Furniture Design

100% Common Sense Tips

 D E S I G N
Why
Design?
Developing your skills is
a journey of discovery.
M y brother and I gazed at a sun-
set from a rocky perch high atop
Boulder Pass in Glacier National Park. A
ball of orange slipped behind the jagged
peaks way out there somewhere toward
Japan. We sat there dazzled, not uttering
a word as the clouds turned into purple
islands in a sea of molten lava.
We were doing something we felt
passionate about. It took effort to haul
our packs up the steep trail, yet we
soaked in every moment like a gift. That
sunset wasn’t an in-your-face adrenalin
rush, but something in the moment,
quiet and deep.
Admittedly, backpacking in the
northern Rockies isn’t for everyone.
The vast majority are content to view
the scenery from the safety and comfort
of a car or on a television screen. It’s
the difference between knowledge and
experience, or the difference between
looking at a postcard of a mountain,
Moments of awe. Learning design is a series of small discoveries punctuated by the occasional
moment of awe.
■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE December 2011
M A T T E R S
B Y G E O R G E R. W A L K E R
Inviting design. Design skills are a natural extension of our journey in the craft, as this nicely
designed tool tote will attest.
and standing on the summit feeling a
bit of sunburn on your face.
Wait, what’s that have to do with
design? Well, a lot of things that are
hard to put into words. My guess is the
majority of woodworkers enjoy the craft
as a creative outlet. Using your hands
to shape wood and unlock its endless
beauty, and focusing your efforts to
acquire new skills is its own reward.
Hopefully, you’ll never grow tired of
that simple pleasure.
But there’s more. Invite design into
the picture, paired up with skilled
hands at the workbench, and it com-
pletes a circle. Design skills transform
LEAD PHOTO BY JIM TOLPIN; SUNSET PHOTO BY DICK WALKER; REMAINDER OF PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATION BY THE AUTHOR
your woodworking to another level,
into an experience to savor.
Yet the majority of woodworkers are
content to leave design to others and
enjoy the scenery through a car window,
if you will. Perhaps you feel ill-equipped
for the task. I can relate to that. I always
marveled at folks with a designer’s eye,
able to trust their guts.
For many years my confidence in
making design judgments went no fur-
ther than a vague sense of what I liked
and didn’t like. That alone didn’t pro-
duce enough confidence to strike out on
my own. The world already has plenty
of poor design; why risk adding to it?
Yet, there’s a long list of reasons why
design is worth your time and effort to
learn more about.
A Beginning
This is how it starts for many, me
included. Necessity forces us on a
detour beyond what someone else laid
down on those nice blueprints. The
instructions call for a moulding shape
that doesn’t match your router bits, or
maybe your wall space is too narrow to
fit that cherry bookcase for which you
 D E S I G N
bought the plans. Perhaps you need to
replace a broken turning or missing
part on a cherished heirloom, with no
picture to go by. Build furniture long
enough and you smack into the need
to alter, make do or improvise. In spite
of your doubts, you step off that paved
road and give it a go. Somehow it works,
even feels good – and amazingly the
earth doesn’t spin off its axis.
Good Reason: Discovery
But there’s more to this than just impro-
vising when the bridge is washed out.
There are good reasons to break away
from the guided tour bus and explore
new design territory. The learning pro-
cess as you awaken your design skills
is filled with discovery. Students of
design experience the fun of seeing the
world around them in a new way as they
begin to discern underlying forms, or
the bones of a design. Familiar down-
town streets take on a new meaning as
the architecture unveils its story before
newly opened eyes. Suddenly, a whole
world of models and inspiration come
to life; little gems seem to crop up that
you might otherwise walk right by.
As your design skills mature you
gain the ability to unpack a design,
Foundation. Can you see the simple shape (a
sphere) that governs the form in this building?
■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE December 2011
M A T T E R S
to discern why it works. It’s one thing
to admire a design, and a whole other
world to know why a design is worthy
of admiration.
Better Reason: Vision
Developing a designer’s eye means
seeing with a new clarity and gaining
the ability to visualize in your mind. I
used to marvel at my wife, Barb, who
is always fiddling and experimenting
with her gardens. She looks out the
window in the dead of winter at her
garden encased in snow, yet can some-
how clearly visualize heaping mounds
of foliage in 20 shades of green. All I saw
was frozen tundra and broken twigs.
This ability to visualize is a power-
ful mental tool, a sixth sense, a sense of
form. This sense emerges naturally as
design skills mature. Gradually, you find
you can clearly visualize the curve in a
sculpted armrest while it’s still locked
inside a chunk of mahogany.
All these are true and good reasons
to take up design. Sometimes they are
enough to make someone dip his or her
toe in the water.
But here’s a great reason: Design
has always been what distinguishes
an artisan. To expand on that, design is
Notice. Details shout out for attention when
your designer’s eye is awake.
Visualize. Your
ability to visualize
complex shapes
increases as design
skills mature.
Artisan. Design has always been the true mea-
sure of an artisan.
the link in the chain that makes a com-
plete artisan. It unites imagination and
skill into something greater, and it takes
you places skill alone that would never
find, and skill spurs imagination to scale
heights beyond your present reach.
I hesitated sharing that sunset
moment on Boulder Pass because words
don’t come close, but also because most
of the pleasures found outdoors aren’t
eureka moments. Rather, the experience
is a continuous string – small nuggets
to savor. Design is like that. Yes, there
is the occasional “shazam” discovery to
celebrate, but mostly it’s the moment-
by-moment excitement of taking your
craft journey to the next level. PWM
George is the author of two design DVDs from
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks (lie-nielsen.com).
X Go Online FOR MORE …
For links to all these online extras, go to:
X popularwoodworking.com/dec11
BLOG: Read more from George about
design on his Design Matters blog.
IN OUR STORE: George R. Walker’s DVDs.
Our products are available online at:
XShopWoodworking.com
About This Column
If you have a thirst to hone your creative
skills, Design Matters dives into the basics of
proportions, forms, contrast and composition
to give you the skill
to tackle furniture
design challenges
with confidence.
 Design Matters
b y g e o r g e r. w a l k e r

