Design

Designers all work differently. No single way is necessarily better than another. People in our industry who know what I do say my way is a bit unusual.

The difference is that I draw by hand… loose and freeform for concept, then quarter scale for general proportion and ergonomics and finally full sized in order be able to actually make my own prototypes. Virtually all pieces of Giati furniture have been made at least once by my own hand.

Next, detailed technical drawings reflecting changes made during prototyping are drawn, again full size, by hand. These drawings are sent to our Indonesian factory.

Then, I travel to the factory, resolve interpretive differences and see their samples into production. Factory production of a design requires many decisions based upon, technology, material usage and practicality. Making one piece of furniture by hand does not assure that it can be successfully reproduced in quantity by a factory.

The benefit of making your own prototypes is that it gives one the opportunity to make changes as the piece is being crafted. Issues associated with aesthetics, proportion, structure, ergonomics, and production are better understood. You become closer to your design. And, there is a lot of satisfaction spending time in ones workshop making things.

Taking part in the whole process is different and a different process yields different results.