Golden Rectangle

[Jack]

You can also use the square and the double square along with the golden rectangle. Very common in the Renaissance. Your base is close to a square.

-Jack

[Andy Dingley]

e = mc^2 is far from clean - it's simply the expression of proportionality between our arbitrary human units for mass and a universe that really considers energy to be the important quantity.

e^( i * pi ) = -1

Now _that's_ pretty.

-- Smert' spamionam

[Larry Jaques]

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 00:00:22 GMT, "Groggy" brought forth from the murky depths:

I keep getting ideas here and buying from half.com, so books are $4-7 with shipping. I also get monthly newspapers from edwardrhamilton.com and often buy 3 or more at a time so the ghastly total shipping cost (a brutal $3.50 per shipment) is less painful.

- They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it. -Confucius ---

Comprehensive Website Programming Services

[Cape Cod Bob]

That was a joke response, wasn't it? Hmmm.

[Eric Lund]

I didn't read this article too closely, because I already got the presentation live. I don't know if he covered this in the article, but in his presentation, he clearly made the point that it's not the golden rectangle or any other specific rule that makes a design good. The real key to a good design is having a reason for each and every dimension (stomp, stomp, stomp). Applying the golden rectangle, where it's appropriate, has been demonstrated to result in well proportioned designs that are pleasing to the eye. But the idea is not to slavishly follow this rule.

Now... the quiz: What is the key to a good design?

Cheers, Eric

[Mike Hide]

The key to good design is in the eye of the beholder. If you look at enough pieces of whatever you are designing either in the flesh or pictures of superbe pieces then the brain will decide what pleases it. Another example is the common bow front chest, produced for the last couple of centuries and still to this day just as popular as the first day it was built, why ,because it is not only a functional, but a pleasing design to most of us.

A simple example in my case is a table with a tapered leg ,legs tapered on the inside and outside look clumsey whereas legs tapered on the inside only have a much more light and airy look .....after a while you look at pieces and some uplift the sensibilities whereas others jarr them .

In the case of furniture, design is one aspect .to end up with something good the design has to be good and be functional, the construction must be good and the finish also. mjh

Good design in my opinion

[Swingman]

Well said ... I have one table, out of the dozens that I have built, that pleases me whenever I look at it.

It is simply a "table", as simple in its design as to be just past a board placed on top of legs, but it has a graceful inside taper on the legs from the bottom of the apron to the floor.

The best word to describe it is "elegant" ... as if a thousand lines of computer code were distilled into three, still performing the same function.

[Renata]

That half site is Wicked. Went to buy ONE book (ok, maybe two) and $300 later...

Renata

smart, not dumb for email

[Larry Jaques]

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 11:03:21 -0500, Renata brought forth from the murky depths:

Don't go to Hamilton. They had a dozen TauntMe books there and I ended up with one of each. (Taunton DOES make good books, wot?) I only wish I'd picked up that copy of "Making and Modifying Machines" when I had a chance. The one on *b*y is only $99.99!

- They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it. -Confucius ---

Comprehensive Website Programming Services

[McQualude]

I recommend, How to design and construct period furniture by Franklin H. Gottshall. Gottshall reviews the rules of design and demonstrates how they were formed from specific examples of period furniture. The book is invaluable just for the design rules, many of which are common sense, that are outlayed in the beginning chapters. He also reviews pieces that violate the rules of design and yet are very visibly appealing. The book is out of print but available at many libraries and of course at amazon.com.

[Bay Area Dave]

thanks! there's a new library opening up on the 17th. I'll put that on my list of things to look for.

dave

McQualude wrote:

[Mike Hide]

As far as design goes then the primary concern should be the functional aspects, asthetics are basically a secondary consideration, if it is possible to combine the two well and good.

The artical in FWW does show some examples of design in the authors view that complies to the golden ratio. In the example of the chest on cupboard shown as an instance of the golden ratios use, the proportions in my view are quite poor, at least not pleasing to my laymans eye. mjh

[McQualude]

Successful designers do combine the two. The functional aspect of most furniture is fairly straitforward, leaving a lot of latitude for design.

I missed the article in FWW, but I've read "Furniture By Design" by Blackburn which I found to be of little practical value in designing furniture. Blackburn's writing style was very dry, to the extent that it was laborious to finish each chapter. Probably only 5% of the book discusses design. Clearly to me, many of the projects he passes off as contracted work were actually personal projects. There is a glut of his book available on Amazon at a fraction of the cover price.