It's all in the details: 5 inspirational furniture design features

The beauty is in the details - whether you’re talking about how to create the perfectly constructed house, the masterfully designed space, the personally inspired bespoke piece of furniture or even that palette-inspiring delectable meal - DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS. You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again because guess what? It’s FACT! Details drive greatness. Putting thought into ALL the steps and ALL the pieces - every aspect of that thing that you’re trying to create - putting conscious thought into the who, what, why, when & most certainly the HOW will create a result that is better than the rest.

Let’s give some examples about how this can translate into furniture, shall we? Here are FIVE examples of furniture where it is clear that details were both thoughtfully considered and beautifully executed.

1. Hardwood Drawer Boxes w/ Dovetail Construction

Always a nice surprise when you go to open a drawer and instead of finding the default maple plywood drawer box, you instead find a wood rich in color with a durability to match. Add dovetail construction (i.e. an interlocking joint visible on the side of the drawer box) to that equation as well and you have a drawer that can’t be beat.

2. Table w/ Beveled Edge

The perfect way to add dimension to a square or rectangular wood top while still maintaining a look that is clean and simple. Enough visual interest to make you look twice while still allowing the wood to be the show piece and really shine.

3. Well Balanced Mix/Intersection of Materials

This daybed by Patryk Koca is such a prime example of what I mean here. When I first saw this design, I seriously couldn’t keep my eyes off of it - so simple yet so perfect in every way - each and every detail clearly thought through. My favorite part - his use of upholstery, wood, metal & leather is so perfectly proportioned - each medium with its perfect dose and serving its well articulated function. There is more art than science to getting that balance right - more of a you know it when you see it type of vibe - but this piece checks all the boxes IMHO. And has me seriously considering whether I should give some serious thought to designing with fabric! Kidding not kidding :) Ha!

4. Touch of Metal

There is something about that touch of metal glitz that brings a piece to the next level. Inlaid into the body of the piece so that it transitions seamlessly from one medium to the next. Like with these two examples, the brass isn’t the bulk of the piece but arguably IS the piece. With a close second to those drool worthy credenza doors of course. It is the subtle feature that sets them apart from the rest and keeps the eyes coming back for more.

5. Vertical texture, texture, texture!

I think the headline + photos of these detail speak for themselves. Hands down, texture brings everything to life in the way that is almost hypnotic. Is that piece really 3D or are your eyes playing tricks on you? While the construction of creating texture can be challenging, the end result is most certainly worth it and is a direct line to showstopper-villa. MAIN TAKEAWAY: When in doubt, add texture :)

That’s it for today! Hope you enjoyed these handful of design details and maybe, JUST MAYBE, you’ll zoom in and take a closer look next time you walk by that sideboard or pretty coffee table - take a peek and see what you see. Happy furniture hunting, friends!