diploma project art NouVeau + iNdia luxury diNiNG FurNiture
Sponsor : the Great eastern Home , mumbai
Volume : 1 of 1 StudeNt : Hari GopiNatHaN proGramme : post-Graduate diploma programme
Guide : p rama KriSHNa rao
2012- 13 FurNiture & iNterior deSiGN
National institute of design ahmedabad
the evaluation jury recommends Hari GopiNatHaN for the diploma of the National institute of design FurNiture & iNterior deSiGN
herewith, for the project titled art NouVeau + iNdia luxury diNiNG FurNiture on fulilling the further requirements by
chairman members :
*Subsequent remarks regarding fulilling the requirements :
registrar(academics)
*
ORIGINALITY STATEMENT I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and it contains no full or substantial copy of previously published material, or it does not even contain substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in this diploma project. Moreover I also declare that none of the concepts are borrowed or copied without due acknowledgement. I further declare that the intellectual content of this Diploma Project is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged. This diploma project (or part of it) was not and will not be submitted as assessed work in any other academic course. Student Name in Full:
Signature: Date:
COPYRIGHT STATEMENT I hereby grant the National Institute of Design the right to archive and to make available my diploma project/thesis/dissertation in whole or in part in the Institute’s Knowledge Management Centre in all forms of media, now or hereafter known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act. I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my document or I have obtained permission to use copyright material. Student Name in Full:
Signature: Date:
ART NOuvEAu + INdIA LuxuRY dINING FuRNITuRE
Diploma Project, 2012-13
Hari Gopinathan
Post Graduate Diploma Programme in Design Furniture & Interior Design National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
Project Sponsor: The Great Eastern Home Project Guide: Ramakrishana Rao
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Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the following people without whom the undertaking and completion of this project would have been impossible. Mr. Rama Krishna Rao for his expert guidance and support throughout the project from inception to completion. Dr. Anurag Kanoria for having granted me the opportunity to do this project at The Great Eastern Home, for being most welcoming, accommodating and helpful throughout my stint there and also for always being available for discussions, critiques and heart to heart chats. Mayank Bisht for being the ideal senior who welcomed me and helped me settle down at TGEH and mentored me throughout the project with sound opinions, inputs and critiques. I would also like to thank him for the numerous freebies and meals (home cooked and otherwise) that I took from him on the pretext of being an intern. The lovely ladies of TGEH, Suman, Neilofur, Prabhuti, Garima, Vaishali and Ruby for all their wonderful food and company. My friends and fellow FID-ians Azam, Kapil, Ravi, Devraj, Varun, Nitin, Nikhil, Sidhharth, Rohit, Kopal, Deepika, Somya, Sonal and Shruti for all the great experiences we had together. The entire NID community for all the learning, inspiration, personal growth and friendship given to me during the past two and half years. And last but not the least I would like to thank my dearest Achhan, Amma and my elder sister Lakshmi. Their unconditional love and support have been my greatest strengths and assets throughout my life.
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Contents Introduction ..................................................5 Sponsor proile .............................................................7
Inspiring Art Nouveau designers ....................... 20
The Great Eastern Home ............................................7
Émile Gallé .................................................................. 20
The Offering ...................................................................9
Louis Majorelle ........................................................... 21
Brand Image ................................................................. 10
René Jules Lalique ...................................................... 22
Infrastructure ............................................................... 11
Victor Horta ................................................................. 23
The Owner ................................................................... 11
Hector Guimard ......................................................... 24
Initial project brief ................................................... 11
Alphonse Mucha ......................................................... 25
Design for luxury ...................................................... 26
Research........................................................... 13
Case study of Competitor Stores ......................... 27
Art Nouveau.............................................................. 14
Materials available .................................................... 28
The Period ................................................................... 14
Processes available ................................................... 28
A movement or a style................................................ 16
The Sources and their use..................................... 17 Use of History in Art Nouveau ................................ 17 Nature- It’s inluence on and use in Art Nouveau ............................................. 17 Symbolism in Art Nouveau ....................................... 19
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Design development ...................... 31
Construction Detailing ............................................... 44 Prototyping................................................................... 45
The Search for something Indian........................ 32 Mythology and Culture ............................................. 32
The Chairs .................................................................. 48
Birds, Animals - Fauna in general ............................ 33
Ergonomic Considerations ........................................ 48
Vegetation and Plant Life ........................................... 33
Design Development .................................................. 51
Final Selection .............................................................. 35 Choice of Art Nouveau
The Sideboard ........................................................... 56
Aesthetic Strategies.................................................. 35
What is a sideboard? .................................................. 56
Taming the Whiplash .............................................. 36
Ergonomic considerations ......................................... 57
design decisions...................................................... 36
Design Development .................................................. 57
Inspiration and Mood Board ................................ 37
Finalising the form ...................................................... 58 Creating the customised handles .............................. 59
The Nouveau Tree- A Dining Table ................... 38
Design resolution in 3D and Prototyping ............... 60
Ergonomic Considerations ........................................ 38 Design Development .................................................. 38
Conclusion ................................................67
Basic Concept .............................................................. 39
Conclusion .................................................................. 68
Joint Development ...................................................... 40
Scope for future exploration .................................. 69
Incorporating the Whiplash....................................... 42
Bibliography................................................................70
Resolving the design in 3D ........................................ 43
Image references........................................................71
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I
ntroduction
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Sponsor proile The Great Eastern Home The Great Eastern Home is a furniture and lifestyle store located in Byculla, Mumbai. It is a luxury brand belonging to the The New Great Eastern Spg. & Wvg. Co. Ltd. It was opened in 2007 within the charming precincts of one of Mumbai’s oldest textile mills – the New Great Eastern Mills, established in 1839. In a space-starved city, the Store stands out as a one-of-its-kind. Spread over more than 60,000 square feet, it is a cluster of large, high-ceilinged spaces that retains most of its original character and feel. Trailing the facade are ancient banyans and luxurious bougainvillea. Adjoining the Store at the far end is a fresh-water pond. 2
1,2,3 and 4- Shot on location at The Great Eastern Home , 3- The main entrance to the store.
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The Offering At the Great Eastern Home, the offering is eclectic. Being a very exclusive store that caters to an elite clientele, it provides the highest of the high end furniture. The collection comprises of many original antique pieces as well as replicas of classical masterpieces. Many are created in their own workshop by their own carpenters involving lot of intricate carving and hand work. There are one-of and limited edition furniture for living, dining, bed, study and outdoors spaces, in styles ranging from Tudor, Louis XIV, Queen Anne, Colonial, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Oriental, Modern and more. Besides ine furniture, also available at the store are home details such as exclusive decorative lights and chandeliers, carpets, artefacts and sculptures in metal, stone and wood, soft furnishings, stained glass, tribal and ine art. Crystal stemware, table accessories in pewter, and limited edition ranges of exquisite tableware.
5- (Clockwise) Armchairs, general purpose chairs, marble jallis & stone curios and gilded mirrors. 6- Tables and consoles.
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Brand Image The old mill’s symbol of the nine ish has been carried forward as the logo of The Great Eastern Home, hence keeping the legacy of the mill alive in the store’s branding. The old mill buildings have been converted to showroom spaces with only minor modiications, hence imparting a nostalgic and rustic quality to the interiors and the furniture displays. The store capitalises on its prime and unique location and celebrates the old world charm of its premises. The abundance of space adds to the grandeur of it’s offering.
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Hence the store has positioned itself in the market as THE destination for an afluent, cultivated and discerning clientele wishing to furnish\ decorate their space- be it a home, an ofice or a commercial space.
