Functionality and Aesthetics of Furniture - Numerical Expression of Subjective Value

In the recent years the habits of buying furniture have changed. The fabrication of individual pieces of furniture is increasingly coming to the forefront. A personal contact is being established between the customer and the furniture, which is a relationship of one (product) to one (customer). In order to satisfy the individual demands, higher quality as well as higher prices appeared as a necessity. The competition is beginning on the market, where emotion becomes a significant factor in decision-making process. Therefore, functionality and aesthetic functions, determinative forms and fashionable style play a very important role in furniture design and production. The objective of the paper is to report research results on how functionality and aesthetics of different styles of furniture could be determinated, measured and how they influence customer requirements and demands. To establish the proportion of functionality and aesthetic features, a numerical expression of the functions was defined by using various designers’ methods such as Ranking Method Quality Development (RMQD) and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). It is shown that both methods could be used very effectively for designed and marketing oriented furniture, for modelling customer satisfaction as well as in connection with aesthetic functions, assuring the quality of the product in the planning stage.