As the competition comes to a close we want to thank all who participated in the process and wish luck to all! We are looking forward to the winners which will be announced next week here on YFL.
Javier Argueta
Atousha Arabsheibani
QUATTRO
THE CONCEPT BEHIND QUATTRO SOFA WAS TO DESIGN A FLEXIBLE PIECE OF SEATING THAT COULD BE ARRANGED AND REARRANGED DEPENDING ON THE APPLICATION AND THE SPACE IT’S BEING USED FOR TO GIVE THE OWNER COPLETE CONTROL AND UNLIMITED OPTIONS FOR THE CONFIGURATION, SHAPE AND LENGTH.
THE SOFA WITH FOUR SECTIONS AND ENDLESS SELECTION OF MATERIALS AND FINISHES THAT CAN BE STACKED AND PLACED TOGETHER ALTERNATIVELY. NO MATTER HOW THE PARTS ARE COMBINED THIS TIMELESS FURNITURE ENHANCES EVERY LIVING ROOM, HOTEL LOBBY, ARIPORT LOUNGE AND OFFICE SPACE.
QATTRO MEANS FOUR IN ITALIAN. THE DESIGN CONTAINING FOUR DIFFERENT PIECES WITH DIFFERENT SHAPES GIVES THE USER THE ABBILITY TO PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER AS THEY WISH AND THEY CAN COME UP WITH THEIR OWN DESIGN AND CONFIGURATION DEPENDING ON THEIR MOOD, THEIR SPACE AND THEY WAY THEY LIKE TO USE THE SOFA.
THE COMPONENTS ARE LIKE PIECES OF A PUZZEL OR LEGO AND THE USER CAN HAVE FUN
PUTTING THEM TOGETHER AND CHANGING THE CONFIGURATIONS. PIECES CAN BE PUT TOGETHER IN A LINE AND REPRESENT A SIMLPE SOFA OR CAN BE ROTATED AND REPRESENT A L-SHAPED PIECE OF SEATING, CAN BE SEPARATED AND PLACED IN DISTANCE FROM EACH OTHER. THIS DESIGN CAN BE USED IN ANY SHAPE AND ANY CONFIGURATION THAT THE USER LIKES EXPERIENCE.
THE TABLE DESIGNED FOR THIS PIECE OF SEATING IS VERY SIMPLE AND HAS TWO SECTIONS THAT CAN BE SEPARATED, OR PUT TOGETHER. LIKE THE SOFA, MORE THAN TOW TABLE PIECES CAN BE PUT TOGETEHR TO HAVE VERIATY IN SIZE AND LENGTH. IT CAN ALSO BE A PART OF THE SEATING PIECE AND FUNCTION AS A TABLE.
FINISHES USED FOR THIS DESIGN ARE, UNFINISHED DARK CHERRY WOOD FOR THE TOP AND THE BASE, AND SILK AGED BRONZE COLOR WITH ALLEPEY PATTERN FABRIC FOR THE SEATS. FINISHES AND FABRICS CAN BE VARIABLE , CUSTOMIZED AND CHANGE DEPENDING ON THE CLIENT’S REQUEST.
This week on Seating and Eating we take a look back to some of Last years winners! We want you to be inspired by the hard work theses students have put into their award winning presentations.
Jahailia Sing – 1st Place New Life Sofa
Jahailia won because of her attention to detail and because she created a versatile piece of furniture that works in many interiors. Jahailia really put alot of work into her final presentation which you can see here —–> The Chloe Sofa
Cindy Rosado – 2nd Place New Life Sofa
Cindy won because of her attention to detail. She created a beautiful traditional piece that really speaks to a generation of furniture shoppers who have been around for a while. This is a great piece and really speaks to the wasp set. To see Cindy’s Prize winning final presentation please click here —-> QuetZali
Kevin Scott – 3rd Place New Life Sofa
Kevin Scott won because of his attention to detail. This Contemporary piece really caught the eye of the judges because of how innovative it is. The fun and stylish design really makes a great piece for any enviroment that wants to embrace a more whimsical feel. See Kevins Final presentation Here —> Sofa R
Younho Choi – Honorable Mention New Life Sofa
Younho really wowed the judges with his An Rak sofa. This piece is the definition of streamlined modern design. Younho’s attention to detail is what made his piece a hit of the competition. Also, the way he laid out his final presentation was amazingly creative and inventive. Check out his final design here —-> AN RAK
So if you didn’t get the hint, winning design show an attention to detail. Think about how the design is actually built and include the details in your Final Presentation. Can’t wait to see whats to come.
