As furniture designers ourselves and component makers for some really exciting British interior design brands, we’re fortunate to be at the cutting edge of innovation in the home furnishings market. Here are some of the key trends that we predict will shape furniture design in 2019.
Multi-purpose furniture
In this time starved, space squeezed modern world every item in our homes has to earn its keep. This means that a piece of furniture will often have two or more roles to play. A fantastic example of this is a circular box stool that we custom designed recently for a very sociable lady who often needs an extra seat when guests drop by.
The stool also acts as a handy storage box and can easily be converted into a chair if required. As well as having these three practical purposes it has a fourth function as a striking piece of art and talking point with visitors.
Home furnishings that make a statement
One of the trends that makes us happiest at the moment is the move towards greater sustainability. Shoppers are more aware than ever before of the need to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill and to furnish their homes with things they really love (and won’t want to replace in a few seasons’ time). By investing in a few carefully chosen pieces of statement furniture, consumers are moving away from the throwaway habits of the previous generation. We’re thrilled to be working with emerging designers like HeadSprung! to manufacture their distinctive contemporary British designs for exactly this kind of customer.
Made to measure
We’ve already mentioned that there seems to be an increasing desire for sustainability and practicality, which leads us nicely on to the subject of made to measure furniture. Fitted furniture (which can be either fully fitted or freestanding) makes the most of every centimetre of space in a room, planning in storage and functionality. Whether it’s a children’s bedroom that needs plenty of space to store toys and gadgets or a well-designed home office, made to measure custom built furniture allows thought to be put into how the room will be used and what the priorities are in terms of style, space and usability. Last year we launched our latest innovation in custom made furniture, a modular mid sleeper cabin bed system that can be made to measure and tailored to fit the size and shape of any room. The furniture looks fitted but isn’t. Each freestanding piece fits the dimensions of the room perfectly yet can be moved or removed easily.
Curved furniture
Curvy furniture is back. Flick through any designer kitchen magazine and you’ll find plenty of photos of curved cupboard fronts and elegantly rounded peninsular units. Sofas and chairs are evolving too with soft, bowed silhouettes featuring in many contemporary designs. Curved furniture is something of a speciality of ours. We love the elegance and sense of movement it brings. Our Arpeggio coffee table is a design we created for a customer some years ago and it has become one of our best-sellers. More recently we designed some minimalist mid-century style bow-fronted drawers and matching bedside tables for a customer, which we made in solid walnut and hand finished in oil. Read more about our expertise in curved furniture design.
Embracing technology
Creating curved furniture is a great example of how the latest technology can facilitate imaginative design. There has always been a conflict in people’s minds between the traditional skills of the furniture craftsman and the use of technology, which many associate with mass production. As computer science and artificial intelligence become an integral part of almost every aspect of our lives, there seems to be a greater acceptance of the role of technology in the furniture maker’s workshop. Sophisticated design software allows us to make complex calculations to test and advance our design capabilities. Our investment last year in a new 5-axis CNC machine to complement our existing CNC equipment is increasing our manufacturing capabilities too. The 5-axis machine means we can rout and drill at any angle. In the coming year we look forward to showing our individual and commercial customers how this new technology can help them turn their ideas into reality.
To discuss an idea with our creative director David please email david@dovetailors.co.uk or call the workshop on 0113 256 7376.