‘Good Eye’
Awaken your inner design sense with just a little practice.

T alk about design often leads

back to the idea of developing a good
eye. For a long time I wrestled with this; it
seemed a bit like trying to lasso the wind. I
knew I wasn’t alone, either. Frequently I talk
to woodworkers who struggle with making
design judgments by eye.
I hear them say, “I look at a piece of fur-
niture and I know in my gut something’s a
bit off, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
It may be just a simple detail like sizing the
rails on a frame-and-panel door. You know
there’s a fine line between sturdy and clunky
– it’s just not clear where that line is.
If that happens to you, your inner design
sense, or eye, is telling you something. The
good news is that you can train your eye. It’s
not something learned in a day, but just like
mastering a skill like sharpening a chisel,
your eye can be trained. You’ll be able to
tackle design problems with renewed confi-
dence and even venture out creatively further
Bookcase crown
than you thought possible. moulding. Training
Part of my difficulty was thinking that I the eye helps to bridge
needed to look closer, see more acutely. Now that gap between your
I know it’s not so much about seeing keenly, rough idea and reality.
it’s about seeing differently. Often it’s seeing
the obvious but in a new light.
I remember one of the first times this Rudy plucked a small patch of green, a sprig Michelangelo had a proverb: “It is neces-
happened to me. I had a good friend named of lichen from the rotting log we sat on. He sary to keep one’s compass in one’s eyes and
Rudy as I was growing up. We both loved the held it up to a shaft of sunlight and it sparkled not in the hand, for the hands execute, but
outdoors and Rudy had an amazing knowl- with a flash of scarlet. “It’s called a British the eye judges.”
edge about everything in the wild. It was soldier,” he said. “See the red jacket?” Some might argue that the whole idea of
through his eyes that I noticed the killdeer I blinked my eyes in wonder, and then making judgments about what looks right is
returning long before other songbirds, when looked again at the brown rotting wood and entirely subjective. Yet, we can’t ignore the
the ground was still cased in snow and fro- pine needles on the forest floor. A whole army fact that as humans we are wired a certain
zen hard as tundra. Or to look for the leaves of bright tiny redcoats stood in formation way. How do we explain the pleasure we feel
sprouting on the shadblow twigs because where a few moments before I’d seen noth- in hearing a wren sing its heart out in spring?
it meant the smallmouth bass would start ing. I remember thinking they were so obvi- Why are we dazzled by sunsets? Designers
feeding in the deep pools on Beech Creek. I ous and wondered why I couldn’t see them have been tapping into that hard wiring for
can remember clearly a day we stopped for until he pointed them out. Training your eye thousands of years and some timeless design
lunch in the shade of an ancient hemlock. is a bit like discovering those redcoats. knowledge has grown out of that.

