Design & Designer Series: Elements of Furniture Design

INTERVIEW WITH FURNITURE DESIGNER AND AUTHOR SCOTT COLEY

Scott Coley unravels the past and present of furniture design and discusses his plan to pass this knowledge along the supply chain via manufacturers and retailers to consumers.

Scott Coley, author of the recently published book “Elements of Furniture Design,” is a Pinnacle Award-winning furniture designer who learned his craft at Kendall College of Art and Design.

Coley found his way into the furniture business naturally. His grandmother, Ida Lee Rowe Coley, attended the New York School of Interior Design, founded a furniture store in Newton, North Carolina, and designed interiors for market showrooms and private homes. His great-grandfather, Charles Rowe, owned New Town Mills, a textile mill, and a furniture factory that was ultimately sold to Broyhill Furniture. Charles Coley, his father, graduated from the furniture program at NC State University and founded a plastics and upholstery operation.

Furniture World asked Coley to share how he started in the furniture industry and why he decided to write “Elements of Furniture Design.”

“My dad,” Coley recalled, “recognized in me some qualities he had observed in successful furniture designers, so he suggested I attend Kendall College of Art and Design. During college, I worked at several of Bernhardt’s factories and Hickorycraft Upholstery, where I gained first-hand production knowledge. Early in my career, I was fortunate to meet many influential freelance designers, including Jim Peed, Marty Pratt, Steve Hodges, Scott Gregory and John Roser, as well as professionals working at design firms such as Mitchell Prevost Designs and Berry and Clark Design Associates. With my friend and fellow Kendall alumnus Tommy McDaniel, I founded McDaniel & Coley, Inc., a freelance furniture design firm in Morganton, North Carolina. We had a great run together before I established my firm, D. Scott Coley Designs, LLC, in 2015.

“Along the way, I spent much time at the Bienenstock Furniture Library in High Point and created an extensive personal library for research and inspiration. In the summer of 2018, I started working on my book, published earlier this year, anticipating that it would be a valuable reference tool for furniture designers, manufacturers and retailers, as well as for people with a more general interest in furniture and its design.”

An Evolving Profession

“In recent decades, product design in the home furnishings field has evolved to include people who don’t always have formal furniture design training. Sometimes, they know little about how furniture is made or the history behind the styles they inspire. The book will also be useful for these people: industrial designers, architects, furniture design stylists, interior designers, and individuals with media backgrounds who create or influence some of today’s furniture collection designs.

“I wrote in ‘Elements of Furniture Design’ that furniture design is an ancient art that combines beauty, style, function and manufacturability.

“Much can be gained by passing knowledge about furniture history and home furnishings trends beyond furniture designers along the supply chain that leads through manufacturers and retailers to consumers. One reason I wrote ‘Elements of Furniture Design’ is to make this information accessible.”

Next Gen Furniture Designers

“I am thrilled to see the passion the next generation of furniture designers have and the potential they hold for our industry,” Coley added. “The future of home furnishing is brimming with creativity. With educational opportunities like the Bienenstock Furniture Designers Summit, student furniture design competitions offered by the Bienenstock Furniture Library and ISFD’s Pinnacle Awards, students have a wonderful opportunity to see the industry and be recognized. Through computer-aided drawing, ideas can be brought to life swiftly and shared instantly across the globe. The Internet enables us to collaborate with our peers, manufacturers, and retailers. This rapid exchange of ideas and information promises to spark creative thought that surpasses what was possible in past generations.

“Kendall professor Bruce Mulder once told me, ‘There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to furniture design,’ a statement that underscores the fact that our species has always been on a journey to enhance its living spaces with places to eat, socialize and sleep. That journey continues today. Furniture designers, manufacturers and retailers aim to give customers precisely what they want and do whatever activities they envision, more easily, beautifully and efficiently.”

The Language of Furniture Design

“The language of furniture design has changed dramatically in recent decades. Gone is much of the focus on reproducing historic designs, including those of 18th-century cabinetmakers. Those influences, however, are still present in the marketplace. They’ve been repackaged to reflect consumer preferences, lifestyles, trends and sometimes fads. In many ways, the industry has evolved to be more fast-paced and creative. In other ways, many manufacturer’s lines and retailers’ floors look strikingly similar.”

Coley said, “I was taught as a young designer and still feel that historical design is relevant. The founding of the United States was intertwined with the style sensibilities of England, France, and Spain, which rested on architectural principles going back over two thousand years.

“Gone is much of the focus on reproducing historic designs. They’ve been repackaged to reflect consumer preferences, lifestyles, trends and sometimes fads.”

“Today,” he explained, “many furniture design elements and attention to classical proportions we see in retail showrooms are rooted in these historic styles. Even though today’s furniture may exhibit historical silhouettes in a contemporary way, they still have timeless appeal and continued marketability.

“As I stress in ‘Elements of Furniture Design,’ a furniture designer must have comprehensive knowledge of these styles. However, this knowledge is not meant to confine but rather to inspire. My experience designing for the American home furnishing market, a melting pot of cultures, tells me that traditional design knowledge is a launchpad for wider design creativity and inclusivity, not a barrier.”

