Design Creates Value, Not Price

Designers are sprouting up in Taiwan's furniture industry as both government and industrial sectors are pushing for the production of sophisticated and refined products with unique designs. In this information-intensive era, consumers are demanding innovative furniture items that can meet specific needs in the widely divergent array of living spaces that exist.

In this interview with CENS staff reporter Ben Shen, Lu Yuan-hua, chairman of the Chinese Institute of Interior and Architecture Design, talks about the nature of furniture design, how well-designed furniture is created, and Taiwan's advantages in developing high-end furniture. He believes that design, not price, is what creates value.

Lu says a furniture designer is a creator who relies on extensive experience and knowledge to make his creations. "Creation is a decision-making process, " Lu explains. "A good creation can come from persons of talent and those who have access to the right home and school education. The learning process is vital to mastering creative ability and design principles. A successful designer should cultivate his awareness of aesthetics in the design processes."

Lu is also an assistant professor in the Department of Interior Design at Shu-Te University in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan. He advocates that furniture production relies on knowledge of economic effectiveness, the nature of materials, and processing possibilities.

"Furniture is like building construction in miniature, " says Lu. "Construction focuses on spatial structure, and environmental control; furniture and interior design on integrated space planning. Furniture is a medium between humans and their living space."

Lu believes that in the information era, the development and production of furniture will evolve to meet the needs of consumers for innovative furniture with unique designs.

For instance, 3-2-1 sofa sets are very popular in Taiwan living rooms but not in Shanghai, mainland China because people living in Shanghai spend more time in the bedroom than in the living room.

Lu says furniture development has not kept pace with the quickly changing needs being seen in the information era. "For instance, press-conference facilities should be equipped with desks with higher tops because press conferences focus on short conversation, " explains Lu. "But I found many such facilities are equipped with conventional furniture which are not suitable for short conversations. Accordingly, furniture should be shaped by living styles. Designers have to pay more attention to this."

In talking about the role of designers in selling furniture, Lu says a good designer should think of the response of consumers in the design process. "Designers have to reflect contemporary aesthetics in their designs, " Lu explains. "More importantly, a designer has to know how the consumer will use the furniture. So designers should think both about the production process and household use."

Putting his ideas to work, Lu has helped Tainan-based Yung Shing Furniture Co., a veteran manufacturer of solid-wood furniture, win many awards over the past several years, including the 2002 G-mark good design award offered by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

Lu says a good furniture designer should also understand the nature of the materials he uses. "A good designer should know what possibilities exist for mixing different kinds of materials to create something unique and lasting, " he says.