This is such an inspiring project! We are looking forward to what else is going to come from those talented fingers. This is a great example of what good Interior Design can be and it’s coming from Harrington College of Design. Keep up the good work Laura!
Interior design is visions, dreams, feelings, and emotions. Do you have these? If so check out Harrington College of Design for great programs teaching you what you need to know. Degrees available are Associates, Bachelors in Fine Art and their new Masters program.
Peter Klick, instructor at Harrington Institute of Interior Design.
Welcome to Week 5 of the Seating and Eating Challenge!
This week we have two project updates from a couple of our student competitors. We at Your Furniture Link are looking forward to next week when our competition really reaches full swing. Note to all Participants: Please remember to start including your materials, Construction drawings, interior renderings and more that will wow the judges! $1800 worth of prize money is on the line and we want to make sure that the best design wins what is rightfully yours. Remember to Have fun and Good Luck!
Laura Schlueter
The design that I have been working on is a piece in response to the survey’s trend of people eating in more of an informal setting versus formal dining. This is something that I can relate to; being a college student living on my own other than my cat who will occasionally join in on meals! I often find myself shoveling food into my mouth while lying on the sofa and watching TV or working on homework, which has motivated me to work on a solution that would make this process more practical. I was inspired by the organic clean forms of a spiraling sea shell and wanted to take this idea and turn it into a pod like “daybed.” The pod can be used as a bed and as a seating solution too.
The seating portion will have a hard surface that slides out of the pod that is ideal for surfing the web, homework and eating. The top enclosure is also retractable to give the desired amount of privacy. The pod is an ideal solution for a single person living in a small city apartment or studio, seeing as is duels as multiple furniture pieces, freeing up space!!! And who doesn’t like space?!? Soooo It’s still a work in progress, I need to look into materials and finishes which Is what I will post next! Looking forward to see everyone else’s solution!
Lauren M. Andrysiak
Week 5 – Design Update – To learn more about what Lauren has planned for her design please check out last weeks post here!
Click on the images to see full project PDF!
Veronica Palinsky
Week 5 – Design Update – To learn more about what Veronica has planned for her design please check out last weeks post here!
Click on the Images to see the full project PDF!Custom Fabric/Material Design for the Seating can be seen below!
Welcome to Week 4 of the Seating and Eating Challenge!
This week a new round of designs have been submitted. By the looks of last weeks designs we’re sure this weeks will be just as good! Don’t forget to leave comments letting the designers know what you think of their progress and overall design ideas. Feedback in key in the design process!
Garrett Tershel
In this contest I will be redesigning a floor chair that is comfortable for about 5 minuets for an adult. My kids love to play with it as a slide when they turn it over. When flipped over it will provide a bench and eating table scaled to their size (ages 1 to 6). I’ve noticed when we eat out at restaurants and the places provide seating for children not a high chair but a table and chair scaled to their height, they love sitting in it. My wife and I are able to get them to focus on their food and sit at a table for an extended time (yes more than 5 minuets.).
Look for my sketches next week.
Beth Grafstein
As a mother of four college students I finally have the opportunity to complete my education and pursue my dreams. Having been a flight attendant for many years I understand the importance of function and form especially in a confined space. My goal is to create a seating and eating area for a family’s private jet that will give comfort and freedom to a teenage recreation space.
My Client is the Davis Family A young family that travels often with their pre-teen children in a private jet. They would like to keep their children comfortable in a recreation room that has a space for seating and eating. Conceptually I hope To create a sofa and table area that the Davis children can enjoy in a multifunction room on the jet.
Lauren M. Andrysiak
Inspiration: Clean lines, simple, refined, functional, communal eating Big Ideas: Communal Eating: “Family Style” plating, sharing of food, offering of food, Breaking down the barrier: taking away the table at center – making dining less formal, more personal, and away from lounge/tv Break-Out space: Physically creating and putting together a dining space for one or many All to force, foster, encourage interaction and communication
Magin Razo
Per the research data and for my own personal inquires related to eating habits – I, as well as a majority of my counterparts enjoy making dinner together as a couple and eating dinner at home in front of the television.I propose a sofa inspired by mid century frame. Trays ‘pop up’ from sofa arms and adjust vertically and to desired horizontal plane. The back of the sofa also reclines in a 36 degree angle for post dinner snuggle time.Born and raised in The City of Chicago an employee of Coraggio textiles in The Merchandise Mart, part-time student at Harrington College of Design and full time design enthusiast.