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The Owner It’s owner Dr. Anurag Kanoria holds a masters degree in Aesthetics and doctorate in Literature with Aesthetics as a specialisation. Hence he has a detailed knowledge of the history of furniture design and the various design movements. He himself hand picks the furniture from around the world for his collection at The Great Eastern Store. 8
Infrastructure
Initial project brief Dr. Kanoria has a special interest in and a great love for the Art Nouveau movement. According to him, it is a movement which never reached India, unlike Art- Deco, of which many examples can be found in India. Art- Deco is a movement whose basic philosophy was even interpreted in an Indian manner during the time of the British. And even a distinct movement known as the Bombay Art Deco had ensued inluence of which is visible in many buildings of South Mumbai.
Whereas in the case of Art Nouveau, there are barely any exThe Great Eastern Home’s infrastructure can be categorised as amples that can be found in India other than those that were followsimported.
• Showrooms: As mentioned earlier there a total show- He feels that an interpretation of the Art Nouveau philosophy room space of about 60000 sqfeet. using elements of the Indian culture is something that has not been done to date. And such a line of furniture would be of • Ofices: There are separate ofices for the director, the interest even to an international clientele. administrative staff and a front desk and cabin accommodates the sales staff. Hence as my diploma project I am to attempt to understand and imbibe the philosophy of the Art Nouveau movement and then • Production Set up: The Great Eastern Home has a try to generate a range of furniture that will be un-disputably predominantly handwork intensive furniture production Art nouveau, but at the same time will be an Indian interpretaset up. There are separate carpentry, carving, upholstery tion. and polish workshops.
• Go-Downs: There are separate go-downs for storage of wood and furniture.
• Quarters: There are quarters within the mill compound for the peons, carpenters and the store’s logistics manager.
7- Shot on location at TGEH, 8- The Owner- Dr. Anurag Kanoria
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R
esearch
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Art
Nouveau
The Period The late 19th century was a period of turmoil and transition. Various happenings of signiicance were taking place more or less simultaneously, which were changing the world and the views of people drastically. These words of Adolphe Rette give us a sense of the state of things at that time-‘We are living in a storm where a hundred contradictory elements collide; debris from the past, scraps of the present, seeds of the future , swirling, combining, separating under the imperious wind of destiny’. (reference- Art Nouveau 1890-1914-Edited by Paul Greenhalgh). Colonialism had opened up many hitherto unknown lands along with their cultures, people, arts, crafts, lora and fauna to the Western world. Also the industrial revolution had brought about unprecedented change to the face of the west along with the lifestyle and standard of living of the people. At the same time Democracy was being established over most of Europe. Thus the social structure of old was changing to be replaced by one where all had equal rights and none had special powers over another. Hence it was an era of new freedom. Women had also come to understand that in this new world, they could claim positions equal to men and they started standing up and protesting for equal rights. Thus feminism came into being. Around the same time the unfairness of capitalism and the social structure it enforced, were identiied and opposed by the likes of Karl Marx. He propagated and publicized his theories on socialism and communism far and wide. And a vast majority of worker unions and others were inluenced powerfully by his words. Hence the hierarchial system of Western society was being transformed.
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9- The various contradictory and diverse movements and inluences that co-existed in the period of Art Nouveau’s origin,
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Alongside Social change, established concepts of Religion were also in jeopardy. Charles Darwin and his followers had built and enforced the theory of Evolution so well that a majority of the world’s intellectuals and general public were convinced of it. Therefore the idea of divine creation was challenged. Especially after Friedrich Nietzche’s famous proclamation-“All gods are dead, long live superman”. Thus atheism started to ind more followers and various cults started to be formed in around Europe. The inluence of these events on Fine Art and the Decorative Arts was unavoidable. And hence Impressionism, Expressionism, Biedermier, Arts and Crafts and Modernism to name a few, were Art movements and styles that emerged and existed almost simultaneously during this period between the late 19th century and the early 20th century.
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And it was in this most chaotic and transformatory of periods that Art Nouveau came into being.
10- (left) Glasslasks from Persia (Iran).c 1885.(cntr) Tiffany America 1896, 11- Ludwig Vierthaler, jardiniere on stand. Patinated copper with enamel. German,c.1906, 12- Japanese print
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A movement or a style Art Nouveau is French for New Art. It was being practiced all over Europe between the years of 1890 and 1914, a relatively short period. And the different practitioners in different parts of Europe had various inluences and beliefs. Thus their creative output was not uniform. Individual expression gave rise to very different objects with seemingly nothing in common. Art Nouveau was a multi-faceted complex phenomenon that deied simple deinition. Some believed it to be illogical, mystical, a continuation of the Romantic tradition and as a non conformist artistic revolt while others thought of it as rooted in new scientiic achievements, as a logical opposition with a rationalist foundation and as a pragmatic money making strategy of the government. Another set saw it as a moral beacon, heralding new morality, whereas others felt it was dark, immoral and a relection of a corrupt world. It was lauded as a concrete expression of social conscience centrally concerned with public life, while on the other hand it was condemned as being centrally concerned with interiority. A few thought it was an idealist crusade, composed of a no. Of international styles, while others thought it was a movement of artists and their institutional sponsors, who shared a contemporary nationalist ideal. Each of these varied and often contradictory visions relect some aspect of Art Nouveau. Experts to this day are in disagreement regarding whether Art Nouveau was a movement or a style. But the one thing that was common to all practitioners working in this period was the belief that they were creating something modern.
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13- The varied views of what Art Nouveau was.
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The Sources and their use
Nature- It’s inluence on and use in Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau’s sources of inspiration were very eclectic. They were the result of the tumultous period in which Art Nouveau began. The New art was one that was trying to break away from the existing, yet they sometimes relied on their history for inspiration. The advent of photography and the inlow of images of hitherto unseen creatures and plants especially charged up the imagination of the designers of the time. And the various movements co-existing at the time inluence the literary community a great deal. As a result there was a great deal of symbolist literature being generated. And At and design were in turn inluenced by this. Hence the sources for design inspiration for the designeres of the time were -
Nature was the source of inspiration that was most widely used in Art Nouveau design. It’s representation was on various occasions quite symbolically varied and lamboyant.
The subject of Natural Science was developing by leaps and bounds. Darwin’s theory of Evolution was taking the world by storm. As a result of the betterment of the means of transport and development of technologies such as communication and photography, information from the various corners of the world was lowing into Europe at a pace and in volumes that were impossible even just a few years ago. Colour, illustrated publications on botany and biology were widely published and distributed such as the Illustrated Volumes of P.J.Redoute. Books on travels of eminent botanists and biologists were very • History, popular as well. Prominent examples are Alfred Wallace’s trav• Nature and els to the Malay Archipelago and J.D.Hookers in the Himalayas. Also books such as those by Ernst Haeckel, on microscopic • Symbolism. lifeforms were also new on the scene. Many greenhouses were Nature was the most important source. Often these sources also set up all over Europe in-order to breed and display exotic were used in combination in the creation of Art Nouveau ob- plant species. jects. On analysing the various ways in which nature has been used in Art Nouveau, it is possible to categorise the various strategies employed as follows
Use of History in Art Nouveau
History was a source that was used in very varied methods by the practitioners of Art Nouveau. There were various different histories that were drawn from. These included the recent history of European design, ie. Baroque, Rococo, Gothic, Classicsm, as well inspirations from times long gone such as those of the early caucasian races (forefathers of the inhabitants of current day Europe) who had distinct cultures and traditions, which were forgotten as a result of the advent of Christianity. Also used was the imagery obtained from international art such as that from Arab regions, China, Japan, Africa ...etc.