■ Popular Woodworking February 2010 lead Photo by Lie-Nielsen Toolworks; illustrations by the author
Frame-and-panel door frames. On these two examples, the top and bottom rails are Proportion the rails. Using simple divisions you can size
weighted differently. At first impulse, which looks right? top and bottom rails both to the opening and to each other.

Application
Let’s illustrate with a simple example and
go back to those rails mentioned earlier on
a raised-panel door. Frame-and-panel con-
struction is a solid solution to filling a door
opening. Stiles and rails are joined together
to provide a strong frame that holds a wide
panel, allowing it to shrink and swell. Did
you ever notice how the rails (horizontal
frame elements) are sized on doors? If the
goal is efficiency, just make all the rails and
stiles of equal widths. This is an all-too-com-
mon approach today in cabinetwork.
To create some visual interest, another
approach is to proportion the rails to the
overall height of the opening and make one
larger than the other. In the two examples
shown above, one has the visual weight on
the top rail, the other on the bottom. Which
example does your eye judge as more appeal-
ing? Most would answer the one on the right
– and with good reason. Examples in nature
abound where the visual weight is heaviest ballpark. It’s perfectly fine to scale them back
closest to the ground and becomes lighter as further. Just make sure the top rail is scaled
it rises, as with tree trunks and mountains, back also, keeping that 4:5 or 2:3 ratio intact.
to name but a few examples. This is referred Also, don’t get hung up on the method. I hap-
to as “pyramidal” and is often applied to pen to like this approach because it’s simple
elements such as rails, or drawer fronts on and quick. The principle is more important
a chest. than how you get there.
A simple method to proportion rails is
to divide the overall height into five equal Ongoing Study
spaces and use the bottom fifth to size the The focus of this Design Matters column
lower rail. Then take the remaining space will be exploring basic design principles
above the lower rail and divide it again into or rules. Some folks are glad to have rules
five or six equal parts. Use the top unit as and welcome them as building blocks – sort
the height of the upper rail. This will also
link the two rails proportionally.
If you divide by five, it will make the
upper to lower rail a ratio of 4:5. If you choose
to size the upper rail by dividing by six, the
top rail will have a ratio of 2:3 with the height
of the bottom rail. You may feel the rails still
look a bit heavy to your eye. That’s OK; this
is meant as a starting point to get you in the

British soldier lichen. Sometimes Montana sunset. Who doesn’t enjoy a great sunset? Learn- Mature oak. The spreading trunk echoes the
our eye needs a little help to pick ing design is about making connections we can relate to. pyramidal and anchors the tree both structur-
out the obvious. ally and visually.

lichen Photo by Seabrooke Leckie; sunset Photo by Dick and Pam Walker at dickandpamwalker.com; oak photo by the author popularwoodworking.com ■

