Furniture Design and Construction Lecture Notes

Comprehensive vocabulary definitions covering furniture design history, terminology, materials, and standard anthropometric measurements based on lecture notes.

Two-Solution Bleach

Considered the most powerful wood bleach; primarily used to bring very light tones from dark wood species.

Neri & Hu's Design Philosophy

A synthesis of traditional Chinese spatial philosophy, narrative-driven design, and material honesty with a strong emphasis on cultural storytelling and sustainability.

Board Foot Calculation (Formula)

$$\frac{\text{Thickness (in)} \times \text{Width (in)} \times \text{Length (ft)}}{12}$$

Biophilic Design

A strategy in furniture that integrates nature into interiors through live-edge wood, built-in planter systems, and organic silhouettes evoking natural growth patterns.

Tropicalia Chair

Designed by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso, notable for using woven threads of thermoplastic polymer, polyester, or artificial leather on a tubular steel frame.

Dovetail Joint

The preferred joint for drawer construction because its geometry mechanically locks the drawer front to the sides and resists repeated pulling forces.

Lead Time

The duration of time from the initial order placement to the delivery of the finished furniture piece.

Quarter Sawing

A wood-cutting method where the log is cut perpendicular to the growth rings, producing tighter, more stable grain with a distinctive ray fleck.

Chinoiserie

A 17th–19th century European fascination and imitation of Chinese decorative motifs.

Japonisme

A late-19th century European design influence specifically derived from Japanese art and prints.

Vienna Chair No. 14

Created by Thonet in 1859, it revolutionized manufacturing as the first mass-produced steam-bent beech chair comprised of only 6 components.

Cambering

A technique involving building a slight upward curve into a long shelf to compensate for eventual downward sag under load.

Queen-size Mattress Dimensions

$$60" \times 80"$$

Universal Design

The practice of designing furniture to accommodate the widest possible range of users of all ages, abilities, and sizes without requiring special adaptation.

4/4 (Four-Quarter) Lumber

A nominal thickness for lumber indicating it is $1$ inch thick (four quarters of an inch).

Conversation Area (Standard Distance)

A functional space planning arrangement where the maximum distance between facing seats is no more than $3.5$ meters.

ILD (Indentation Load Deflection)

A measure of foam firmness; a rating of $35$ indicates a medium-firm seat appropriate for general seating.

Piano Hinge

Also known as a continuous hinge, available in standard lengths of up to $8$ feet.

Full-sizing

A drawing at actual $1:1$ scale used as a direct production template in furniture manufacturing.

Dado

A groove that runs across the grain of a wood board.

Rabbet

A groove that runs with the grain along the edge or end of a wood board.

Coromandel Lacquer

A Qing Dynasty technique named after the Coromandel Coast of India, where the lacquerwork was shipped to Europe.

Dynamic Anthropometrics

The measurement of body dimensions during movement, used to determine clearance and activity zone requirements.

Axonometric Drawing

A drawing where parallel lines remain parallel with no converging perspective lines or vanishing points.

Krokis

A Filipino vernacular term for a sketch plan.

Plantilya

A Filipino vernacular term for a pattern or schedule.

Polder Sofa

Hella Jongerius's most recognized furniture piece for Vitra, famous for its use of colors and materials.

Fauteuil

A French armchair with open sides where the arm frame is exposed between the arm pad and the seat.

Bergère

A French armchair with closed, fully upholstered sides where the arms are enclosed.

Biedermeier

A domesticated middle-class interpretation of French Empire style, characterized as simplified, comfortable, and named after a comic character symbolizing bourgeois comfort.

Savonarola Chair

An X-frame chair made of multiple interlocking arched curved slats.

Dining Chair Seat Height

$$43 \text{--} 46 \, \text{cm}$$

CITEM

Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions; the Philippine government agency responsible for promoting furniture at international trade expos.

Tuxedo Sofa

A contemporary upholstered sofa architecturally defined by arms and a back of the exact same height, creating a clean rectangular silhouette.