• Simpliication and Abstraction • Originalism • Mutation
18 Simpliication and Abstraction Many designers used used the image of plant life in a very simpliied, sometimes geometricized manner to create, patterns for wall paper, forms for furniture, motifs for art ...etc. Thus basically they took inspiration from nature, sometimes even changed it but didnt apply it exactly as it was. Hence they abstracted nature for the sake of functional application in their designs. Hence they were able to create visually varied, attractive designs without necessarily following nature exactly.
Originalism
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As the term suggests this was a design strategy in which nature was depicted in exactness in its full glory. These applications seemed to depict Nature as all powerful and beyond the understanding of humans. It celebrated the awesome power and mysteriousness of nature. Animals, reptiles and insects were often depicted realistically without any abstraction or simpliication
Mutation This third theory was probably inluenced by the great leaps in scientiic knowledge, especially by Darwin’s theory of Evolution and its implications. It involved the depiction of animals, plants and humans fused in different combinations and ways, as well as various ictitious plant, animal species and fanciful fruits and insects...etc.
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14- Ernst Haeckel, Plate 49, Actiniae. German. Print from Kunstform der Nature, 1898, 15- Rhododendron argenteum illustration by Walter Hood Fitch from Rhododendrons of Sikkim Himalaya, 16- Sketch of Gerhard Munthe, armchair. Painted wood. Norwegian, 1896- use of history. 17- Sketch of Rupert Carabin, chair. Walnut. French, 1895, use of nature- originalism.
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Symbolism in Art Nouveau In the realms of furniture, interior design and architecture sometimes symbolism was applied by Art Nouveau practitioners. Most symbolism used in these realms was driven primarily by ideas relating to sexuality. Barely veiled and sometimes overtly obvious, erotic imagery was used by some designers while others expressed the tension between the sexes, that had come powerfully into the public eye as a result of the rise of Feminism.
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18- Tiffany Studios,’Wisteria’ table lamp. Pattern-leaded glass and bronze. American,c.1902, 19- Charles Rennie Mackintosh, chair. Oak with re-upholstered seta. Scottish, 1897-1900, 20- Rupert Carabain, armchair. Walnut. French, 1896, 21- Giovanni Buffa, Medusa. Painted stained glass and painted panel. Italian, 1901
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Inspiring Art Nouveau designers Émile Gallé
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Émile Gallé, (born May 8, 1846, Nancy, France—died Sept. 23, 1904, Nancy), is a celebrated French Art Nouveau designer. He worked mostly in glass and wood. He created a vast variety of objects during his period of work. He used various innovative and experimental methods in producing his glass designs. The Ecole de Nancy an Art Nouveau design movement, was spearheaded by him in Nancy, France. He frequently collaborated with Art Nouveau furniture designer Louis Majorelle. He had a predominantly loristic style.
22- Four nesting tables with fruitwood and thuyawood marquetry inlay by Emille Galle, circa 1900, 23- Elm and fruitwood inlaid sideboard, 1891-1893, 24Firescreen.AshWithAppliedFloralDecoration&MarquetryFrench1900, 25Emile Galle, Hand. Hot-worked glass with patination. French, 1904.
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Images 24 & 25 are from- ART NOUVEAU 1890- 1914 (book) edited by Paul Greenhalgh, V&A Publications (July 31, 2002).
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Louis Majorelle Louis-Jean-Sylvestre Majorelle, usually known simply as Louis Majorelle, (Toul, 26 September 1859 – Nancy, 15 January 1926) was a French decorator and furniture designer who manufactured his own designs, in the French tradition of the ébéniste (cabinet maker). He was one of the outstanding designers of furniture in the Art Nouveau style, and after 1901 formally served as one of the vice-presidents of the École de Nancy. He was greatly infuenced by Emile Galle. He created a distinct Art Nouveau style of his own. He incorporated plant forms into the structure of his designs as well as used them as embellishing elements. He worked primarily in wood but also made curios and lights in collaboration with other artists. He had a metal workshop added to his studio, where he made all the customised hardware for his furniture as well as metal work for his architectural projects.
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26- Louis MajorelleCabinet.WalnutOak veneeredMarquetryWroughtIron. French,1900, 27- Louis Majorelle and Daum Freres, pair of magnolia lamps. Gilt bronze and carved glass. French, c.1903, 28- Louis Majorelle and Daum Freres, Le iguier de Barbarie. Lamp of Patinated Bronze and carved glass, 29Mahogany occassional table with fruitwood marquetry. Images 26, 27 & 28 are from- ART NOUVEAU 1890- 1914 (book) edited by Paul Greenhalgh, V&APublications (July 31, 2002).
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René Jules Lalique René Jules Lalique (6 April 1860, Ay, Marne – 5 May 1945, Paris) was a French glass designer known for his creations of perfume bottles, vases, jewellery, chandeliers, clocks and automobile hood ornaments. He went on to be one of the most famous in his ield, his name synonymous with creativity, beauty and quality. he used exotic insects, plants, birds, animals and human forms as the basis of his designs, sometimes innovatively mixing these forms to create fantastical creatures to give form to his designs.
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30, 31, 32, 33 - Jewellery by Rene Lalique.
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victor Horta Victor, Baron Horta (6 January 1861 - 8 September 1947) was a Belgian architect and designer. He was probably the most important and proliic Art Neauveau Architects. He is sometimes thought of as the irst architect to incorporate art nouveau into architecture. The french archiect and furniture designer Hector Guimard was deeply inluenced by Horta. He used the curvilinear botanical forms all through his designs, be it looring patterns, wall paper, railings (wood or metal), stonework ...etc. He called these shapes ‘Biomorphic Whiplash’. In 1932 King Albert I of Belgium conferred on Horta the title of Baron for his services to architecture. Four of the buildings he designed have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hotel Tassel (a residence designed by him) has since been recognised as the irst appearance of Art Nouveau in architecture.
34- 1893, Hotel Tassel, Brussels. Images 34 is from- ART NOUVEAU 1890- 1914 (book) edited by Paul Greenhalgh, V&A Publications (July 31, 2002).
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Hector Guimard Hector Guimard (Lyon, March 10, 1867 – New York, May 20, 1942) was an architect, who is now the best-known representative of the French Art Nouveau style of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Guimard’s critical reputation has risen since the 1960s, as many art historians have praised his architectural and decorative work, the best of it done during a relatively brief ifteen years of proliic creative activity. He continued working in the Art Nouveau style, especially devoted to its ideal of harmony and continuity, which caused him to design the interior decoration of his buildings as well. He is most famous for his Metro Station entrances.
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His inimitable stylistic vocabulary suggests plants and organic matter, while remaining abstract. Flexible mouldings and a sense of movement are found in stone as well as wood carvings. Guimard created abstract two-dimensional patterns that were used for stained glass, ceramic panels, wrought iron, wallpaper or fabric.
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35 & 36- stained glass windows, 37- Carved pearwood centre table, 38- Pair of pearwood and leather chairs.
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Alphonse Mucha Alfons Maria Mucha (Ivančice, 24 July 1860 – Prague, 14 July 1939), often known in English and French as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist, known best for his distinct style. He produced many paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards, and designs. Mucha produced a lurry of paintings, posters, advertisements, and book illustrations, as well as designs for jewelry, carpets, wallpaper, and theatre sets in what was termed initially The Mucha Style but became known as Art Nouveau (French for “new art”). Mucha’s works frequently featured beautiful young women in lowing, vaguely Neoclassical-looking robes, often surrounded by lush lowers which sometimes formed halos behind their heads. In contrast with contemporary poster makers he used pale pastel colors. He also dabbled in furniture design and sculpture. His style has been and continues to be an inspiration to many artists and has been widely imitated as well.