Cameron Wudtke
A senior at Harrington College of Design. I designed a eating and seating solution for college students. I was inspired by Scandinavian Modern furniture and modular furniture. By combining these two elements, I was able to provide a wood frame for the modular furniture to keep it elevated from the ground. This remedies the risk of spillage that would destroy the upholstery of modular furniture that rests on the ground. The cubes are all removable and can be configured in a number of ways. The versatility allows college students (and presumably roommates) to adjust seating heights according to the tasks they’re performing while eating- as I’ve determined a majority of college students are multi-tasking while eating.
Keep checking back here on Fridays and Saturdays to see more from the Seating and Eating Challenge! Remember to keep sending those e-mails designers, because we can’t wait to see what you’re designing!
This week in the seating and eating challenge students began to research their pieces by looking at how the average American sits and enjoys their space. Students at Harrington College of Design were asked to take the following quiz to better understand the way people live and interact with their furniture. Please take a minuet yourself to take the quiz and help us figure out the best way to attack this challenge.
As you may know the winner of our seating category will have there piece produced by a manufacturer and this week we are proud to announce that the manufacturer is ……. TLS by Design!!! TLS by Design or Total Life Style by Design is a great company who offers unique views on whats going on in the furniture world. The Company has a fun and funky asthetic that allows for great design, Since 2004 TLS by Design has been a family owned and run business delivering original fashion-forward quality solid wood casegoods and USA made upholstery. We will be hearing more from TLS by design as the weeks continue.
We here at YourFurnitureLink are looking forward to seing the students progress. so please make sure you start sending sketches and inspirational imagery to YFL.Design.Contest@gmail.com in order to show your work on the website. Good Luck to all who are involved!
Starting September 18th Your Furniture Link and Harrington College of Design are teaming up to bring you the Eating and Seating Challenge!
Students are going to be able to work one on one with furniture company’s while designing two seating options; one for Eating, a dining set, a chair with a built in tray table, a lounge chair that lets you eat sitting up then has a vacum function built in to suck up the Crumbs when finished? The Students are tested to expand their creativity and design ideas to find the piece that will winn them first place. They will also be designing a Seating option for the living space. That means a sofa, a chair, clever ottomans that double as storage or fold out to become a gueat bed? The choices are endless.
Over the next Twenty Weeks be sure to come and Check out Harrington Fridays for the Students design Process and the Winners of both challenges. First place in both categories receives a $1,000 prize and the chance to have their piece built and sold at auction. Second recieves a check for $500 and third a prize of $300. This is going to be a great competition and we at Your Furniture Link are excited to see the results of the students hard work!
Your Furniture Link and Harrington College of Design bring you The Seating and Eating Challenge
photo courtesy of ooh_food’s photostream on Flickr
A Furniture Design Competition open to all Harrington College of Design Students, who over the next 16 weeks will be given the opportunity to create new cutting edge furniture designs in Chicago. We at Your Furniture Link in association with Retailers Mig and Tig, Chicago and Mortise and Tenon of Los Angeles, are looking for new trends and ideas and asking you to take a closer look at the living/family and dining room spaces.
We will be posting competitors design progress on our Blog every Friday from now until the contest ends in January of next year. There is a required list of project components including the design images rendered in an interior view, a cataloged list of hardware, finishes, and materials used to create the piece of furniture design. We also require the detailed drawings of each piece designed including dimensions and sections. All information should be attractively compiled and sent to the competition e-mail address which is yfl.design.contest@gmail.com. This is where you will be sending your weekly progress updates. These updates should include one image reflecting the stage you are at in the process of designing the piece. This includes but not limited to, hand sketches, material selections, renderings, wire frame models, pictures of 3-D models built to scale.
This is a two part competition with the first section geared toward seating and the second toward eating. There will be a First place prize of $1,000 a second place prize of $300 and a third place prize of $200 for each section of the competition. Those who place 4th to 10th place in the competition will also be recognized on the website with honorable mention.
Take a minuet to think, what are the trends: more eating in the living room area or more lounge seating in the dining area? Are we all already eating in our sofas and watching TV? Are you eating in your bed? Is the end of the dining room near or will the dining room be upgraded with more comfortable chairs? What are the other functions we are doing while we are eating? Are we eating alone, or each one of the family different time? Re we sitting down while we are eating? Do you have communication with family members or guests? Watching TV? Reading Newspaper? Are you online while you are eating: doing emails, Face book, twitter, YouTube, news or other? What are we eating; fast food from the microwave, take away from the Restaurant, Pizza delivery or a homemade sit down dinner? How often are you using a table cloth, fabric tissue and candle lights? Incorporate the research into you final product.