of a paint-by-number or connect-the-dots
approach – but that’s not how it works.
Design comes down to making judgments
based on your eye, and no rule can make the
final call. On the other end of the spectrum
are those who want to learn the rules so
they can break them. Our Western design
heritage is rich, precisely because designers
have always pushed the rules. But I’d like to
suggest a third way to view rules. They can
help us to see differently. Here’s how:
Understanding design basics can help
you to recognize and appreciate great design
in masterful work. Great furniture, art and
architecture can become a tremendous
source of inspiration and training. That
Still too heavy? Let your eye be the judge and
scale the rails back, just retain the proportional
link between top and bottom.
Idea sketch. Design skills can help you imag-
ine how your idea will look at every step, from
drawings to the completed work. See page 20
for the completed moulding.
■ Popular Woodworking February 2010
Design Matters
courthouse you’ve been driving by for years
might be a textbook on proportions. Visits
to a museum or historic site take on a whole
new meaning as you understand more of
what you see. It will change the way you see
furniture. Your eye will reveal layers hid-
den within a great design – starting with
the bones beneath the surface that define
the form seen from a distance, to the subtle
restraint that allows an inlay or carving to
delight when seen up close.
A foundation in basic design principles
also can give you the ability to see where
you want to go with your design and have
it come out the way you imagined it. This is
often one of the hardest things to tackle. It’s
difficult to clearly see how a design will look
while it’s still just an idea rattling around in
your head. Today we have wonderful tech-
nology to see an image in 3D on a computer
screen, yet there is no substitute for develop-
ing that inner design sense and the ability
to visualize.
Basic design knowledge can offer a start-
ing point to begin roughing in your idea.
Starting out with good bones makes a huge
difference, and it’s amazing how much cre-
ative latitude you have. Many designers often
compared the visual arts with music and for
centuries saw a linkage between proportions
and musical tones. A ratio of 2:1 equals an
octave, 2:3 is a fifth, etc. The really excit-
ing thing, if we think about design in that
light, is that music can be expressed in so
many ways. The same notes used to create
a symphony by Bach find life in the music
of John Lee Hooker or Bruce Springsteen.
Don’t be afraid of the rules in a confining
sense. View them as a key to unlock your
creativity.
Finally, an important step in training
the eye is to imprint the lesson by looking
carefully at how it’s been applied skillfully
or sometimes clumsily in other work. Take
time to look at how the top and bottom rails
are sized on older cabinet doors, entry doors,
even old window sashes. If anyone asks what
you are doing, tell them you’re looking for
redcoats.
I’ll be discussing this and more design
tips on my blog at georgewalkerdesign.com.
You are welcome to join me there. PW
George is the author of the DVDs “Unlocking the
Secrets of Traditional Design” and “Unlocking the
Secrets of Design: Moldings“ both from Lie-Nielsen
Toolworks (lie-nielsen.com).
Stop and look. Buildings offer great learning
opportunities. As your eye develops you’ll see
more.
about This column
if you have a thirst to hone your creative
skills, design matters will provide tips,
tools and much more. designing your
own furniture can be rewarding but also
a bit scary. we’ll dive into the basics of
proportions, forms, contrast and composi-
tion to give you the skill to tackle design
problems with confidence. Good design
is timeless, so pull up a chair as we explore
great designs from antiquity, early ameri-
can furniture and modern work as well.
Together we’ll learn design secrets from
the masters who gave us great furniture, art
and architecture.
designing warm and inviting furniture
is not about specifications and tolerances,
so set aside your ruler and calculator.
instead, grab a pair of dividers and a
sketchbook. bring along some sturdy
hiking boots as nature always has and
continues to be a wellspring of inspiration.
we’ll also hike into the workshops of some
talented designers and artisans, and learn
what stokes their creative imagination.
in the first century, a roman archi-
tect named Vitruvius wrote that a design
should be functional, sturdy and beautiful.
some writers have interpreted his latin
word for beauty, venustas, as, “to give joy.”
even today, we all want that piece we’ve
been working on
to look great and
bring smiles. That’s
the goal.
courThouse PhoTo by The auThor
 D E S I G N M A T T E R S
b y g e o r g e r. w a l k e r

Making
Sense of
Forms
Train your eye to see the
layers in a great design.

