Pros & Cons of Plastic Furniture

This time, I’ll blog about the furniture that is made of plastic. Why do I chose to blog about plastic furniture? Because nowadays plastic furniture is quite popular among consumer. Why is it popular? It’s because of it’s well known of its versatile qualities and advantages. (FYI, plastic furniture was first designed by Douglas Simpson and James Donahue in the year 1946). Let’s see the advantages and disadvantages of this type of furniture below.

Advantages of Plastic Furniture

People all over the world use plastic furniture in one form or the other. Chairs, tables, TV stands, dining tables, cupboards and so forth are widely used in most of the homes today. Some of the most important advantages of this furniture include the following.

Economical: Compared to other types of furniture such as wood, glass and metals, this furniture is quite economical. Comfortable and lovely furniture can be bought at half the cost of purchasing wooden and metallic furniture. Today it is easy and affordable to buy good quality furniture from online stores listed in the business portals. Some of the most leading furniture brands are listed online in the business portals.

Unbreakable: Furniture made from good grade plastic seldom breaks or cracks due to weight or excessive usage. It seldom reacts to the changes in the environment and so it can be used as patio furniture. Its immense ability to withstand varying climatic conditions is one of the main advantages of this type of furniture. It seldom breaks or cracks when dropped from great heights. The furniture is safe from rust and termites. Therefore it requires less maintenance compared to the other types of furniture.

Light weight: Another attractive feature of plastic furnit

ure is its light weight. It can be carried around easily without much effort. It can also be moved around from one place to another easily.

Environment friendly: Unlike wooden furniture which involves cutting down of trees, plastic furniture seldom requires raw materials from the nature.

Recyclable: It can also be recycled easily without polluting the environment. Recycled furniture is also available in many of the stores at attractive prices.

Versatile: It is also known to be quite versatile. As it is available in various attractive colors and shapes, it can be used for both indoor and outdoor furniture. It can be molded into any desired shape quite easily as it seldom requires carving and chiseling which is done on wood furniture.

Disadvantages

Although plastic furniture is embedded with a number of beneficial qualities, it is still known to include certain disadvantages. This furniture lacks the elegance and the opulence exuded by wooden and metallic furniture. Compared to the wooden furniture, it tends to last for a shorter period of time. This is often considered to be one of the main disadvantages of this type of furniture.

Though the manufacture of this furniture seldom includes deforestation, it is equally harmful to the environment as plastic is a non-biodegradable material which remains on the earth forever. It could impose harmful effects on the environment for many years.

So as you can see from the points above, it can be conclude that plastic furniture got many advantages than disadvantages so that's why many people demand it.

Multifunctional Furniture (Part 2)

The ultimate objective of multipurpose furniture is to enhance efficiency in utilization of space. The increasing emphasis on a minimalist design for a house is attributed to several factors, such as limited land, financial restraint and practicality in housing design. Multifunctional furniture enhances efficient utilization of space, while minimizing the cost of furnishing a house. Such furniture is generally lightweight and smaller.

With the prevailing fast paced lifestyle that is overwhelmed with busyness and activity, it is more preferable to live in a smaller house or apartment, than a huge one. This reduces the burden of cleaning and managing space, but triggers concerns and consideration for a more modern and multifunctional design in home furniture. An example of such furniture is a sofa that is easy to convert back to a bed, commonly referred to as sofa bed furniture. Sofa beds conveniently serve as places to receive visitors, and if they are going to stay, the sofas are easily converted back into comfortable beds. Essentially it is a lot easier to move such furniture to different locations of the house.

Beds can also be modified to serve other functions, such as shoe racks and cabinets. It is also possible to hang a separation wall that separates different rooms, but can be turned into a dining table when need arises. The modern vintage chair has also been improved, and can be used in both the working space, and for dining purposes. Furniture that does not cause obstruction in view can be used to present a larger and more spacious impression of a room. This requires a choice in furniture that is sleek and low.

Customized multipurpose furnishings certainly have the benefit of economy of space. Furniture for children should be designed to grow with the child. Children’s beds should be multipurpose, fancy, and designed in consideration of the needs of a growing child. A multipurpose unit for children drastically reduces the cost of having to purchase a separate piece for every functional need of a growing child, such as sleep, storage, or play. For children, designing separate places for sleeping, playing or storage certainly requires a largerroom, or better still, more customized multipurpose furnishings.