Highboy

A furniture piece in two sections derived from the French 'haut bois'.

Credenza

A low horizontal storage piece, typically with no legs or hairpin legs flush to the body, originally derived from the food-tasting table.

Bauhaus City Sequence

The school moved from Weimar to Dessau to Berlin before closing in 1933.

Primary Traffic Path (Width)

The recommended minimum width in a furnished room is $90 \, \text{cm}$.

Récamier

A reclining chair shaped like an ancient Roman bed with a gracefully curved high end and no back; named after Madame Récamier.

Vargueno

A Spanish drop-front desk-cabinet mounted on a separate stand.

Senior Executive Desk

A standard desk for executives with a maximum width of $1,800 \, \text{mm}$.

Stump Bedstead

The most minimal traditional bed form, defined by having neither a canopy nor posts.

Conditioned Lumber

Lumber that has been acclimatized to a workshop's humidity levels before use to prevent post-build warping or joint failure.

Maximum Reach Zone

The ergonomic zone extending to approximately $110 \, \text{cm}$ from the body.

Batibot Chair

The Philippine bentwood chair, serving as the local counterpart to the Thonet Vienna Chair No. 14.

Shellac

A finish limited by its lack of durability, specifically that it is dissolved by water and alcohol.

Poty Armchair

2024 Furniture Design of the Year; it uses Carnauba Straw Weave to honor the artisanal heritage of Brazil's Delta Parnaíba.

Nest of Tables

Multiple tables of decreasing size designed to stack over one another and be deployed individually.

Love Seat

A courting chair and double chair from the Queen Anne period and later; seats two people.

Perlina

The Filipino vernacular term for a purlin (a horizontal structural roof member).

Wicker

A weaving technique that can use materials such as rattan, reed, bamboo, or plastic.

Rattan

A specific climbing palm material used for furniture, primarily harvested in Southeast Asia.

Barcelona Chair

Designed by Mies van der Rohe (1929), featuring a frame made of flat polished stainless steel bars in an X-configuration.

Dead Load

The static weight of the furniture itself.

Live Load

The dynamic weight of users and objects placed on furniture.

Band Saw

A saw using an endless blade around two pulleys, capable of cutting thick curved stock.

Wyzenbeek Test

A US standard test for fabric abrasion resistance that uses a cotton duck abradant and measures in double rubs.

High-Resilience (HR) Foam

Foam that springs back immediately after compression and maintains its shape, typically with a density of $35 \text{--} 50 \, \text{kg/m}^3$.

Pocket Spring

Premium upholstery spring system where each spring moves independently in a fabric pocket to prevent motion transfer.

Memphis Group

A 1981 design movement that rejected Functionalism and Modernism for being austere, cold, and anti-decorative.

Okir

A carving tradition of the Maranao people featuring arabesque geometric and floral interlace.

S4S Lumber

Lumber surfaced on four sides; a nominal $2" \times 4"$ cross-section becomes an actual $1 \frac{1}{2}" \times 3 \frac{1}{2}"$.

Klismos

An ancient Greek chair characterized by a concave back rail and outward sabre legs.

Narra

A premium Philippine hardwood prized for its yellow to reddish color and fine texture; the most expensive hardwood in the Philippines.

GREENGUARD

A certification ensuring furniture has low VOC emissions for indoor air quality.

FLEGT

Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade; a certification for timber legality verification.

Ergonomics

The discipline of designing equipment and environments for safe, efficient, and comfortable human use.

Plywood Standard Sheet Area

A sheet measuring $1.22 \, \text{m} \times 2.44 \, \text{m}$ is $32.0 \, \text{sq ft}$.

Butaka

An iconic Philippine colonial armchair with a reclining configuration and extended footrest.

Ball-and-Claw Foot

A furniture foot type most associated with the Chippendale period style.

Smart Furniture

Physical furniture that incorporates technology such as wireless charging, LED lighting, motorized adjustments, and IoT sensors.