E arly 20th-century filmmakers used time-

lapse photography to dazzle audiences
with never-before-seen images of flowers
emerging and bursting into bloom. Critics
with Victorian sensibilities objected that some-
thing so intimate should best be left hidden.
Sometimes a well-designed piece of furniture
can feel like it holds on to its secrets. We sense
there are many hidden design lessons if we
could only see them. A good place to start is to
learn how to recognize and visualize forms.
A form is a combination of simple shapes
that together make up a composition. A form
is what catches your eye from a distance; it’s
the “bones,” or what some refer to as the “lines
of a piece.” When I study a design I start by Eye-catching. The form of a piece is what usually captures your attention from across a room.
looking at it from across the room and take
in the overall form. A Corinthian capital is a
form. Underneath all those leaves and volutes spaces. A square can be extended horizontally
is a simple vase shape, or you might imagine or vertically to produce an infinite number of
it as an inverted bell. Can you visualize that possible rectangles. However, artisans tend
simple shape underneath all those leaves? to favor a small handful of simple rectangles
Ancient legend holds that the form is inspired based on whole-number ratios. The graphic
by a basket left at a graveside. An acanthus atop the next page shows the most common
plant grew up around the basket providing shapes. In the center is a square with a ratio
the germ of an idea for this form. of 1:1. Flanking it on both sides are rectangles
with a ratio of 4:5. They continue marching out
Simple Shapes as Building Blocks to the ends where we have 2:1 rectangles.
Many furniture forms are based on simple This little handful of simple rectangles
Corinthian capital.
squares, circles, rectangles or, by extension, found favor for several reasons. First, the sim-
A few simple shapes
combine to create ovals. Those simple shapes become a form ple ratios were thought to be linked to the ideal
this icon of Western when divided up and organized into useful or human form and music. For millennia, art-
design. decorative parts such as doors, drawers or open ists and sculptors used simple whole-number

