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Last Updated By Harleen Kaur on 04 Jan, 2023
If you want to design products that people use every day, you should consider being a furniture designer. Furniture designers create, draw, model, and test pieces to make sure they are comfortable, functional, and long-lasting. Knowing the steps to becoming a furniture designer can help you select the right education for your career goals, stand out from other applicants during interviews, and prepare for a successful career.
Furniture designers are skilled in designing and creating furnishings along with taking into consideration both functionality and fashion. They are expected to design both exterior and interior furnishings like couches, chairs, shelves, tables and decorative accents. On any given day, furniture designers confer with design, production and sales personnel to procure customer orders, prepare blueprints of manufacturing specifications, designing detailed drawings of fixtures, forms and tools that are to be used in production among other things.
Furniture designers create designs that are not only mass-produced by also handcrafted. Most furniture designers often prefer being self-employed or work in design factories. They may even move on to starting their own venture that sells self-designed and crafted products.
Before a piece of furniture is produced, furniture designers test it out and make adjustments using drawings, 3D models, and prototypes. Based on a specific design objective, they might evaluate models for robustness, ergonomics, usability, and beauty. For instance, a small business might work with a professional in interior design and a furniture designer to outfit a contemporary kitchen with a table and chairs that go with the appliances and cabinetry. In contrast, a large corporation might hire a furniture designer to produce a single type of furniture in numerous variations in order to achieve mass production.
Some of the roles and responsibilities of a Furniture Designer are:
You can get the education, skills, and network you require to become a successful furniture designer by following these steps:
Step 1: Complete Bachelor's Degree
Employers, particularly large corporations, prefer candidates with a bachelor's degree in furniture design, architecture, or interior design. While pursuing your degree, you may study subjects such as:
Step 2: Create a portfolio of furniture designs
Portfolios, as well as a cover letter and resume, are frequently asked by furniture design employers. To ensure you're ready to enter the industry after graduation, start creating your furniture design portfolio while still pursuing your degree and keep it up to date throughout your career. Fill your portfolio with projects that demonstrate your expertise, versatility, and proficiency with a variety of materials, such as:
It can be helpful to make a copy of your portfolio accessible on your professional website in order to reach a wider range of employers.
Step 3: Gain furniture design expertise
You can employ one of three strategies to gain experience designing furniture:
Even though the abilities you pick up can vary depending on where you receive your training, aspiring furniture designers frequently learn how to:
Step 4: Pursue Higher Education
Furniture designers frequently pursue continuing education to stay current in their fields, enhance their professional standing, and increase their job prospects. Various opportunities for professional development are provided by organisations for professionals like the International Furnishings and Design Association, such as:
Step 5: Build your Professional Network
Building a network of design industry professionals can improve your planning process, inform you about emerging trends, and give you opportunities to advance your furniture design career. To get in touch with experts in furniture design, take into account:
There are various courses that can be pursued to become a furniture designer:
Courses | Course Duration | Eligibility Criteria | Entrance Exam |
BID BDes MDes BSc MSc
| 4 years 4 years 2 years 3 years 2 years
| BDes and BSc (10+2 any specialisation)
MDes and MSc (Bachelor's degree)
| UCEED NATA SEED NID DAT CEED AIEED |
Furniture designers develop specialised skills with education and professional training to create products that are dependable, enjoyable to use, and aesthetically pleasing. These abilities typically consist of:
Structural Skills: Before starting a project, furniture designers frequently produce a 2D model or sketch. The 2D sketch is then transformed into a 3D design, which could be used as a blueprint for a physical prototype, using grids, patterns, and artistic representations of depth.
Problem-Solving Abilities: Furniture designers may virtually experiment with 3D models or beta-test prototypes to identify areas for improvement, predict customer requests, and resolve issues relating to material selection, design element, or functionality.
Computer Software Skills: Because furniture designers frequently use specialised 3D modelling software to plan, test, and edit their designs, understanding how to use the appropriate programmes is essential. Aspiring furniture designers may enrol in college-level computer courses or professional development classes to ensure they are prepared for the appropriate software.
Mathematical and Physical Aptitude: Designers frequently produce furniture that adheres to specific dimensions, force resistance, and other quantitative requirements. To guarantee that the furniture they design is the right size, strong enough for its intended function, and flexible enough to meet a client's comfort requirements, they may apply mathematical and physics concepts.
Detail-Oriented Design: Furniture designers use industry trends, customer reviews, and sales results to determine which materials to use and what design aesthetic to employ for maximum customer satisfaction. They also pay close attention to detail in order to simplify furniture for production efficiency, select materials that complement one another, and project how consumers intend to use furniture in order to ensure strength.
Communication: When designing furniture that requires a specialised skill, such as shaping metal, bending wood, or upholstering in a specific style, furniture designers frequently consult with those who are in charge of building the furniture. They might also offer cutting-edge customer support for customised designs.
Furniture designer has an interesting and very creative job. Employees are happy with their salaries, and the industry is expanding quickly every day. There are many opportunities in the designing industry, and businesses only employ qualified furniture engineers. Build a strong portfolio and earn a degree on merit. These are the job profiles that offer a good salary package and are sought after by those who want to work in furniture design.