Modern children’s furniture is designed to feel a variety of purposes within a single unit, making it possible for parents to turn limited space into a bedroom, playroom, storage room, or a study room. Customized beds for children have the added advantage of improved lighting in the bedroom. Instead of having to install costly ceiling fixtures or fitting bulky lamps, children’s beds can be customized to provide sufficient lighting. Modern children’s furniture is customized with enough portholes and windows that provide sufficient lighting and enhanced air circulation.

Furniture that is light colored, such as in light green and brown, also significantly enhance the impression of a larger space. Brighter colors make smaller shelters appear spacious. Dark colors present an impression that is tired and heavy. In changing or moving multifunctional furniture, it is better to have furniture that can be transformed into other purposes, as this provides the guarantee that you will want to keep it for longer

(Source: www.modernsensibility6.tumblr.com)

Interview

Our group conduct an individual interview. So, this is the on I did when I went back to Indonesia on the tutorial week. (all is in Bahasa Indonesia so I translated them to English)

Mrs. K (55 years old, Indonesian) works as a cleaning service and live with a retiree mother

Q : Hi, Mrs.K. Nice to meet you. Thank you for let us do the interview with you. The purpose for this interview is to know more about our research topic regarding the short lifespan of the furniture. Firstly, may I know how old are you?

A : I am 55 years old

Q : Are you working now?

A : Yes

Q : May we know what kind of job?

A : I work as a cleaning service

Q : May we know what is the type of your house?

A : It is just a small house

Q : May we know the size of your house?

A : The size is around 6m x 7m

Q : How many people are there including you who live in the house?

A : Just 2 people, me and my mother. She is a retiree

Q : May we know what types of furniture are there in your house?

A : There is just bed, worktable, and a wardrobe

Q : How about the sofa or dining table like that?

A : We just sit on a mat that we lay on the cement floor when we have guest or when we eat because almost all our neighbors’ houses are also like that but the main reason is because sitting on the cement floor gives a cooling effect

Q : May we know the material for your furniture?

A : Wood and bamboo

Q : How long do you change your furniture?

A : I just use them until they broken down. So, maybe around 5 to 7 years

Q : Seems like you didn’t frequently change your furniture, may we know the reason?

A : It is because of the funds. My salary as a cleaning service is not much and I need the money as a living cost for me and my mother

Q : I see. Then for the last question, what type of furniture do you usually buy? The one that is more up-to-date or more efficient?

A : Of course the one that is more efficient

Q : Ok that’s all. Thank you for your time

A : No problem

So from the interview above it can be concluded that not all consumer demanded the up-to-date furniture but some of them prefer more durable and also efficient furniture.

Multifunction Furniture (Part 1)

Nowadays, multifuctional furniture has been enjoying a greater profile.

But double-duty designs have long been dogged by one problem: To put it diplomatically, designers have placed more emphasis on utility than aesthetics.

Now, however, style is right at the forefront. “The pieces are less utilitarian and more design-oriented,” says Alykhan Velji, a Calgary-base interior designer. “A lot of people are buying condos or going into smaller spaces, and they don’t necessarily want to sacrifice style for function.” More people opting for smaller spaces has meant greater competition among furniture-makers to cater to this growing market, meaning you can no longer get away with ignoring style.

Top-name designers are being hired to create multifunctional systems for the luxury market. Take, for example, Dror Benshetrit’s Avani kitchen, designed for AyA, a kitchen company, and unveiled at the Interior Design Show in Toronto last week. The kitchen’s signature system is called the Arc, a moveable island that slides in and out of wall cabinetry.

“We expect from that environment to behave in so many different ways at different times,” Benshetrit says. “Sometimes it needs to be this great tool to prepare a wonderful meal. Sometimes it needs to be this super- comfortable and adaptable to us two, us four, us 20.”

