Have a furniture idea that is out of the ordinary? At Evolve Design Studio we can take your idea and make it reality. With a team of more than 50 years combined experience, and a team of craftsmen woodworkers, we can create any size shape or style of furniture for you from concept to materialization.
If you can’t find that perfect furnishing to complete a room’s design, commissioning an upholstered piece is an optimal way to solve size, comfort and aesthetic issues. But before you rush out to purchase that fabric you’ve been eyeing, you need to understand the technicalities involved in the creation of a custom piece, from frame to final trims. This knowledge will be the key to getting exactly what you want.
Where to start. Interior designers are a great starting point, but because they can act as a liaison between the client and the furniture maker, it will usually make the cost of your custom piece double. Nevertheless, turning pretty photos and general ideas into actual measurements and concepts of your furniture design to match the design of your home’s interior could be a challenging process. There are also many more factors that Evolve Design Studio team of craftsmen and woodworkers combine their capabilities with our designers take into consideration all those factors to creating the perfect piece for you; as Jennifer from Niche interiors in an article published on www.houzz.com; “there are also the technical details such as welting, tufting, the way the fabric is applied, foam content and the appropriate dimensions that will fit your space and be comfortable.”
Interior designers consider measurements along with scale and proportion to help guide you in designing a piece of furniture that will function well and look good in direct relation to your home environment and design. Think of an interior designer as an interpreter who can translate your dream into the technical language spoken by a furniture maker to make that piece a reality.
However, “if you’re good at doing your research and feel comfortable explaining yourself,” says Los Angeles designer Lori Dennis, also an excerpt from an article published in www.houzz.com; “you can go directly to a furniture maker.”
If you bypass an interior designer, use a furniture-making company that works frequently with the public and has a streamlined ordering process.
FROM CONCEPT
TO MATERIALIZATION
Your ideas are the world to us. Whatever it may be, we have a process to make sure that what you are visualizing is the finished product. From sketch to 3D model to rendering to fabrication, we will accompany you to make sure that what you see is what you get.
Also, “be sure the manufacturer provides a CAD drawing of the piece to scale before you sign off on the order,” advises designer Jennifer Jones in an article from www.houzz.com; “You can catch a lot of mistakes before a piece is made. Do your research and find a reputable manufacturer that has a good track record.” At Evolve Design Studio we provide not only CAD Drawings but also 3D models, Photorealistic renderings, and ergonomics charts to understand the piece of furniture relationship to the user.
Once you find a good manufacturer to work with, Jones says, “ask a lot of questions and do your homework before ordering.” Three questions to ask:
1. What will the frame be made of? “Kiln-dried solid wood is best,” says Jones.
2. What type of foam will be used in the cushions? “Poly foam wrapped in Dacron is standard, but this contains flame retardants, which are harmful to your health. For a greener alternative, ask for natural latex wrapped in organic wool,” she says.
3. Welt detailing or tufting? “Having welt detailing is more traditional, whereas no welt is more contemporary. If you prefer welt detailing, be sure to specify how thick you want it,” Jones says.
The welt detail on this sofa was done cleverly in a darker color to boldly outline the rest of the yellow upholstery.
To tuft or to not tuft; that is the question. Tufting changes the entire look of a sofa.
The more design details you can determine before talking to an interior designer or furniture maker, the easier the customization of your dream piece will be.
Consider support. There are different firmness levels for upholstered furnishings, and not one level works for all pieces. Coils and springs, the methods typically used in the bases of sofas and chairs, come in different sizes and gauges. A furniture maker will have you test samples.
Don’t go into a meeting without a good understanding of these different levels of firmness. Take a day to visit a furniture store and sit or lie on everything to figure out what’s most comfortable for your body.
HARMONY & ELEGANCE
Every piece produced by Evolve Design Studio incorporates the essence of elegance as a fundamental design principle through the process of design. Our products are always exhibited as works of art, simple or complex, each piece is unique and made once in a lifetime for the owner and his guest to enjoy.
Next, you have to decide the firmness of cushions that lie on top of the base. If you’re on a budget, “save your splurge for the back cushions,” designer Lori Dennis suggests. “Down, for instance, is going to offer you the most value for comfort here.”
Choosing fabric. This is usually the part we can’t wait to get to. No matter the furniture, Dennis is a big proponent of using indoor-outdoor fabrics. “They’ve come a long way in recent years and can look and feel every bit the richness of silk, velvet, and mohair. These are great for furniture in high-traffic areas, because of how durable they are,” she says.
Choosing fabric. This is usually the part we can’t wait to get to. No matter the furniture, Dennis is a big proponent of using indoor-outdoor fabrics. “They’ve come a long way in recent years and can look and feel every bit the richness of silk, velvet, and mohair. These are great for furniture in high-traffic areas, because of how durable they are,” she says.
The best and worst fabric choices. Jones says, “Avoid 100 percent linen if you have an active family and don’t like wrinkles. Beyond that, whatever fabric you are interested in, check its details; all fabrics should list their content and durability ratings. Then check to make sure the fabric you select is recommended for use as upholstery.”
If you want to incorporate rich, expensive fabrics, like real silk, “Never put it on the area that guests actually sit upon, because that’s the direction spills fall,” Dennis advises. “Save the expense for the back cushions or luxurious drapes that people are less inclined to touch and get dirty.”
Patterned fabric. If the fabric you’re choosing is patterned, you’re going to need to take extra precautions, as this it’s easy to mess up.
You need to specify if you want the pattern in a railroad or straight application. “What this means,” says Dennis, “is if you’re using a stripe, railroading the pattern positions the stripes to run perpendicular to your legs when seated. Straight means those stripes will be parallel to your legs. Railroading will give you no seams, while straight may show a seam if the furniture is larger than the width of the fabric.”
These chairs are upholstered in a straight style.
If you don’t specify which direction you wish your pattern to go in, the upholsterer will put it in the way he or she thinks it looks best. “That,” says Dennis, “can make a big difference in how a pattern will read to the eye.”
It can also make a difference in whether you love your new piece or are frustrated by the experience.
Article Credits:
Tiffany Carboni November 28, 2013
Houzz Contributor. I am a home design writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
TEXTURE FORM AND COLOR
Innovating the furniture industry by implementing CAD (Computer Assisted Design), CAM (Computer Assisted manufacturing), and 5 axis CNC machining technologies, we can create complex and irregular shapes, forms, and curvatures that will add a powerful yet subtle dimension to any piece. We combine these bold parametric design principles and trendy colors, to create one of a kind works for use in both architectural and interior design markets.
From simple cabinets and consoles, to complex parametric millwork, we can make it real. Utilizing new technologies in CAD and CAM we can manufacture intricate forms and curves with precise accuracy to create the most breathtaking works for furniture or many other applications. The opportunities of design are limitless.
5-axis cnc fabrication provides infinite possibilities as to the part, sizes and shapes you can effectively produce. In other words, you can process five sides of a part in a single setup. On a 5-axis machining center, the cutting tool moves across the X, Y and Z linear axes as well as rotates on the A and B axes to approach the work piece from any direction.
A photo is worth a thousand words. By using 3D modeling we finally start translating your idea into a realistic visualization of how the finished product is going to look like and how it will harmonize the space you’ve decided to place it in.
4440 PGA Blvd. Suite 600 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 | +1 (561) 623 5303
4440 PGA Blvd. Suite 600 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 | +1 (561) 623 5303