Traditional, Transitional & Contemporary

“Most of the products I design are transitional. However, I occasionally enjoy experimenting with contemporary design, which appeals to a more targeted market.

“Classical furniture design elements apply directly to transitional design, blending modern materials and techniques with traditional forms and ornamentation to create a harmonious balance.

“Simplified forms with reduced applied decoration characterize contemporary furniture. Projections and moldings are eliminated. Materials and directness of purpose are emphasized. These forms are generally lower in height than traditional designs. Construction methods are typically similar unless a new material is introduced.”

The Designer’s Responsibility

“It’s the furniture designer’s responsibility to reinterpret style elements in a way relevant to today’s market. A serpentine shelf may reference classical or traditional shapes and designs cleanly and simply. Consumers find that a more relaxed, less formal feel results when historical details, such as a cabriole leg, are used in modern or stylized ways.

“Because traditional design forms have been around for so long, they are part of our collective consciousness. People understand them and recognize their beauty. Shapes can reference masculine or feminine styles, telling subtle stories to shoppers browsing furniture showrooms.

“Furniture design,” Coley suggested, “is an evolutionary process. Current styles are always versions of what came before, adjusted for scale, lifestyle, formality, comfort, color and texture.”

“Resort and coastal designs and groups incorporating cottage elements remain popular.”

Lifestyle Trends

“Most furniture designers are committed to creating furniture that resonates with lifestyle stories customers want to reflect in their homes. When I design furniture, I hope manufacturers and retailers will understand and relate style elements; for example, how a louvered bed with beach cottage-inspired ornamentation helps create the feeling of a coastal lifestyle. That feeling can be enhanced by manufacturers in their Market showrooms and retailers who display the represented lifestyle in ways that improve shoppers’ appreciation and feelings that they must own this furniture.

“Transitional designs,” Coley added, “continue to define the marketplace. Resort and coastal designs and groups incorporating cottage elements remain popular.”

Trend Analysis

“Design details, ornamentation, scale, finish and construction quality help distinguish furniture items on the retail floor. To hit a bestseller, a designer’s work must be consistent with what consumers want to put in their homes.

“As formal dining and living room sales have declined, quality finishes have come to define a new formality in consumers’ minds.”

“That’s why decision-makers up and down the furniture production and retailing chain must know what’s trending. Fashion Snoops is a wonderful resource for trend information. They produce detailed reports and offer free seminars at High Point Market. Trend Watch and MC&Co are other excellent resources for deep dives into what consumers will likely purchase. These companies share style and trend information, which can be found in industry publications like Furniture World and Market displays at the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame building. The High Point Market Authority does a great job of ensuring that manufacturers, retailers and designers have access to information regarding the breadth of styles retailers and interior designers can see at Market.”

Stand Out Designs

“Beyond referencing trends and making their designs appealing and comfortable, designers must focus on creating products that stand out on retail floors among a sea of options,” Coley noted. “Correct proportions, finishes, hardware choices, fabric patterns, textures and colors are essential elements required to do this well.”

He commented on how ornamentation relates to today’s customers. “While some classical ornamentation has gone out of fashion, people still like to associate themselves with a style, comfortable symbolism, or brand. Consumers can still appreciate the meaning that underpins style and ornamentation. Retail sales associates and interior designers who understand the historical and cultural significance of the designs they sell have an opportunity to tell stories that allow consumers to appreciate the history and ideas these ornaments represent.”

Coley also pointed out, “Quality finishes have become more important because they can make furniture stand out, look more expensive and are of higher quality. As formal dining and living room furniture sales have declined, quality finishes have come to define a new formality in consumers’ minds.”

“While some classical ornamentation has gone out of fashion, people still like to associate themselves with a style, comfortable symbolism, or brand.”

The Design Process

Coley told Furniture World that his design work has been advanced by his practice of posing a specific series of questions. “These questions,” mentioned in “Elements of Furniture Design,” he said, “act as a reliable guide, aiding me in navigating the intricacies of the design process.

“I believe retailers can benefit from asking similar questions, so I’ve reframed them for Furniture World readers.”

Style: What furniture styles need to be represented on our sales floors? How might they be merchandised and displayed to address best-selling core designs and evolving trends?

Lifestyle: How might these collections address the lifestyles our customers aspire to and the homes they live in? How should we allocate floor space to reflect contemporary lifestyles, relaxed resort lifestyles, comfortable farmhouse lifestyles, or refined formal lifestyles?

Activity: What activities do people who conform to these lifestyle groups engage in, and which product features will likely meet their needs and encourage them to buy?

Current Line: What styles and lifestyles are over-or underrepresented on our showroom floor? What’s missing that will likely encourage traffic, help close more sales and increase average tickets?

Inspiration: How might our buyers, merchandisers and visual merchandisers look for inspiration, find products and create displays that are unique, eye-catching, and tell compelling stories?

“Keeping abreast of trends in new home construction can also yield a treasure trove of information, providing insight into room sizes, layouts and amenities.”