Benshetrit is interested in creating pieces that can undergo what he calls “transformation,” and those that do it well are defined by simplicity, he says. “It has to be one gesture,” he says. “If you need to lift and turn and twist, you’ve lost me.” As well, the best multifunctional furniture often conceals its other side, whether it’s a simple storage bed, a bookshelf that separates to become two chairs, a table or end table that when flipped over works as a serving tray, or a chair that transforms into a step ladder. These pieces have to stand alone because they are prized now just as much for looks as for use. “People are looking for quality of materials,” says Velji.

Only a few years ago, multifunctional furniture was consigned to multifunctional rooms such as spare bedrooms that also served as home offices. We may still have to hide futons in shame, but new multifunctional pieces can be proudly displayed throughout the home – and they are. “Now people have them everywhere,” says Lucie Pitt, an interior designer based in Montreal.

(Source: www.theglobeandmail.com)

Pros' Point of View

Furniture trends from Kathy Basil and Nancy.

Kathy Basil said that lilac colour is the present trends. For furniture, she said that the colour will go well with rich dark wood finishes, clear acrylic and white. But, it wouldn’t look good in a medium-toned wood.

 Bellarine Peninsula. Photo: Armelle Habib

In agreement with Kathy, Nancy also said that lilac colours are popular. But, lilac is not the only colours that are popular right now. She said bright red, deep blue, gray and chrome yellow are also popular right now.

Furniture styles now are influenced by the ‘60s style. The furniture, especially chairs are covered with big and bold prints. The materials that were use back then such as Lucite, are also being use now. The Lucite will go well with traditional elements such as Lucite coffee table combined with classic wing chairs. This style creates a retro looks furniture.

(Source: http://www.smh.com.au/)

Furniture Trends

Nowadays, the consumers’ demand of the furniture are differs. The causes are because of the trends that occur in different places and times. Age is also cause the difference in the consumer demand because of  the old and the young people live in different era and trends so their taste in the furniture will be different also. So in this chapter, the furniture design and trends will be explained briefly.

There are many different trends of furniture. One of them is the mixer between the regal glam with modern sleekness together like the picture shown above. The picture shown dramatic glamorous crystal chandeliers that put contrasted together with Swedish sleek style. This both style  really complimented each other.

The other furniture trend is the wood cabinet. Even though wood is a classic material for furniture, but if the wood furniture were to be combined together with other materials and right lighting, it can make a stunning interior look.

For this 2014, instead of a luxurious look that stands out from the stainless steel kitchen appliances and cabinets, Jenn-Air designed a white kitchen that combines all the white kitchen appliances and cabinets that come in white colour. This style creates a sleek look and went well with wooden flooring also.

(Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/)

How do the factory control the mass production of furniture in Indonesia

Nowadays, there're many factories compete to dominate the market, that's what makes the factories try to maintain or even increase the quality of their furniture. PT.Herdex Sejahtera as one of the factory that produ ce furnitures, also try to do so. They do the quality control from the material (input), the process of furnitures making until the output/outcome of the furnitures.

The aims of PT.Herdex Sejahtera are:

- to produce furnitures that are standardize towards the factory's aims

- to produce furnitures that can fulfill consumer's need

- to produce furnitures that can compete with other furnitures

- to minimalize the production cost but to maintain the furnitures quality

There're 2 types of main materials that are used for producing. The first one that they use is wood that is called German Particle Board and the other one is Melamine Face Chipboard for laminating.

  

The steps that are used to maintain the furnitures quality:

1. Quality control of raw material

    This is the process of what they did to maintain the quality of raw material:

                i.            Supplier

             ii.            Quality Check

           iii.            Stored

            iv.            Produce

    If the materials are found to be bad when they do quality check then they'll return them to the supplier

2. Quality control in producing

    This is the process of what they did when producing:

                    i.            Raw Material

                  ii.            Robotic Machine

               iii.            Measurement Control

                iv.            Cutting

                   v.            Cutting Outcome Check

                vi.            Machine Edging ( Laminated)

              vii.            Laminating Quality Check

           viii.            Finish

     If the cutting outcome or laminating outcome are found bad then they'll reprocess them.

That's the result of my case study in Indonesia. I think the way they do for quality control are quite good and appropriate already because they control the quality from the raw material till the outcome.