■ popular woodworking magazine April 2010 lead photo by al parrish; other photos and illustrations by the author
1 3
2 3
2 5 3 4
Symmetrical rectangles. Each rectangle has a twin on the opposite side of the square.
ratios to proportion the human figure. Addi-
tionally, they are user-friendly and lend them-
selves to simple tools such as dividers, and
require little or no math. Best of all, they are
easy to visualize in your mind. A rectangle with
a ratio of 1:2 is two squares; a rectangle with
a ratio of 2:3 is a square and a half square. All
these simple whole-number rectangles can be
expressed in simple multiples or divisions of
squares. Just close your eyes and try to visual-
ize a rectangle made up of two squares. Can
you picture it?
Many tall cabinets such as chests on chests,
bookcases and highboys are built around a
rectangle with a 1:2 vertical ratio. At the other
end of the spectrum are long pieces such as
sideboards, which often are built around a
1:2 horizontal rectangle. In between, you find
desks, chests, dressers and even small docu-
ment boxes composed out of simple rectangle
ratios such as 2:3, 4:5, 3:5. This does not mean
that all this work is confined to rigid, straight
shapes. Overtop this skeleton you have many
possibilities just as with that Corinthian capi-
tal. A simple shape can be the basis for a pow-
erful creative form. Another advantage these
simple shapes offer is a way to adapt a furniture
design to your needs.
Practical Application
Many of the original sideboard designs are
from the Federal era (circa 1790-1810) and are
quite massive. Often the form is built around
a 2:1 rectangle that is approximately 40" tall
and 80" long. It’s a comfortable height at which
to set down a large, heavy tray of piping-hot
food straight from the kitchen.
The drawing above is a typical example of
the form, a piece made in Baltimore around
1810. You can see readily that the large 2:1
rectangle is subdivided into smaller rectangles,
with a square in the center section.
But what if we don’t have room or wall space
for such a large piece? The smaller drawing
above is a rough sketch I drew for a small side-
board based around a single square. To the
untrained eye the square shape is not appar-
ent because it’s broken up by the open space
4 1 5 4
5 1 4 3
Simple elegance. This elegant form (a Baltimore sideboard) is a
combination of simple shapes.
below and the case above. Perhaps we want
something in between these two. Just retain
the height, but rough in a rectangle that’s 2:3 or
3:5. This offers a good starting point to begin
sketching in doors, drawers, etc.
Some may feel limited at the thought of
building around a small number of simple
shapes. It may help to think of them as pri-
mary shapes just like we have primary colors.
Instead of restricting our creativity, they offer
a framework to begin building upon. Once
the form is roughed in we can add curvature
to the case front or top. We also can change
up the legs and frames making them organic,
curved, turned or carved. Still, from across the
room it will have those solid bones – a form
that captures our eye and makes us want to
step over for a closer look.
Natural inspiration. Forms can be seen in the
unfolding springtime blossoms of the bluet.
3 5 2
2 3 1
Elegance writ small. This smaller
version of a sideboard also is com-
posed of simple shapes.
Make it a practice when looking at furniture
to visualize the simple shapes that make up
the form. Try to pick out not only the overall
shape that defines the envelope but also the
smaller shapes that work together to make up
the bones of the design. You’ll be pleasantly
surprised to see that the masterpiece you’ve
admired can open up like a spring wildflower
before your eyes. PWM
George is the author of the DVDs “Unlocking the Secrets
of Traditional Design” and “Unlocking the Secrets of
Design: Moldings“ both from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks
(lie-nielsen.com).
u Go Online for more …
To read the Design Matters blog:
u georgewalkerdesign.com
A Visit to George Walker’s Shop:
u tinyurl.com/ydvomw7
'Unlocking the Secrets' DVD Review:
u tinyurl.com/lgxk8y
All of our online products are available at:
u WoodworkersBookShop.com
About This Column
If you have a thirst to hone your creative skills,
Design Matters will dive into the basics of
proportions, forms, contrast and composition
to give you the skill to
tackle furniture design
challenges with confi-
dence.
popularwoodworking.com ■
 D E S I G N
Sublime
Echoes
Repetition of proportion
and shape can create
design harmony.
epending on your canoe route, Little
D Crooked Lake is about two days of
paddling and portaging from the nearest
highway. It’s worth it. On a still morning,
you can hear the smallest sound carry
across the fog-shrouded water and echo off
the steep rocky shoreline. A wood thrush
pipes its flute-like song and the music folds
back on itself to transform the solo into a
chorus. I first hiked into Little Crooked
intending to catch a fish dinner. The fish
weren’t hungry, but I took away memories
of those haunting echoes that I still relish.
I don’t know why echoes can capture our
imagination. They don’t have to be loud;
sometimes it’s the small, subtle echoes that
engage something deep within us.
Use Proportions to Create Echoes
Designers have long recognized that we
pick up on echoes and are somehow drawn
to them. At its simplest that’s what using
4 ple ratio. You can even have fun with this
4 3
3 3
Proportion repeats. These rectangles are in pro-
portion because the ratios that govern the sides
are identical.
■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2010
22-23_1008_PWM_DesignMatters.ind22 22
M A T T E R S
B Y G E O R G E R. W A L K E R
Oval echo. The small oval in this desk gallery by William Evans echoes the larger shapes that grace the
cabinet doors above.
proportions often comes down to – repeat- more often than not, subconsciously.
ing or echoing a ratio at different scales to One of the most powerful uses of pro-
create a pleasing, harmonious effect. portions is to assemble a design that repeats
A proportion is a relationship between a ratio or echoes it on different levels. This
one part and another, often signified by a drawing for a sideboard (above right) is
ratio. Two different-sized rectangles are in organized around a simple ratio of 2:3. The
proportion when their sides are defined by overall form is a large rectangle that is two
the same ratio. Additionally, groupings of parts high by three parts long (in this case
elements are in proportion when the ratios it’s 32" high x 48" long). The overall height
governing their parts are identical – even if is divided in a ratio of 2:3 to define the case
the scale is different. In fact, it’s desirable above and open space below. The drawers
to arrange elements into major and minor horizontally are proportioned across their
pairings to avoid monotony. Visually we widths forming a little sequence of 2:3:2.
pick up on this and respond to it though, The drawer heights are – you guessed it –
a ratio of 2:3.
Don’t take this wrong; you are not lim-
ited to just one ratio when assembling a
design. This does illustrate, however, what
3 can be achieved by repeating just one sim-
and weave this concept of echoing propor-
tions from the macro level encompassing
2 the overall form, all the way down to the
2
micro level and repeat it in the design of
Ratios. Pairings of elements are in proportion, mouldings or an inlay detail like the small
because the ratios echo in both. banding that cuffs a leg.
LEAD PHOTO BY LIE-NIELSEN TOOLWORKS; REMAINDER OF PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR
5/19/10 5:14:09 PM