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42 40, 41- Posters, 41- Alphonse Mucha, La Nature. Gilt bronze, silver, marble. Czech, c.1900, 42- Chair Images 41 is from- ART NOUVEAU 1890- 1914 (book) edited by Paul Greenhalgh, V&APublications (July 31, 2002). Images 42 is from- A century of chair design, Frank Russell, Philippe Garner & John Read, John Wiley and Sons Ltd; New Ed edition (December 31, 1980).
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Design for luxury The Great Eastern Home(TGEH) is a luxury lifestyle and furniture store. It is a very upmarket store that sells very expensive and high quality luxury furniture and accessories. When an object is designed for their store, the brand image of the company as one that offers exclusively luxurious, high end products and the expectations of the clientele with respect to a TGEH product need to be kept in mind. What is the meaning of the word luxury? According to Dictionary.com Luxury means: A material object, service, etc., conducive to sumptuous living, usually a delicacy, elegance, or reinement of living rather than a necessity: And Oxforddictionaries.com describes it as a state of great comfort or elegance, especially when involving great expense:he lived a life of luxury [count noun] an inessential, desirable item which is expensive or dificult to obtain:luxuries like chocolate, scent, and izzy wine
How to instil luxuriousness? When designing a luxury item the parameters used for deciding aptness of design differ from most other design exercises. Factors such as functionality, quality of materials and craftsmanship are taken as a given by most customers when contemplating the purchase of a luxury item. Hence the dominant question becomes- How can one add value to a piece of furniture such that, it becomes worthy of being sold as a luxury object?
Based on the dictionary deinitions of the word luxury, any luxury item is an expensive object which isn’t essential. Hence it can be said that a level of frivolity is necessary for an object to be convincingly luxurious. Embellishments of different sorts can be resorted to, to add this element of frivolity. These can be in the form of carvings, gilding, application of details in an expensive material, painting ... etc. The variety of such embellishment is limited only by a designer’s imagination and ingenuity. Also, a piece of luxury furniture can never be just functional, it must be extremely comfortable. Although based on pieces available at TGEH, it can also be observed that in some cases, for the sake of ornamentation (frivolity), sometimes even comfort can be compromised upon to create a luxurious object.
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Case study of
Competitor Stores
Pallate Had lots of leather covered furniture in its settings. Also many accessories- mostly contemporary- basically very modern designer accessories. Interesting lights (standing lights, pendant lamps ... Etc) were also put into every setting. All the furniture pieces in the store were high end, contemporary designer objects- barely any and maybe no- classical looking objects. Mostly simple forms with expensive inishes. Art work displayed was gaudy and almost tacky. Pinakin Wonderful array of upholstery fabrics- furnishings- mostly contemporary furniture with many pieces that were either a blend of contemporary and classical European, even Chinese (Asian) design language, or contemporary with certain classical indians motifs or elements. Some pieces were extremely well detailed and inished. This store also had some great lighting objects. Settings here were mixtures of complementary yet contrasting pieces. Natuzzi Extremely high end, contemporary, clean, simple, well designed and typically Italian designs. The inish and details were very expertly crafted. Beautiful and interesting lighting elements embellished every setting.
Charcoal Project Rather lashy and gaudy settings, some pieces were downright ugly. Even the decor of the space is overtly lashy with lots of mirrors glinting and gleaming. But the store is quite impressive in parts. With some very offbeat and contemporary looking pieces with an industrial, mechanical feel to them- especially on the lower loor- mostly populated by pieces by other designers (a shop in shop concept). The store’s own pieces are basically new age pieces which are very derivative of classical European styles, with a mix of industrial and modern materials, inishes, prints and fabrics.
Observation 1. Dining room settings were rare in all the stores. Mostly sitting arrangements and bed room spaces were seen. 2. Furnishings and fabrics have been used to make simple forms interesting. 3. The charm and exclusivity of handmade furniture is what makes ‘The Great Eastern Home’ stand out from all of these stores. Hence this is a feature that must be highlighted in the pieces that I design.
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Materials available The Great Eastern Home sources and stores different types of wood in its go-downs. They are • C.P Teak: Central Province Teak- Grains are darker and more knots are seen in this wood.
• Burma teak: Has lesser knots and grains are not too prominent. Most preferred wood for high quality furniture. • Reclaimed wood: Wood reclaimed from old buildings that are torn down. This includes various types of wood including rosewood, teak and Sheesham. This sort of wood normally has certain laws, weakpoints, cracks..etc. • Mahogany: It is softer than teak and has a reddish colour.
1. Machine workshop: There is one machine workshop equipped with a band saw, a table saw, planing machine and a jigsaw. Here all basic cutting and shaping operations are carried out. 2. Carpentry workshop: This is where the carpenters inish and assemble furniture components with hand operated machines and basic tools. 3. Carving workshop: Here a team of specialised carvers do exquisite hand carving of wood with their specialised hand tools. 4. Polish Workshop: Here sanding, inishing, staining, polishing, painting and other related processes are done. 5. Upholstery workshop: And there is also an upholstery workshop equipped with stitching machines and basic tools. Here all the upholstery work from shaping of foam seats and attaching of elastic bands and springs to stitching of cushion covers and fabric ixing on furniture is carried out.
They can also source any veneer, plywood, block-board or any other board, metal sheet, pipes or rods based on need from vendors.
Processes available through Vendors:
Different types, thicknesses and sizes of Stone and glass are also available through vendors.
Shaping, cutting and inishing of Glass and marble tops for furniture pieces are availed of from vendors .
Processes available
Stone cutting and carving processes are available through linkups with a stone-work set up in Jodhpur.
In- House Production Set up:
Also brass and bronze casting, laser cutting of metal, veneer, plywood, MDF...etc, are available through vendors.
And any other process available from any vendor in Mumbai The Great Eastern Home has a predominantly handwork intensive furniture production set up. The set up is divided into can be availed if necessary. different sections based on the specialised activity taking place in it.
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esign development
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The Search for something Indian Ate the i iial stud of all a aila le i fo aio o A t Nou eau, the e t step u de take as to sele t so ethi g I dia to take i spi aio f o fo desig . He e ega the sea h fo so ethi g u i uel I dia , so ethi g hi h ould e used as a sta i g poi t fo the desig of I dia A t Nou eau fu itu e. The a eas of sea h a e-
• Mythology and Culture
• Birds, Animals ..etc , fauna in general &
• Vegetaion and Plant Life.
Mythology and Culture From the perspective of Art Nouveau Indian mythology could be considered a wonderful source of inspiration for design. This is owing to the sheer multitudes of characters, creatures, concepts and stories that are encompassed within and the ancientness of Indian mythology. Mythology and history are known to have been sources of inspiration for designers who had propagated Art Nouveau. Hence Indian mythology appears apt as an inspiration pool.
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But an inescapable fact is that most mythology has religious connotations. The Great Eastern Home caters to a diverse clientele and has a secular outlook with respect to its offering. Hence despite the extremely interesting prospect of delving into the vast ocean of rich and diverse Indian mythology, a conscious decision was taken at an early stage to avoid creating objects that may be misunderstood as pandering a particular religion or group. And hence other than few initial sketches further explorations were not carried out in this direction.