Harrington College of Design Professor Peter Klick Shows students the importance of sketching by displaying his Sketches through out the school. Harrington also offers an Interior Design Elective called Conceptual Sketching which takes students through the process of starting with an idea and putting pen to paper and first designing your work by hand before bringing it into AutoCAD, SketchUp, 3D MAX or other popular interior design computer programs.
Students from the conceptual sketching class hit up Millennium Park, Chicago for a day of Sketching. Millennium Park is a great place to people watch or sketch. The park is filled with several sculptures and is home to the Frank Gehry Music Pavilion.
Here is a great example of working from a sketch and what a final project can turn out to look like. In this sketch you can see that Peter makes notes throughout his rough draft sketch that eventually become details used in the finished space seen right next to it below. This is why sketching is so important!
Think sketching with pen and paper is out of date? Well you aren’t wrong exactly. This video from MIT shows how new technology is affecting the design world!
Mary Mc Bride from Forbo Flooring Systems presented the product line to Students and Faculty this past month and served an excellent lunch menu during a meet and greet that followed. Students and faculty enjoyed the very informative event and learned about the great natural Forbo products. It worked out quite well in Harrington’s new SLIK space (Student Lounge and Information Kiosk) which features Forbo Bulletin Boards that were donated to the school last semester when they students desingers finished the creation of the lounge space.
Forbo Flooring Systems is a global player in high-quality commercial and residential floor coverings. It focuses on environmentally friendly, functional and design-oriented linoleum, project vinyls for specialized applications, entrance matting systems, carpet tiles for the object market and needle felt, as well as cushion vinyls for the home market. In addition to ultra-hard-wearing materials with excellent acoustic and non-slip properties, their collections include many specialty products for clean rooms and operating theaters.
Check out the video below to tour the concept plan for Harringtons SLIK Space
The other day we sat down with Heather Harmston and talked a bit about her experience in Interior Design. You’ll see just as we do that her work with 3D computer rendering is superb. All eyes are on Harrington for great new design and Heather delivers.
YourFurnitureLink: What design style are you in love with right now?
Heather Harmston: I feel like my personal taste and style varies from time to time. I meet new people that open my eyes to new ideas, I find hidden treasures in markets, the more I expose myself to the world of design, the faster my style changes. Currently, I love mixing and matching furniture, textures, art, accessories. I’m very graphic and I love abstract chaotic paintings. My favorite furniture style is one that puts a modern twist on a traditional design.
YFL: Where do you find the most inspiration?
HH: When starting a project I always love to find inspiration in things that are overlooked in life. I pull inspiration from the unexpected. I find that it spices up my projects and makes them unique. Texture and color have always been a huge influence on how I envision a space. In my experience people tend to look for inspiration in beautiful visually appealing things, but what’s the fun in that? I like to take a deeper look!
YFL: What will life be like after Harrington?
HH: All I can say is whatever I do, I hope I’m happy. Harrington has taught me so much about myself and about my abilities but the most important thing I have learned is that I truly am in the right field. I am always excited to work on projects and I enjoy every second of what I do. Ideally I would love to be a part of a creative team in an Event Production Company. A company that is bold and is not afraid of color or dramatic effect, one that stands out as being over the top in their designs.
YFL: Give us a Little information on the Project we see here.
HH: This project in particular was a culmination of vibrant colors and rigid textures. When designing this restaurant entitled RUST, a Moroccan Steakhouse in the heart of Chicago the goal was to create an intimate energy amongst the diners. An escape into a new culture that provokes conversation and liveliness. The concept was “finding the beauty of man in nature”. The interior space utilizes materials such as man made metals and new technology, while still incorporating a sense of earthiness by the way they were finished. The exterior or terrace of the restaurant acts as the beginning phase of “RUST”. The necessary elements of rust or oxidation are water, air and a metal. The terrace acts as a stripped down version of the interior focusing on the basic elements needed to create rust.
Great concept and Good luck Heather, we’ll be waiting to see whats next!
Find Heather on Facebook for more info on her Interior Design future.
Love Heathers restaurants look? Check out the pieces below to add some spice to your home!
Be Primitive
About 30 Students from Harrington College of Design with Frank Fontana from HGTV enjoyed the excellent guidance from Glen Joffe and Steve Quinlan through their exiting, mysterious, unique and beautiful showroom “Primitive” on 130 North Jefferson Street in Chicago. “We learned a lot about the design from diverse cultures on the 4 floors of the showroom and we enjoyed to see the restoration shop in the lower level.” said a student.
Students listen intently to the owners as they speak about what is “Primitive”
Students from Harrington Pose with Frank Fontana for a picture after the tour.