Layers of ratios. This design for a sideboard repeats the same simple ratio of
2:3 in multiple layers.
Use Shapes to Create Echoes
Another way to create visual echoes is
through the play of shapes. The frieze on
this Ionic order is bulged out in a convex
curve (above right). A frieze is a horizontal
band above the capital that is often deco-
rated with carving or painting. In this case
the designers left it plain but used a gentle
curve to echo the elegant form below it in
the volutes that crown the capital.
Often, shapes can echo and create
further interest by switching up and con-
trasting the mirror images. Note how the
convex curve on the top of the small dress-
ing table (far right) is echoed in the con-
cave shape of the open space below the
case. This also presents the opportunity to
Listen closely. Note how a
small echo can be repeated in
a detail. The arch in this brass
escutcheon echoes the larger
hood door on this clock.
22-23_1008_PWM_DesignMatters.ind23 23
Complementary
curves. The bulging
curve in the frieze
above the capital
emphasizes the
curved volutes below.
add another layer by using proportions to
govern those shapes then echoing them in
other parts of a design at different scales.
There are infinite possibilities to employ
this and again, as with proportions, a shape
can start with something at a macro level
encompassing the overall form and work
its way down the micro level in the shapes
of small details. Note how the tombstone-
arch shape in the clock case hood door
below is echoed in the small brass lock
escutcheon. That small piece of hardware
is just a faint echo, but is a wonderful detail
that can bring delight when discovered.
Application
If you’d like to begin working some echoes
into your designs, experiment by weaving
them into some of the small details. A nice
example is to create a profile on a table edge
that repeats itself in another detail such as
a small drawer pull below it.
Some things to remember about echoes:
An echo always has some separation
between the original and the sound wave
that bounces back. Also, the echo grows
softer each time it reaches your ear.
You want to be wary of repeating identi-
cal cloned shapes right next to each other.
It’s best to separate a visual echo with some
space as well as making it a different scale,
which allows it to reach the eye with a
softer voice. Avoid just stacking identical
shapes or identical proportions right next
to each other like pancakes. This creates
monotony. You don’t want the echoes to be
overpowering like a gang of rowdy teenag-
ers in a carnival funhouse. An echo can
have its most profound effect when it slips
into view as a gentle surprise.
Multiple echoes.
Have fun working
echoes into small
details like this
small end table’s
top edge and
the drawer pull
below it.
Negative echo. The curves in the top are echoed
in the open space below the case.
Finally, have some fun with this. Echoes
are a playful way to give life and harmony
to a design. Don’t be afraid to leave an echo
only you can see. Who knows – generations
from now, someone may be delighted to
discover the gentle song of a wood thrush
you created at your workbench. PWM
George is the author of two design DVDs from Lie-
Nielsen Toolworks (lie-nielsen.com).
u Go Online FOR MORE …
You’ll find links to all these online extras at:
u popularwoodworking.com/aug10
BLOG: George R. Walker writes three times a
week on the Design Matters blog.
BLOG: Read about Editor Christopher
Schwarz’s visit to George R. Walker’s shop.
IN OUR STORE: George R. Walker’s DVDs.
All of our products are available online at:
u WoodworkersBookShop.com
About This Column
If you have a thirst to hone your creative
skills, Design Matters dives into the basics of
proportions, forms, contrast and composition
to give you the skill to
tackle furniture design
challenges with confi-
dence.
popularwoodworking.com ■
5/19/10 5:14:21 PM
 D E S I G N
Add Spice to
Your Work
A dash of ornament
highlights a form.
T hanksgiving at our house means shoe-
horning 14 guests into a dining room
meant for eight, football on the television
and the aroma of Barb’s sage dressing fill-
ing the house. Every year she makes a big-
ger batch (last year it was 56 cups) and
every year it seems there is only a smidgen
left over. She knows just the amount of sea-
sonings to bring out that signature flavor
that makes the whole meal sparkle.
I like to think of ornament in furniture
design similar to the spices we add to food.
It serves to bring out the underlying fla-
vors or in the case of furniture, enhance
the underlying bones of a form.
Bellflower
Architectural ornament. The hanging bellflower
ornament seen on buildings in antiquity provided
inspiration for cabinetmakers.
■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE November 2010
22-23_1011_PWM_DesignMatters.ind22 22
M A T T E R S
B Y G E O R G E R. W A L K E R
Ornament adds subtle spice. Inlay and banding add spice to this table by Steve Latta. The ornament
gently highlights the form.
What is Ornament?
To understand ornament and the role
it plays in design, it’s helpful to go back
to architecture. In fact, many forms of
ornament seen on furniture are bor-
rowed directly from historic buildings.
The hanging bellflower motif inlaid into
the tapered legs of Federal card tables is
inspired by stone carvings on classical
buildings. Many links from architecture
could be cited, but what’s more important
is to understand some design principles
that can guide our choices.
It’s helpful up front to distinguish
between two similar terms – decoration
and ornament. Decoration is some type
of artwork, usually a painting, sculpture,
carving or other artistic medium that is
meant to create a focal point within a
design. In the case of architecture, a statue
or a large painted mural would be consid-
ered decoration. Frequently the building
LEAD PHOTO, GEOMETRIC ORNAMENT & SUBTLE HIGHLIGHTS PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIE-NIELSEN TOOLWORKS;
itself intentionally directs your gaze to the
work of art. Decoration in this sense is rare
in furniture design. One reason is scale.
Murals and even large sculptures are quite
small in comparison to the overall size of
buildings. Furniture by its nature is usu-
ally scaled to the human frame. Because
it’s so small, it’s challenging to create a
composition where decoration doesn’t
overpower the form.
Ornament is the application of carv-
ing, inlay, marquetry, painting or gilding
meant to enhance the underlying form.
Think of it as the curtains and props that
together frame the stage in a play. Just the
opposite of a focal point, instead it helps
our eye enjoy the actors. For our purposes
the actor may be a dresser, table or mir-
ror frame, but the ornament never takes
center stage. It can take on a variety of
forms – some quite dramatic – but it’s most
effective in a supporting role.
SHELL CARVING PHOTO COURTESY OF DAN REAHARD
9/8/10 3:46:23 PM