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Birds, Animals - Fauna in general
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The irst examples of iconic Indian fauna that come to anyone’s mind that can lend themselves well to Art Nouveau design are 45
The Peacock- The National bird of India & The Bengal Tiger- The National animal of India. These are two animals that have been capturing the imaginations of artists and designers for ages. From folk art and traditional painting & sculpture to print, digital media and modern art and sculpture, every medium has atleast a few examples of works based on these two majestic creatures. Therefore, in order to attempt something new, these two shining examples of Indian fauna were discarded as options for inspiration. Other animals and birds found in India aren’t as signiicant in terms of Pan-Indian availability and prevalence in Indian culture and mythology.
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Vegetation and Plant Life Vegetation and plant life have been known to be a major source of inspiration for most Art Nouveau designers. Patterns, motifs and even structure and ornamentation of furniture and architecture were developed based on plant forms and structure. Hence it can be said that plant forms lend themselves quite wonderfully to the purpose of producing Art Nouveau designs. In the search for Indian Flora that could potentially act as starting points for the design of Art Nouveau furniture, certain criteria were used for the purpose of elimination. These were recognisability, Pan-Indian availability, prevalence or reverence in Indian culture as well as whether their place of origin was India . The plants that were shortlisted were43- Initial sketches exploring mythology, culture and other possible Indian sources of inspiration, 44- Alexander Fisher, peacock sconce. Steel, bronze, silver, brass and enamel, ( from- ART NOUVEAU 1890- 1914 (book) edited by Paul Greenhalgh, V&A Publications (July 31, 2002).45- 48 - Peacock image collection, 49-53 - tiger image collection
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34 Mango
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The mango (Mangifera Indica) is a plant that has been cultivated and revered for thousands of years in India. The mango motif has been used in various Indian crafts and in Indian Architecture as well. This is the case even in the recent past and present day. Variations of the mango motif can be seen in weaving and textile printing and are particularly popular in jewellery and saris. This shape was a favourite and can be seen in the works of Architect Laurie Baker who practiced predominantly in Kerala. Lotus
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The Indian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is a plant that due to its special characteristics has achieved a holy status in India. The lotus lower is extremely beautiful and is found to thrive in soggy muddy conditions (the soil of river beds or ponds). As a result it has been perceived as a symbol of purity and divine beauty and is often used in Hindu religious rituals. Banyan Tree The Indian Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) is a tree which is found in most parts of India. It is also the National tree of India.
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In Hinduism, the leaf of the banyan tree is said to be the resting place for the god Krishna. Shiva as Dakshinamurthy is nearly always depicted sitting in silence under the banyan with rishis at his feet. It is thought of as perfectly symbolizing eternal life due to its seemingly unending expansion. Buddha is believed to have achieved enlightenment in Bodhgaya in India while meditating under a banyan tree of the species Sacred Fig. The tree is known as Bodhi Tree. Banyan trees are found in many temples all over India due to their religious signiicance. Many famous Banyan trees also exist in India, famous mostly due to their age and spread. The banyan is a fascinating tree. Its aerial prop roots grow down from the branches and over time become indistinguishable from the main trunk. And these aid in the spread of the tree. Single trees are known to spread over large areas over time.
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Final Selection
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From the above search the Banyan tree was selected as the apt inspiration for the design of Indian Art Nouveau furniture. It’s fascinating physiological characteristics and iconic cultural status, make it a perfect subject for applying the before mentioned Art Nouveau strategies of designing. 72
Choice of
Art Nouveau Aesthetic
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Strategies Since the inal choice for a design inspiration was the Banyan tree, a natural object, it follows that the Art Nouveau strategies that were used to bring nature into design must be used for the design process. Of these (mentioned in an earlier section) the method of Simpliication and Abstraction was decided upon as apt for application. This would allow for the simpliication of the actual tree’s image into a stylised yet recognizable and at the same time unique visual. Also sometimes Art Nouveau designers such as Louis Majorelle sometimes derived the very structure and construction of their furniture from plant forms. This aspect of Art Nouveau was also decided upon as a direction that had to be explored.
54-60 - Lotus image collection, 61-69 - Mango image cllection, 70-83 - Banyan tree image collection.
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Taming the Whiplash The irst objective was to be familiarised with the low of the Art Nouveau whiplash curve. This curve is the curve which comes into existence when is whip is cracked. It exists only for an instant before fading away. The expressiveness of this occurrence was observed and its elegance recognised by the designers of that period. Hence this became a characteristic curve of Art Nouveau, and was used extensively by most designers such as Victor Horta, Hector Guimard, Louis Majorelle and Alphonse Mucha in very expressive ways to enhance their designs. Hence it can be said that it is essential to understand how to create and use this curve well, in-order to create a visibly recognisable Art Nouveau design.The method chosen was to sketch the designs of the masters so that the low of the curve could be understood and a similar but not identical curve could be created for application in design.
Design decisions After visiting competitor stores and through consultation with Dr, Anurag Kanoria (owner of The Great Eastern Home) it was decided that a Dining room setting in the Art Nouveau style would be designed. This setting was to be displayed prominently in the new store / branch being opened at Vikhroli, in suburban Mumbai. The setting was to have a dining table, chairs and a sideboard. The setting’s design was to be inspired from the The Indian Banyan Tree. And the Art Nouveau strategies of symbolic conventionalism and the practice of deriving structure from plant form were to be attempted. It was decided early that the whiplash curve would have to be incorporated into the design to achieve recognisability as Art Nouveau pieces. 84- Copy sketches of Victor horta’s, Alphonse Mucha’s and Hector Guimard’s
84 whiplash curves.
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Inspiration and Mood Board
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The designer was most inspired by the works of the Art Nouveau Masters, Hector Guimard, Victor Horta, Alphonse Much and Louis Majorelle. Hence a mood board was put together which included images of their work along with photographs and sketches (obtained from the internet) of Banyan trees. And this served as a starting point for ideation and form creation.
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85-98 - Mood board of banyan tree and inspirational art nouveau master’s work Images 88, 89, 90, 96 and 97 are from- ART NOUVEAU 1890- 1914 (book) edited by Paul Greenhalgh, V&A Publications (July 31, 2002).
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The Nouveau Tree- A dining Table Ergonomic Considerations Based on the heights of most dining tables available in the store the dining table height was inalised as 30 inches at the table top.
Design Development The idea of creating a structure for the table that would mimic or atleast represent that of an actual banyan tree led to a series of sketches and ideas.
99- Initial banyan tree table sketches and concepts, 100- First sketch of selected table construction concept, 101- initial table construction concept sketches
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Basic Concept From these one that stood out was that of a sculptural, stylised tree that held up a glass top. The next step was to detail out this sketch and examine the feasibility of such a structure. An initial idea was to have a tree table made with many branch and vine like members, each member made unique. But this seemed rather complex and time consuming, to design as well as to manufacture. Hence a simpler alternative needed to be devised to create the same effect. In the search for this alternative, the designer hit upon the idea of the tree being created by joining a number of boards together in a radiating manner and carving out the details of the branches and vines from these boards.
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Joint Development Now what if a number of boards were to be joined together in something similar to a lap joint? This idea was worked out initially using sketches. Initially it was decided that there would be four boards that would join together to create a tree-table that would have eight sets of branches vines and roots. Later 3D modelling was used to sort out the complexity of the inner workings of the joint. Thus, the joint was created in 3D space. Now its workability had to be tested. Hence initially a model was made in styrofoam, followed by another one in wood. Hence it was proved that it was a strong joint and that it was feasible to use it in the inal design.
