My Product Statement

China’s middle class has a major issue with space and storage in their homes, their homes are generally cluttered and items are stacked upon each other. There homes contain a large variety of items that need to be stored and or displayed, these items vary in size from books to small trinkets, for this reason I will be designing a customizable shelving unit intended for the Chinese middle class which has an average annual income of 100,000 Yuan (20,000 NZ) increasing to approximately 150,000 (30,000NZ) Yuan by 2010. My Shelving will be aimed to retail for around 1,500 Yuan

Current modular shelving can involve placing a numerous amount screws into the wall, instillation must be perfect or the owner will be left with holes in the wall or crocked shelves and also the modular shelving tends to become permanent which dulls the chance of it being changed or removed when the owner leaves.
The finished product will be flat packed to make it easier to install in small apartment complexes and will also reduce manufacture costs. The shelving must be totally customizable to each individual consumer and will be design for is designed to be situated in the living room, I will be incorperating traditional chinese furniture styles into my design through either color,materials or shapes into a contempory piece of furniture.
there is to be little to no permanent fixings including wall screws allowing the user to re arrange there shelve and add or remove segments and also be able to be totally dismantled.
The intended size is to be approx 2m x 1.5m wide
The depth and length of each of the shelves will vary as each piece is differs as the user only selects the right sized shelf for each item/s.

Colour

As part of my research i wanted to look into chinese traditions and as a part of this i have been looking into the Chinese meanings behind colour. there are five key elements, each element is represented by a colour and each one of the five elements is part of a circle which represents life.

The question is, do todays chinese consumers consider the meaning behind the colours of the products/furnishings before purchasing or do they simply buy the one they think would look the nicest in there home?

Brief History of Chinese Furniture

As in most other Asian cultures, the custom in ancient Chinese homes was to kneel or sit cross-legged on floor level mats. Furnishings were restricted to low level tables, armrests and decorative screens, with simplicity and minimalism the overriding themes.
Tang dynasty (618 - 907 AD) higher seats first started to appear amongst the Chinese elite and their usage soon spread to all levels of society. Evidence as to why this move to higher seating took place is scarce, although the elevated status associated with being raised off the floor is likely to have been a major factor. By the 12th century seating on the floor was rare in China, unlike in other Asian countries where the custom continued, and the chair or more commonly the stool was used in the vast majority of houses throughout the country.

Ming period (1368 – 1644) which is considered by most to be the golden age of Chinese furniture. By this time China had become extremely prosperous, particularly its coastal cities, and demand for luxury items including fine furniture had grown.The furniture of this time displayed simple, elegant lines, beautiful curves and superb craftsmanship. The quality and accuracy of joinery was so precise that nails and glue were used only as supplements. The craftsmen were far more advanced than their European counterparts. Ming furniture was generally made of timber from indigenous trees such as pine, elm and zelkova (known as ‘southern elm’).

Types of finishes used in furniture during the Ming period included heavily carved lacquer, sometimes inlaid with mother of pearl or agate; red or black lacquer; and a more natural finish, allowing the grain to stand out and the beauty of the wood to be the main focus of the piece.

Qing period (1644 – 1911) was similar to Ming and continued to display classic, simple lines. However a change in style gradually appeared, and by the end of the 18th century the purity of Ming furniture had been replaced with angular forms and overly ornate carvings. However, furniture produced for the general population in China’s towns and villages remained simpler in style, often lacquered in red or black and decorated with landscape scenes or auspicious symbols. This type of furniture continued to be made into the early 20th century, with distinct styles visible in different regions of China.

Chinese cabinets from the Ming period are commonly classed today as either ‘square cornered’ or ‘round cornered’ cabinets some included removable doors with wooden pivots at each end. Doors could then be slotted directly into the frame of the cabinet, resulting in a design with extremely clean lines. Most cabinets included shelves that could be removed, and often a concealed storage area at the bottom, covered by removable boards

Both types of Chinese cabinet were normally made in matching pairs, placed either side by side or symmetrically to balance the interior layout of a room.

Initial view of China

These images are a sample my initial represntation of china, from here i am begining to expand my research and look into specific things with more depth.

Design for china

My current design brief is about developing new furniture and furnishings for chinese OEM (Original equipment manufacturer) manufacture directed towards the rapidly growing Chinese middle class, although our client is hyperthetical there are a number of potential clients existing in china and theres a posibility of the resulting product being produced.
An exibition of the final products is planned to take place in the unitec/Mayland Design Research Centre in Guangzhou China.