Interior design: form follows function
Aug 2023Key aspects when designing furniture
Impairments that can arise with age
How our perceptions of colours and materials change
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Furniture designed with people in mind
Jürgen Krämer runs a company which offers both interior design solutions for holistic living concepts as well as handcrafted pieces of furniture. He and his team have been planning and creating high-end living spaces, offices and shop fittings for almost twenty years. The company makes most of its furniture in its own factory.
Jürgen attaches great importance to these aspects in all his projects:
Design
Quality
Functional aesthetics
There's no question that aesthetics are what we notice immediately and what many designers tend to focus on. But when it comes to designing furniture that also offers practical value, the proven approach is "form follows function". Designing furniture is different to creating art in this sense, because the design should centre on people, engage with and serve their interests.
This is what prompted Jürgen to carry out the experiment with the AgeExplorer® age simulator suit: "Our customers' requirements are always our top priority," he says. "I'm curious to find out what the age simulator suit is all about." During the experiment, Jürgen will experience what living to an old age might feel like, and which functions furniture should provide for this phase of life.
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The transformation takes just minutes
The AgeExplorer®, which is normally used in Blum requirements research, consists of various individual components. Each simulates a physical limitation typically arising in old age. Furniture making is an area where these physical changes are particularly likely to impact the way a piece of furniture is used.
Vision impairments
A reduced field of vision can mean that open wall cabinet doors, for example, pose a greater risk of injury. You might not see the door out of the corner of your eye when standing in front of the open cabinet, so you could bump your head on it if you turn around quickly.
Stiff joints
Using base cabinets with doors and fixed shelves behind them becomes increasingly difficult. Before taking something out, you first need to open a door and then bend or even kneel down to look into the back of the cabinet.
Reduced muscle strength
Every home has large, bulky or heavy objects, and it becomes more difficult to use them when they are stored in drawers that don't slide smoothly, or in high wall units.
Impaired hearing
Closing doors or furniture fronts without soft-close mechanisms can lead to awkward situations, as people with impaired hearing often experience noise very differently from neighbours or other people in the household.
Putting on the AgeExplorer® suit transforms Jürgen's appearance in the space of a few minutes, and he now looks like an orange astronaut with reduced physical abilities. Now the creative businessman is ready to explore his work space and showroom.
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More about senior living:
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Not at all what he expected
Suddenly the clothes rails in the walk-in wardrobe that graces the showroom seem incredibly high. The top stitches on the sleeves of the suit make stretching noticeably difficultfor Jürgen. As he sits down on his favourite sofa, he immediately realises that getting back up from the soft cushions takes a great deal of effort. "How soft something should be, how deep a sofa should be – this is very enlightening," says Jürgen.
Colours and materialsare particularly important for the design expert. The AgeExplorer® visor imitates the yellowness that can arise after many years of exposure to sunlight. "You almost can't differentiate between the colours on the colour palette," says a shocked Jürgen.
Touching various surfaces with the gloves which simulate arthritis anddiminished sensitivityis also fascinating for Jürgen. "We spend a lot of time choosing materials," explains the experienced interior designer. "It's a real eye-opener, discovering how that might feel for our customers," he says pensively.
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The whole team ought to try out the suit
Two hours later, Jürgen takes the AgeExplorer® off and is visibly impressed. "I thought, I'd pull on this suit and that would be it," he explained to our colleagues in requirements research. "But it's actually completely different! Once you've had this experience, it gives you a completely new perspective on how furniture is used," says the Managing Director of the 19-person team. "All my employees ought to experience this for themselves," he says. What has this experience taught Jürgen Krämer personally? "I'm going to try and be a fit 70-year-old," he laughs.
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All the details on the experiment at a glance:
Interior designer Jürgen focuses on design, quality and functional aesthetics when drafting his designs
The AgeExplorer® simulates typical visual, mobility and hearing impairments as well as the loss in strength that we experience with age
Accessing items up high becomes more difficult
Deeper furniture makes it more difficult to stand up again
Our perceptions of materials and colours are different in older age