102- Central joint initial resolution sketches, 103- Joint resolved using 3D model, 104- Parts of the styrofoam model, 105- The styrofoam and the wood models of the 4 piece joint.
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Scaled model creation and further reinement Now the table itself had to be detailed. Hence an initial set of drawings was created which detailed out the look of the vinebranch-root carvings on the boards that would make up the table. Using these a scaled down model was made. On observation of the model, it became clear that the table would appear rather busy and dense. Hence it was decided that the number of boards had to be reduced to three. Hence the joint was reworked for this purpose. Also it was decided that the table would be a six seater.
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106- Initial sketch for one half of the tree table panel, 107- Initial cad drawings of the tree table, 108- Scaled model (Scale- 1:20), 109- another view of the scaled model, 110- 3D model of 3 piece joint.
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Incorporating the Whiplash At this point it became clear the table seemed very tree like but not necessarily Art Nouveau. Hence a number of stylisations were attempted with introduction of the Art Nouveau whiplash curve. The look was entirely transformed. New drawings were generated with this new stylised look. Sketches and mock up views were created digitally in-order to visualise the design in totality.
111- Explorations for incorporating the whiplash curve into the tree table’s design, 112- Visualisation of inalised sketch
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Resolving the design in 3D The results were promising. But the design had only been resolved on a 2D level up until now. Hence a small section of the table was given to the carpenters to carve out and they did so based on the directions given by the designer. This sample was approved. Thus the go ahead was given for starting construction of the table.
113- Sample carving, 114- Visualisation of ergonomically modiied table panel, 115- Visualisation with carvings incorporated.
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Construction Detailing An issue that arose was that Teak wood (the chosen material for the table- owing to is strength and hardness which makes for sturdy furniture and allows intricate carving) is only available in boards of maximum width of 10 to 15 inches. Hence to create the board on which the carvings had to be done boards would have to be joined. Hence based on the inalised dimensions, it became necessary for ive boards of varying sizes (as in drawings) to be jointed. The middle board of the ive would house the joinery. The thickness of the boards was decided upon as 2 inches, since post carving the boards would need to bear the shear forces caused by the weight of the glass top, in the parts where the grains would be vertical The joining of these boards was done using araldite and screws at strategic points.
116 116- dimensioned drawing of 1 of the 3 panels needed to make the tree table, with indication of number of wooden planks used and there points of joining. 117- The 3 panels with their different joining points shown.
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Prototyping Following which the three boards were hand carved precisely based on the full size drawings and aesthetic directions given by the designer. Once carving was completed, the joint was cut into the central section of each board and the three boards were joint together with araldite, creating a tree table with a solid central joint. In the end a 15mm thick circular piece of clear glass of 4.75 feet diameter was placed on top. Thus was completed the Nouveau Tree. 118- Panels after joining of planks and completion of basic cutting, 119- carved panels, 120- Joint details being cut into the carved panel, 121- two panels jointed and awaiting third panel, 122- All panels joint, 123- After polishing, 124- Final table with glass top, 125- Table along with chairs and laid out with cutlery and accessories.
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The Chairs Ergonomic Considerations Following ergonomic considerations were taken care of while designing the chairs. Seat Height - Optimum seat height is controversial.
• Traditional Criterion - Seat height should be adjusted to support a knee angle of 90-degrees to prevent leg swelling. However 75% of leg swelling may be due to low leg muscle activity rather than chair. • Minimum Height - should be 15” (38cm) which designs to the 5th percentile of women with 1” heels. The seat should adjust 9” (23cm).
• Fixed Height - should be about 17” (43cm). This is a compromise. A chair that is too high leads to increased pressure at the popliteal fold (underside of knees), decreasing blood circulation and increasing pressure on the nerve. A chair that is too low increases weight on the ischial tuberosities. Seat Pan -
• Seat Depth - recommended is 16.5” for ixed seats and 14-18.5” for adjustable seats. If the seat depth is greater than the buttock-popliteal length (ifth percentile woman is at 17”) then the user won’t be able to use the backrest.
• Seat Pan Contours - Half body weight is supported by an 8% area under the “seat bones” (ischial tuberosities). If the seat is hard and lat the pressures can be 85-100 p.s.i. Seat contouring and cushioning can be used to distribute pressure over a larger area and rotate the pelvis forward the promote better posture.
Seat Width - around 20 - 22” to accommodate clothed persons. If seat has armrests then elbow to elbow breadth may be more relevant. Seat Angle - Positive seat angle helps user to maintain good contact with backrest. For most purposes a 5 - 10 angle is recommended. Armrests - give additional postural support and aid in standing up and sitting down. Armrests should be padded and engage the leshy part of the forearm. They should not engage the bony parts of the elbow where sensitive ulnar nerve is close to the surface so a gap of approximately 4” between the armrest and seat back is recommended. Cantilevered elbow rests should be 8-10” above the seat surface height. Armrests should be at least 17.2” apart to exceed thigh breadth of 95th percentile females. Finally, armrests shouldn’t limit chair access if it is to be used at a table. Backrests -
• o Height - Higher backrests give better trunk weight support. Three categories:
• § Low-level backrest - supports the lumbar region only. Depth of the lumbar curve of the backrest should be 0.6 - 2.0”. Backrest heights of 5, 7, and 9” seem equally effective. • § Medium-level backrest - gives full shoulder support (e.g. car seat, ofice chair) and may need to be about 26” high to accommodate the 95th percentile man. • High-level backrest - full support of head and neck (e.g. plane seat) and may need to be about 36” for a 95th percentile man. • Angle - Optimal angle seems to be between 100-110-degrees.
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126- Ergonomics drawings- This image is from - Indian Anthropometric Data, Debkumar Chakrabarti, National Institute of Design 1997.
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Design Development One of the irst design decisions that were made with respect to the chair was that it had to be similar in feel and look to the table, but had to be mellower in terms of design and had to take the backseat when compared to the table, which had to be the centre piece of the set. Hence, it was decided that the chairs had to be low back chairs, because high back chairs would have been to imposing and would block the table from view. The chair was envisioned as one that was fashioned out of the vines of the banyan tree. Hence its members had to echo the curves and low of the vines of the tree- table. With this in mind initial sketching was done.
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The idea of making the back rest continue into the armrests was inalised from these. And basic structure of the chair was then explored. Also it was decided that the legs of the chair would not stick out further than the arms or the backrest in-order to avoid tripping. Joints and their strength, the attachment of the seat were all decided upon. The irst prototype was made.
127- Initial concept sketches, 128- detaining the concept, 129- irst set of drawings for the chair, 130- cardboard templates made for chair construction from full scale drawings, 131- parts after basic cutting, 132- wooden seat pan, 133- initial frame built, 134- Arm rests added, 135- backrest added, 136- level being adjusted, 137Finished prototype kept for drying of glue
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52 This prototype was analysed in detail. Based on inputs given by Dr. Kanoria (the owner of TGEH) on how a rich man’s chair must be, it was decided that the chair’s armrests had to be opening outward and not parallel (since this would make the chair seem too functional and industrial) in-order to make the chair appear more inviting and comfortable. This insight was very pivotal in the inal design of the chair. Also the thicknesses of the members were all about 1.5 inches. This made the chair visually and physically too heavy. Hence, it was decided t open out the arms and reduce the thickness of the members to 1 inch. It was also decided that some sort of carving had to be added to further embellish the chair and make it look even more exquisite. A number of options were sketched out. The selected one was detailed and drawings were prepared. Also the seat in the irst prototype was made with solid wood –and this added to the production dificulty and to the weight of the chair. Hence it was decided that an upholstered plywood (thickness of 0.75 inch) seat would be screwed onto the wooden frame. The plywood seat’s centre would be cut out to allow for elastic upholstery bands to be ixed and hence add for more give in the seat (instead of a hard solid base) hence adding to the comfort of the chair and also reducing overall weight. Drawings were made to incorporate these changes and six new chairs were constructed.v
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138- Sketches done for exploring and inalising of the chair back and side carvings, 139- Final drawings of the inalised cair design, 140- Frame being put together, 141- frame, 142- completed frame, reday for carvings to be added, 143carved and polished frame, 144- back carvings, 145- completed chair, 146- back view, 147- front view, 148- three fourths view, 149- side view, 150- three fourths view.