Check out the video below for a great Interior Design Thesis project from Harrington.
I don’t know what it is about New England, but their morning are just so romantic! Morning moments like these so need to be appreciated! Enjoy that java and come back in a bit for some more Furniture Ideas and tips!
Art Classics Ltd. offers fine art reproductions on premium canvas. This includes black tea stain as well as standard white canvas. Art Classics Ltd. process combines the best of old world craftsmanship with today’s technology resulting in awesome reproductions.
Many images are exclusive commissions, so you won’t find knock offs. But if you do, let them know…this is how the talent pays their electric bill. Imitation isn’t flattering…it’s annoying.
It doesn’t stop there as this proud, small business producing in the US not only provides customization on the size of their art, but has a huge array of framing options. And the final cherry on top…it is actually quite reasonably priced!
AV furniture competition honorable mention: congratulations!
Jahaila Sing: “Hi, my name is Jahaila Sing. I was raised by my single mom, grandmother and aunt. I found myself passionate about design from very young. My mother has been an office floor planer/ project manager for 20 years. From I was a kid she would bring home floor plans; lay them out on the dinning room table and tell me to pull up a chair. I would watch her in awe as she explained the symbols and reasons for why the vise president and president needed to be moved on the floor plan. She would take me to showrooms and glide her hand slowly across beautiful pieces of furniture, explaining what made them special. Spaces and furniture design is something my mother and I share in common. I design in the passion that she brought to the dining room table and I strive to create beautiful pieces.
My inspiration were pieces that looked natural and clean lined.”
Meet Peter Klick, a professor at Harrington College of Design.
Harrington College of Design is located in the heart of Chicago, Illinois. As a proud grad of Harrington, it is a school that prompts each individual to maximize their design thinking process. You become your own competitor, reaching for more innovative design and aiming to outperforming your last project. Visit interiordesign.edu for more info on this great design school and visit us weekly at YourFurnitureLink.com as we feature a different student every Thursday!
Courtesy of: PatrickSmithPhotography’s photostream at flickr.com
Good morning my early bird! Can you say, I am digging this morning view? Smell your java, close your eyes and let the sun hit your face. It is a beautiful morning. Come back in a bit to get your home decorating ideas at yourfurniturelink.com
Courtesy of: Rob Orthen’s photostream at flickr.com
Tweet, tweet and good morning my early bird! Nothing like a brisk morning view! Grab that java and return in a few hours for your daily yourfurniturelink.com furniture search and blog.
Courtesy of: Rob Orthen’s photostream at flickr.com
Good morning my early bird! Is that java smelling good? Check out this morning view at and get ready for Interior Design Ideas! Come back in a bit to get todays yourfurniturelink.com blog and furniture ideas.
If you are on a furniture search at yourfurniturelink.com for your metro space, Bolier & Co. is the winner! The elegant JimWinkels@aol.com will assist you with all the answers to your questions. The upholstered portion of this line is made in the USA with modern sensibilities and traditional elements.
Good morning my early bird! Grab that java and get ready to return in a few hours for the daily yourfurniturelink.com blog home decorating ideas. Isn’t this a beautiful morning view?
Haute House of California is introducing their 1962 Palm Springs line at the Las Vegas Furniture Market that takes place February 9th-13th, 2009 at the World Market Center. Step back into time, enjoy your martini, and visit Haute House in 1962! Yeeahhhh Baby!
If you want to experience a huge market place with one of a kind pieces, without leaving the USA, take the time to experience Arte De Mexico. This company is an established business that grew tremendously and never lost its edge for being unique. A true endless supply of custom furniture and lighting.
Whether you are a retailer, designer or consumer and have an appreciation for rustic and comfortable, don’t miss Arte De Mexico in the USA.
This is the Sin board at Harrington College of Design, Chicago. When you have no sleep and must meet project deadlines, letting your feelings out with chalk is much healthier than coffee and cigarettes. One confession reads, “I slept with my roommates fiance, 1 month before the wedding”. Yikes! You guys are bad!
As the Sin board is updated, yourfurniturelink.com will keep you in the loop for more dirt.
…and have held their value and style for centuries. For great furniture design and bedroom furniture, visit John Richards, a vendor that gives an abundance of value and style.
Courtesy of: PKlick@interiordesign.edu of www.KlickInteriors.com
…do what the French do, live well! The Atelier De La Madeleine Collection by Theodore Alexander can be enjoyed anywhere in the world! Visit Theodore Alexander for some more French Living!
Courtesy of: PKlick@interiordesign.edu of www.KlickInteriors.com
AV furniture competition honorable mention: congratulations!
