Furniture Designer

Also known as:

Designer, Furniture

Introduction

Furniture designers create designs for mass-produced and handcrafted furniture products. They must consider the function of an item of furniture and the limitations of the material that it's made from, (eg, wood, metal or plastic) as well as the way it looks.

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Work Activities

Furniture designers create designs for mass-produced and handcrafted furniture products. The most common products they are required to design are those that are found in homes and offices, such as chairs, tables and bookcases.

The first stage is to put together a design brief. This helps the designer to establish a client's requirements. They need to know the type of furniture required, its function, what type of person the product is to appeal to and the budget available. Discussions with clients are needed for this. In large companies, in-house designers usually receive the design brief from senior management or marketing departments.

Before any designs can be produced, furniture designers need to investigate the designs that are already in the market place, how well these designs are selling, and customers' reactions to the existing products. This stage often involves collecting and analysing market research.

When they have completed their research, furniture designers make rough sketches. Once senior management and/or clients have approved these, designers produce more detailed drawings that show the dimensions of the product and any written instructions. The designer may have to prepare mock-ups and prototypes of products to show other people what the product looks like and how well it stands up to wear and tear. In all of these activities, designers make widespread use of appropriate computer software.

Self-employed designer-craftworkers carry out all these tasks themselves. They usually rely on commissions from individuals who want original one-off pieces of furniture made to their specific requirements. To produce the finished item, the designer-craftworker often uses traditional craft methods. This can involve using a range of equipment, such as hand tools, lathes, and machine saws. It requires skills in techniques such as veneering, wood turning, carving, wood finishing, and upholstery.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

As a furniture designer, you will need to be artistic, creative and inventive. This includes having a good eye for form, shape, colour and detail. You must able to work creatively and logically through the design process, seeking original and practical solutions to design problems

You must be able to accept comment, including critical comment, on your work, and you must be flexible enough to adapt your designs to suit company house styles and clients' requirements.

It is very important that you are aware of the production issues and potential problems, together with the limitations of materials that are used to manufacture furniture products, for example wood, metal and plastic.

Practical craft skills are especially important for self-employed designer-craftworkers, as are business skills. Communication and presentation skills are especially important when dealing with clients and when managing projects.

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Pay and Opportunities

Pay rates for furniture designers vary with employer and responsibilities.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Furniture designers earn in the range of £18,000 - £21,500 a year, rising to around £25,000 - £31,000 a year.

Self-employed designer-craftworkers are likely to earn at the lower end of the range, especially when they start out. Some designers negotiate royalties for their designs with manufacturers.

Furniture designers work a basic 39-hour week, Monday to Friday. Working hours for self-employed designers may be irregular, depending on how much work they have. However, in both cases, late finishes and weekend work may be required from time to time, especially as deadlines approach.

Employers include firms involved in large-scale furniture production that may employ furniture designers as part of an in-house design team, or employ freelance designers.

Other opportunities can be found with design consultancies where designers work with other professionals in related fields, for example interior designers and architects.

Some furniture designers set up as designer craft-workers and work from home or a shared studio or workshop.

Entry to furniture design is very competitive.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Skills and abilities gained as an assistant in a design studio or workshop are valued. Commercial awareness and an understanding of the furniture manufacturing industry is an advantage.

If you don't have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree or Higher National Diploma (HND) course, a college or university Access course (eg, Access to Art and Design) could be the way in. No formal qualifications are usually required, but you should check individual course details.

They can lead to relevant degree/HND courses.

Universities and colleges of higher education (HE) will usually consider applications from candidates who do not meet their usual entry requirements, especially those with experience in arts, crafts or design. You should check the admissions policy of individual universities and HE colleges.

To enter this work or relevant courses, you need to have a portfolio of work showing your creative ability.

The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers offers training opportunities in the form of short tours and courses for design, manufacturing and retail newcomers to the industry. Applications are made via company or academic department.

• 45% of people in occupations such as furniture designer are self-employed.
• 22% work part-time.
• 5% have flexible hours.
• 0% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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New Developments

This occupation may involve homeworking.  Find out more about Working from home.