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The Sideboard What is a sideboard?
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A sideboard is an item of furniture traditionally used in the dining room for serving food, for displaying serving dishes such as silver, and for storage. It usually consists of a set of cabinets, or cupboards, and drawers, all topped by a lat display surface for conveniently holding food, serving dishes, and even lighting devices. The overall height of the tops of most sideboards is approximately waist level. The earliest versions of the sideboard familiar today made their appearance in the 18th century, but they gained most of their popularity during the 19th century as households became prosperous enough to dedicate a room solely to dining. Sideboards were made in a range of decorative styles and were frequently ornamented with costly veneers and inlays. In later years, sideboards have been placed in living rooms or other areas where household items might be displayed.
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157 151- 157- Sideboards image collection, 158- Initial sideboard concept sketches, 159- more initial sketches.
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Ergonomic considerations The height of the sideboard had to be just high enough for a woman to place a dish on it with ease. And the drawers had to be just deep enough to hold cutlery. Hence similar pieces on display in TGEH were surveyed and these dimensions were ixed. Depth of drawers was on an average between 4.5 and 6 inches. And the heights of sideboards varied between 37 and 42 inches. Hence a depth of 5 inches for the drawers and a height of 38 inches for the top of the sideboard were decided upon.
Design Development The sideboard had to be related to the table and chairs visually. The initial thought was to use banyan tree elements in the visual structure of the sideboard. Another early design idea was custom create and incorporate the handles and visible hardware into the design. With this idea in mind, a number of initial sketches were done. A stone top was also an early decision.
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Finalising the form The intricacies and dificulties of cabinet construction and the planning of their design were understood on the detailed study of some pieces already on display in TGEH. After some sketching one of the ideas was inalised in terms of form and appearance.
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Creating the customised handles Then an attempt was made to work out what the working details of the piece would be. Basic dimensions were inalised and rough renders were made to for the sake of visualisation. With the help of these elevation renders, the designs for the custom handles were explored and inalised. After which they were carved in wood and using these positives, they were cast in brass.
160- Finalising the form, 161- Initial visualisation of design, 162, 163- Handle sketches, 164- Cad drawings of handle options, 165, 166- Wood positives of handles, 167- Final drawings of sideboard design, 168- sketches for resolving construction, 169, 170- exploded views showing construction details of the design, 171, 172- Component drawings given to carpenters, 173- 3D view compilation given to carpenters, 174, 175, 176, 177- initial construction photos, 178, 179- polishing pictures, 180, 181- After completion of polishing, 182, 183- inished sideboard wit stone top and drawers and cupboards opened, 184- handle details, 185- side and back view, 186- three by fourths view, 187- front view.
6'-8"
7'-6" 7'6" 7'6" 1 1'-5 2"
1 1'-5 2"
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2'
3'-4"
1
2"
5"
164
1 1'-5 2"
1"
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3 7'-6 4"
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60 Design resolution in 3D and Prototyping Ate i alisi g the look of the side oa d a si ple lap joi t ased o st u io usi g pl ood as de ised. I this desig a i e o of a i ets a d d a e s is ade a d pla ed i to a oute st u tu e hose pu pose is ai l fo the sake of fo .It as de ided that all isi le pa ts of the side oa d ould e o e ed ith a e ee . A d the d a e s ould e ited usi g etal slidi g ails.
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Ate this a detailed 3d odel as ade so that the u e of o po e ts of the side oa d ould e detailed a d u e ed, so that d a i gs of ea h o po e t ould e ge e ated fo p odu io pu poses. Usi g the 3d odel, e de s a d d a i gs e e ge e ated a d gi e to the a pe te s fo o st u io . U de the supe isio a d di e io of the desig e , the i al p otot pe as uilt. Full s ale d a i g as gi e to a a le ui g e do a d the a le top as eated.
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61 Quantity 1 1 2"
2"
Unit No.
Quantity
Unit No.
1'-5"
1 1 2"
1
1'-2"
1
1 1 2"
2
1 1 2"
2
1'-2"
1 8 2" 1"
1"
1" thick plywood
5/8" thick plywood
3"
3 2'-10 4"
1 2'-7 4"
1 2 2"
1 5 2 2" 8"
1 2 2"
1 5 2 2" 8"
2'
2'
3 2'-10 4"
3 2'-10 4"
1 2'-7 4"
5
8"
6"
5
8"
6"
1"
1"
1 8 2"
1'-3"
1" 1'-3"
1'-7"
1"
1" 1'-5"
Quantity
1
Unit No.
Quantity
3
1
5/8" thick plywood
5 5'-10 8"
1"
1"
1'-5"
1'-5"
8.5
7 2'-10 8"
8.5
7 2'-10 8"
2"
7 2'-10 8"
8.5
8" 8.5
5
3 5'-9 8"
5
3 5'-9 8"
5
8" 5 5'-10 8"
4
5/8" thick plywood
5 5'-10 8"
7 2'-10 8"
Unit No.
8"
5
5
8" 5 5'-10 8"
8"
171
62 Quantity
Quantity
5
2 1'-5"
Unit No.
Unit No.
6
2
3 1'-5 8"
1/2" thick wood 1"
5/8" thick plywood
1 1 2"
6"
7"
1 1 2"
1'-2"
1"
1"
1'-5"
5 7 8"
6"
Front
2"
Side
5
5
8"
8"
6"
5 7 8"
1
1
7 2 8"
2"
1 7 4"
1
2"
2"
7 2 8"
2"
1
2"
1'-5"
1'-5"
Top
Quantity
Unit No.
Quantity
7
2
Unit No.
8
2
5 1'-5 8"
1" thick wood
1"
1/2" thick wood
3
4"
4"
6"
7"
3
2"
1 7'-1 8"
1'-5"
1
1 7'-2 4" 2"
5
Front 1
2"
5
8"
Quantity
2"
8"
Unit No.
2
9
2"
1 1 2"
1'-5"
1" thick wood
1
1
Side
6'-5"
Top
5
8"
172
5
8"
63
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
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183
182
184
185
186
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187
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C
onclusion
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Conclusion This experience was truly one of great learning. Alongside the niceties of how to work in a professional ofice environment, the designer was also able to learn how bespoke furniture industry works. Also an understanding of how design for luxury takes place was gained. The exercise of taking totally different points of view that need to be taken into consideration when designing ‘rich man’s’ furniture, was an eye opener. Instructing a set of carpenters with minimal understanding of technical drawings to create the exact vision of the designer was a daunting task. Drawings had to be tailor made for their ease of cognition involving sometimes printed, sometimes hand drawn details. In addition to this continuous supervision and instruction were necessary. The designer had to adapt as much to the ways of working of the carpenters as much as they had to learn the ways of the designer. The importance of relationship building and clear communication for best results and harmonious work environment were learnt, sometimes the hard way.
