Thread: American woodworkers

Originally Posted by Corunetes

Oh lord, if there one word that causes a gnashing of teeth with me it is "Contemporary" ............. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!:mad:

To a point Lord Copper, to a point.

I don't know if it's the red wine or 40 something years of trying BUT....
I kinda like some Contemporary Jazz.

Originally Posted by Shedhand

I don't want to asault anyone's sensibilities but can anyone shed some light on why americans are so fixated on heavy ornate "cottage/heritage" furniture. It seems every woodworking site I visit is full of the stuff.

Are there any Australian sites which have contempary plans available for people like me who live in the 21st century?

The larger type is the crux of this reply.

This was the original question / statement. What ensued has got to be one of the livliest debates I have seen on a woodys forum in quite some time.

Frankly I think the reply to the question was overlooked somewhat by responses from ardent woodworkers who clearly have some very different ( pardon the pun ) and divergent views on what is or is not good design, form and function. This debate is in all likelihood better servered as a continuation of the topic in the seperate design forum posting.

All that aside, to answer the original question as best as I can, given that I am not residing in the big red land to the east, heres what I found doing a very quick search using Google.

Search string topic: contemporary australian furniture design style

Heres what I got.

Hit one.
Not a great start. Search string topic:contemporary australian furniture design

Hit Two. Nope not what we are looking for.

Ok lets Try
Search string topic:contemporary australian furniture

Nope nothing here either. Couple of websites that both timed out.

Ok lets Try
Search string topic:australian furniture design

Hit one Ah this is better...not a particulary good website tho.

Hit Two. Much better, lots of places to look at including dare I say it a Kiwi designer or two.

This page from the previous links sums up what I think as far as design and woodworkers are concerned. Craftsmanship and design are two sides of the same coin. One without the other just doesnt fully work.

So Shedhand to answer your question. It would seem the contemporary furniture plans & design are very difficult things to quantify.

However it would appear that good design and crafstmanship combined = an excellent end product no matter what the design label may be.

Perhaps we should use the definition of contemporary as the Websters online dictionary does. Contemporary meaning "of the present time / era. Of the now". Using that as a guide we could say that there are some very good designers producing good designs in furniture. The question becomes, do you like it :confused:

Alas I was unable to locate any website of worth regarding australian design plans.

Originally Posted by Dust Mite

Craftsmanship and design are two sides of the same coin. One without the other just doesnt fully work.

History shows us that the two fields are quite separate.
Sheridan & Chippendale were mere designers not craftsmen.

I know a few tradesmen who are better craftsmen than I am
but they don't have a clue about style.
I have seen some of my styles blatantly knocked off by other manufacturers and commercially produced, so its obvious they can recognise style but just cannot develop on their own merits.

So Shedhand to answer your question. It would seem the contemporary furniture plans & design are very difficult things to quantify.

True

However it would appear that good design and crafstmanship combined = an excellent end product no matter what the design label may be.

Sometimes

Perhaps we should use the definition of contemporary as the Websters online dictionary does. Contemporary meaning "of the present time / era. Of the now". Using that as a guide we could say that there are some very good designers producing good designs in furniture. The question becomes, do you like it :confused:

Contemporary as per dictionary just don't work,
but the dictionary probably wasn't written by a woodie or a designer.

Krenov's work and even some Art Deco could be can easily be regarded as contemporary. Whereas Frid's work was generally classic despite both Krenov and Frid being of the same era, and both fine craftsmen.

Contemporary to me just means post classic/antique in style.

Alas I was unable to locate any website of worth regarding australian design plans.

Maybe theres no money in it and too much risk for the designers.
Too many people will knock off their styles from the pics rather than spend money on plans.

Uwant oz styles, browse harvey noodles shops etc.
or become a designer and do your own original work.

Have fun

I can't believe how you blokes have TROLLED so thoroughly by this piece of dried dog #### who calls itself Shedhand......

Originally Posted by Christopha

I can't believe how you blokes have TROLLED so thoroughly by this piece of dried dog #### who calls itself Shedhand......

Christopha, i think youl find some are as passionate about design as you are with your terrific jokes

Ye Gods!!!:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

A dictionary written by a designer...now theres a terrifying thought

Originally Posted by Dust Mite

Ye Gods!!!:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

A dictionary written by a designer...now theres a terrifying thought

There's a dictionary being written by a team of designers, been in the pipeline for a few years now. Infortunately progress has been slow, they're still arguing about the colour of the cover and choosing the typeface.

Mick