Furniture Designers | They use CAD software to develop these models as well as prototypes and models for production. They are freelance or business designers. |
Product Researcher | A product researcher identifies the risks associated with launching a product and conducts research and studies on how the product is received in the market. |
Interior Designer and Decorator | An interior designer collaborates closely with the client and attends to their needs by adhering to their specifications. |
Furniture conservator/ reservator | Modern and vintage furniture must be repaired and preserved by a furniture conservator. They also alter various furniture styles. |
Product Innovator | Works in collaboration with executive management to comprehend an organization's goals and overarching business strategy. |
The leading companies that recruit Furniture Designers come under to the below-mentioned employment sectors or industries:
Furniture Manufacturing Companies
MNCs
Interior Design Companies
Some of the top-notch companies that hire furniture designers are given below:
Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Featherlite
IKEA
Florence
MAISON
Durian
Millennium Lifestyle
Nilkamal
Style Spa
Henredon
Restoration Hardware
Check out the pay scale/salary that a furniture design professional can expect in India. This may, however, vary from company to company and depend on various factors like location of the job, state of the Indian economy and the furniture industry, expertise, skills and so on.
Job Profile | Starting Salary per annum (in INR) | Mid Level Salary per annum (in INR) | Senior Level Salary per annum (in INR) |
Furniture and Crafts Designers | INR 3,60,000 | INR 6,00,000 | INR 8,52,000 |
Product Research and Innovator | INR 2,28,000 | INR 4,76,000 | INR 8,00,000 |
Interior Designer and Decorator | INR 2,28,000 | INR 4,76,000 | INR 8,00,000 |
Furniture Conservator/Restorer | INR 2,28,000 | INR 4,76,000 | INR 8,00,000 |
Product Designer- Furniture | INR 4,73,000 | INR 11,95,000 | INR 22,08,000 |
Some of the books or study material that one may refer to while pursuing a course in Furniture Design:
Classical Chinese Furniture by Marcus Flacks
Design After Modernism: Furniture and Interiors 1970-2010 by Judith Gura
Eero Saarinen: Furniture for Everyman by Brian Lutz
Interior Design for Beginners: A Guide to Decorating on a Budget (Interior, Interior Design, Interior Decorating, Home Decorating, Feng Shui) by Alice Cussler
Interior Design and Decoration (PB 2019) by Seetharaman
Becoming a Furniture Designer comes with great satisfaction as the job is enterprising and highly creative.
A Furniture Designer in India enjoys decent financial rewards.
There is enormous importance of furniture design in the design industry.
Revenue in the Furniture market amounts to US$205,395m in 2020 and the market is expected to grow annually by 5.1% (CAGR 2020-2023). This means that the industry is growing at an extraordinary pace and ensuring job security.
The profession does not guarantee much growth in India.
A Furniture Designer might encounter tough clients at times.
The domain requires experience and hence it often takes time for a fresher to land a good job.
Freshers might have to deal with long hours of work and stress at the workplace.
Take our test and find out if it suits your strengths.
A furniture designer visualises and creates designs for furnishings. They use computer software, sketch pads, or a combination of both to create designs.
Books that an aspiring furniture designer must refer to polish skills and knowledge are Design After Modernism: Furniture and Interiors 1970-2010 by Judith Gura, Interior Design for Beginners: A Guide to Decorating on a Budget (Interior, Interior Design, Interior Decorating, Home Decorating, Feng Shui) by Alice Cussler, Classical Chinese Furniture by Marcus Flacks, Interior Design and Decoration (PB 2019) by Seetharaman, Eero Saarinen: Furniture for Everyman by Brian Lutz etc.
If not a furniture designer, an applicant can consider being a Furniture and Crafts Designers, Interior Designer and Decorator, Product Research and Innovator, Product Designer, Furniture Conservator/Restorer etc.
At present, the designing industry is booming and plenty of ventures are opening up every day to meet the demand of the consumers. There are numerous employment opportunities for a furniture designer in India. Top companies like Featherlite, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Florence, IKEA, MAISON, Durian, Style Spa, Millennium Lifestyle, Nilkamal etc. that constantly look out for professional and skilful furniture designers.
To be a furniture designer, it is vital to qualify class 12th from a recognised board of education with a minimum aggregate of 50%. The applicant must be tech-savvy and must know how to use CAD. Also, it is important to possess either a diploma, certificate, graduate or postgraduate degree in relevant discipline. If a candidate has work experience, he/she is preferred over other aspirants.
A furniture designer extracts salary that lies anywhere between Rs. 3,60,000/- to Rs. 8,52,000/-. The salary might differ from the aforementioned bracket as it depends completely on the capability of an individual.
Some top private colleges an aspiring furniture designer can consider are National Institute of Fashion Technology (Shillong), LPU Jalandhar, Unitedworld Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Parul University, Vadodara, National Institute of Fashion Technology (New Delhi), National Institute of Fashion Technology (Srinagar), Pearl Academy (Delhi). To take admission in any of these colleges, dial the toll-free number 1800-572-9877 and talk to our admission expert at CollegeDekho.
Some popular courses that can be pursued to be a furniture designer are B.Des. in Furniture and Interior Design, B.Des. in Interior Space and Furniture Design, M.Des. in Interior Space and Furniture Design, Advanced Diploma in Furniture Design (ADFD), Certificate Course in Furniture Design etc.
The main disadvantage of being a furniture designer is that not every individual experiences quick growth. At times, the furniture designer also encounters tough clients that present tight deadlines or impossible visions. Becoming successful in the domain of furniture designing requires work experience and freshers might have to work for long hours initially to make their mark.
The job of a furniture designer is enterprising and highly creative which provides immense satisfaction to an individual. The furniture design industry is growing rapidly every day and employees are provided with regular rewards for every successful project. An has plenty of opportunities in the designing market and top companies are always ready to hire a skilful furniture designer.