Inspiration

“Design inspiration is one of my favorite topics. It can come from many sources,” Coley observed, “but as I explained in ‘Elements of Furniture Design,’ design trips are a freeing way to get out into the field, see what others are doing, and generate new ideas.

“Getting out of an office to visit domestic and international furniture shows, design centers, and a variety of retail store formats is beneficial in all stages of the creative process, from creating a spark of imagination to selling designs off the retail floor. But if that’s impractical, shows like HGTV and periodicals like AD, House Beautiful, House & Garden, Veranda, and Elle Decor showcase a variety of design styles and ideas, from traditional to modern and from small DIY projects to large-scale renovations.

“I find that keeping abreast of trends in new home construction can also yield a treasure trove of information, providing insight into room sizes, layouts and amenities.

“I visited builders’ model homes furnished by interior designers for many years, but today, this information is available online. Major builders post building plans and renderings that anyone can access to find out what’s being built in various locations. This information has been helpful to me as a furniture designer and can be valuable to retailers located in areas with lots of new construction.”

Thomas Day

“Many industry leaders have given me opportunities and inspiration. Some that stand out,” Coley said, “are Alex Bernhardt, Lewis Norman, Rountree and William Collett from Bernhardt; Rob Spilman, Matt Johnson; and Jeb Bassett of Bassett Furniture, Art and Susan Barber of Charleston Forge; Steve Kincaid, Tim Annas, and the merchandise and design team at La-Z-Boy Casegoods, and many furniture designers that I have known personally or from their excellent design work. I have also been inspired by historic furniture designers, makers, and architects, including Thomas Chippendale, Charles Mackintosh, Julia Morgan, and Thomas Day.”

Day, whose work is prominently featured in “Elements of Furniture Design,” will be inducted into the American Furniture Hall of Fame during the 2024 October High Point Market.

“Thomas Day,” continued Coley, “was one of the most important cabinet makers, designers, and furniture manufacturers in the Southern United States during the 19th century. His designs are used throughout my book to illustrate furniture design concepts. Day understood classical portions and furniture styles when the furniture industry was transitioning from cabinetmaking to modern furniture manufacturing.

“What made his accomplishments more inspiring was that Day, a skilled free black craftsman in the antebellum South, built a substantial furniture business in North Carolina before the Civil War. His manufacturing and marketing ideas were ahead of their time.” He accomplished so much, with everything working against him, illustrating that it is possible to achieve great things even when the odds stacked against you are daunting.

“His manufacturing and marketing ideas were ahead of their time. He pioneered ways to maximize production efficiency, use technology and create infrastructure that was used 50 years later by manufacturers like Basset, Broyhill and Bernhardt.”

Advice for Retailers

When asked what manufacturers and retailers can do to “up their design game,” Coley suggested, “manufacturers can benefit from passing on more design information to retailers. I’ve worked with some who go to great expense to decorate their market showrooms in the style of a particular collection and provide as much information as possible, but this is more of an exception than a rule. When done correctly, the items will indeed sell themselves.

“The retailers I meet and occasionally design products for are sophisticated, professional business people. They understand what products are moving off their floors, trending up and down. However, from my perspective as a furniture designer, retail merchandisers, marketers and salespeople can benefit from knowing more about the design influences and construction of the products they sell. Improving this knowledge base and educating salespeople about how to present unique features, advantages and styles can link the ideas of designers who imagine home furnishings collections to the desires of consumers who need to find value in these items.”

Other Resources

In addition to “Elements of Furniture Design,” Coley suggested other books that Furniture World readers might find useful. “There are great resources from Schiffer Publishing, such as ‘It’s All in the Mix: Design Ideas for Living Well’ by Dann Foley and ‘Mark Candelaria Homes: Designs for Inspired Living’ by Mark Candelaria and David Brown. Other titles I appreciate are ‘Architectural Digest at 100: A Century of Style’ by Amy Astley et al., ‘New York School of Interior Design: Home, The Foundations of Enduring Spaces’ by Ellen S. Fisher, and ‘Made for Living: Collected Interiors for All Sorts of Styles’ by Amber Lewis.’”

Designing the Future

“As my dad told me once or twice, the more things change, the more things stay the same. In other words, we will continue to see changes and innovations in furniture design and manufacturing. Still, the essentials of our craft as furniture designers will stay much the same as they have for many years. The potential of AI in design is immense, and I am eager to harness its power. It’s the designer’s responsibility to stay current with technology as it presents itself and, where possible, embrace circular design to create durable, reusable, repairable, and recyclable products that generate zero waste to support a circular economy.

“The Healthy Materials Lab, a design research lab at Parsons School of Design, has focused on this topic, and the Sustainable Furnishings Council is an excellent resource for furniture designers, manufacturers and retailers interested in sustainability and circularity. As a designer, I hate to see my work end up in a landfill, so I love seeing my designs when walking through a furniture consignment store, re-store, or vintage shop. This also makes me feel a bit vintage, but I love the idea of my designs continuing to make people’s homes comfortable and enrich their lives.”