of organized data for design, development, and manufacturing purposes. These are a few of the many Chambers of Commerce with headquarters in
Buenos Aires: These are just a few of the many Expos and Shows held in Buenos Aires
during 2003. (3) Communications FedEx, DHL , UPS and other international courriers with headquarters in Buenos Aires can deliver samples door-to-door within 48 hrs. anywhere in the world. Buenos Aires is an 8-hour night flight away from Miami, so that US export customers can be visited on one day’s advance notice if required. (4) Manufacturing & Testing Capabilities Just as an example, during the 1990-2001 period, the plastics industry of Argentina modernized its equipment to the tune of USD $ 1 billion in world class machinery mostly imported from Italy, Germany and the USA. (Source : Cámara Argentina de la Industria Plástica www.caip.org.ar). (5) Export Services Twice a week, Buenos Aires and Miami are linked by transatlantic freighters which means that regular weekly shipments are guaranteed (6) Ultra-Low prices CONCLUSION: Copyright Cecilia Vilches (2003)
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