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Scope for future exploration The dining table while an aesthetically pleasing sculptural piece has a few structural issues. The vertical grain has been pierced at many points. This can create weak points in the carved panels. Also some of the carvings are quite brittle and need to be reworked. For both the big pieces, the process of lifting and moving the furniture, was not included in the design thought. Hence the sideboard especially is quite dificult to lift and move. This is a key requirement for any furniture especially large pieces. design features to facilitate this activity must also be provided for. In the same collection more pieces can be added such as an armchair, a mirror...etc. The possibilities are endless.
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Bibliography Books Referred
Websites Referred
1. ART NOUVEAU 1890- 1914 (book) edited by Paul Green- 1. http://www.sothebys.com halgh, V&a Publications (July 31, 2002). 2. http://www.lemondedesarts.com/DossierGalle.htm 2. A century of chair design, Frank Russell, Philippe Garner & John Read, John Wiley and Sons Ltd; New Ed edition (Decem- 3. http://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/features/emilegalle/ ber 31, 1980). 4 . h t t p : / / w w w. s e n s e s - a r t n o u v e a u . c o m / b i o g r a p h y. 3. t
php?artist=MAJ 5. http://rlalique.com/rene-lalique-biography 6. http://www.hortamuseum.be/main.php?lang=fr&part=hort a&page=biographie 7. http://records.viu.ca/~Johnstoi/praguepage/muchalecture. htm 8. http://www.lickr.com
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Image References
Alphonse_Mucha_-_Donna_Orechini.png 45- http://www.sinopaperart.com/images/peacock-1.jpg
1 to 8- from The Great Eastern Home. 12- www.japaneseprints.net
4 6 - h t t p : / / w w w. n a t u r e i n a r t . c o m / i m a g e s / peacock450_714watermarked.jpg
14-http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/ Haeckel_Actiniae.jpg
47- http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT_JwxYYORAti2H-rwo6t4vZV0uiBOB_ziyobKlypIPa2BUlPw_fw
15- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/04/Rhododendron_argenteum_Hooker.gif
48- http://www.anuvawines.com/tasting-argentina/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Asian-Tiger.jpg
24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 34, 41, 44, 88, 89, 90, 105, 106- ART NOUVEAU 1890- 1914 (book) edited by Paul Greenhalgh, V&a Publications (July 31, 2002).
49-http://www.nwf.org/~/media/Content/National%20Wildlife%20Magazine%20Layouts/2001/tiger05. ashx?w=234&h=328&as=1
22, 23, 29, 35, 37, 38, 101- http://www.sothebys.com
50- http://img.yessy.com/1229817108-24829b.jpg
36.-http://soundlandscapes.iles.wordpress.com/2011/04/016. jpg
5 1 - h t t p : / / f a r m 5 . s t a t i c f l i c k r . com/4151/5191812896_3978be8e24.jpg
42 - A century of chair design, Frank Russell, Philippe Garner & John Read, John Wiley and Sons Ltd; New Ed edition (December 31, 1980).
52- http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RXKKucZCyFQ/TfxherSxQgI/AAAAAAAAAzA/FZg3OzJKYMs/s1600/cartoon-whitetiger-wallpap.jpg
30- http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8t9i8Dmkk1rcnq4so1_1280.jpg
53-http://imgs.mi9.com/uploads/lower/1109/lotus-wallpaper_422_16274.jpg
31- http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7pma0xxuy1ru8nnoo1_1280.jpg
5 4 - h t t p : / / w w w. s h a l u s h a r m a . c o m / w p - c o n t e n t / u ploads/2012/07/Lotus-Temple-New-Delhi.jpg
32- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/ Gold_and_enamel_pectoral_by_Ren%C3%A9_Lalique.jpg
5 5 - h t t p : / / w w w. o m y o g a p a g e s. c o m / i m a g e s / t e a c h ers/imag e/thumb_3168_pink_g radient_lotus_f lower_0515-1004-1906-3628_SMU.jpg
33-http://antiquesandartireland.com/w p-content/uploads/2012/01/lalique-big.jpg 39- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/ Alphonse_Mucha_-_Job_Cigarettes_1.jpg 40- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/
56-http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4lAyKq7Foqs/Swv8EJm7knI/ AAAAAAAAAtE/F-kN4JZ6lSA/s400/lotus-lower-1000.jpg 57-http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-14ZBi7Z_9FM/TlX3oIjktcI/ AAAAAAAAEU8/ihsz2RH316g/s1600/goddess-lakshmi-
72 hindu-goddess-of-wealth-prosperity.jpg 58-http://kratomguide.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ blue-lotus.jpg 59-http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4118/4741602276_f642feba46.jpg 60-http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/dryleaf1. jpg 61-http://www.greenbrideguide.com/sites/default/iles/sunrise-mango-leaf-tray.jpg 62- http://indulekha.com/colours/uploaded_images/lauriebaker13.jpg 63-http://madaleine.iles.wordpress.com/2010/12/p1020452. jpg 64-http://far m5.staticf lickr.com/4007/4701837194_ e76569fb52.jpg 65-http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/03/25/images/2007032500300702.jpg 66-http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/03/25/images/2007032500300702.jpg
Banyan%20Tree%20in%20park%20across%20from%20 art%20museum.jpg 72-http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SYK1f05rmUc/Tqe9YS7M_ YI/AAAAAAAAF00/EBc78tsOK54/s1600/Banyan%2Btree. png 74-http://www.teresanne.com/uploads/photos/103.jpg 75-http://m.c.lnkd.licdn.com/media/ p/2/000/032/12e/165c452.png 75-http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-frhzWtDqhjs/Te91YS7WNuI/ AAAAAAAAAZU/RmiMr_2SXx0/s1600/banyan%2Btree. jpg 76-http://downloads.unmultimedia.org/photo/medium/381/381467.jpg 77-http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IPacp2uvKyw/TrjMQrEelKI/ AAAAAAAAB7o/biF1KqpIudA/s1600/tree-logo.gif 78-http://www.banyanhouse.org.au/images/bhlogo.gif 79-http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/ GuimardMon.JPG
67-http://2.imimg.com/data2/LM/CA/MY-3662967/ how149-250x250.jpg
80-http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/ thumb/4/42/Gate_of_Castel_B%C3%A9ranger,_designed_by_Hector_Guimard.jpg/399px-Gate_of_ Castel_B%C3%A9ranger,_designed_by_Hector_Guimard.jpg
68-http://static.neatorama.com/images/2007-03/banyan-tree. jpg
81-http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/ Alphonse_Mucha_-_Zodiac.jpg
69-http://nickolaikinny.iles.wordpress.com/2011/03/banyantree.jpg
82-http://th00.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/213/6/b/ the_banyan_tree_by_isacg-d42dm53.jpg
70-http://www.iloveindia.com/national-symbols/pics/banyantree.jpg
86-http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/ GuimardMon.JPG
71-http://iles.myopera.com/PainterWoman/albums/598447/
73 93-http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O7Fyiv6SlQs/UM3ZfcW_OI/AAAAAAAAASs/Zpx_Vy6wAU4/s1600/the_banyan_ tree_by_isacg-d42dm53.jpg 94-http://th00.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/213/6/b/ the_banyan_tree_by_isacg-d42dm53.jpg 95-http://www.ter ragalleria.com/images/np-tropics/ hale20924.jpeg 9 8 - h t t p : / / i m a g e s. wo r t h v i e w. c o m / w p - c o n t e n t / u ploads/2011/02/Big-Banyan-tree-2.jpg
74
diploma project document Hari Gopinathan (hari.gnn@gmail.com) Student of - Furniture and interior design
National institute of design ahmedabad