Nature’s ornament. Shell carving is an example
of ornament mimicking an animal form.
Categories of Ornament
Ornament traditionally falls into several
categories. It may be based on animal life
such as carved shells. (Another example
of animal life is the egg-and-dart carving
used on an ovolo moulding.) It also fre-
quently finds expression in plant life such
as carved acanthus leaves, flower blossoms
or inlaid vines. Finally, ornament can be
expressed in simple geometric patterns
using inlay, bandings or marquetry.
Application of Ornament in a Design
In most cases ornament emphasizes the
form either by highlighting an existing
element or creating a visual border. Vines
and carved leaves are a perfect foil to
emphasize curvature in table or chair legs.
From a distance, carving comes across
visually as a change in surface texture,
beckoning your eye to pause and take
in the overall form. Carving provides a
delightful surprise when viewed close,
but gently highlights the form from across
the room.
Another application is to use ornament
to create borders around the simple shapes
that make up a design. Furniture designs
are often built around combinations of
simple rectangles, circles or ovals. Using
ornament to border these simple shapes
Pleasing proportion. Use a sixth of the height of
a drawer as the starting point for proportioning a
border around a drawer front.
22-23_1011_PWM_DesignMatters.ind23 23
Geometric ornament. Inlay and banding can be
used to create ornament in geometric patterns.
helps the eye to take in the underlying
form.
Adding simple stringing around the
perimeter of a drawer front or table leg will
subtly emphasize the bones of a design.
When sizing borders it’s helpful to think
of them as punctuating the shape or defin-
ing a clear beginning or ending. A good
starting point is to use a fifth or sixth of
the height on a wide element such as a
drawer front. On a tall element such as
a door, use a fi fth or sixth of the width.
That’s a decent rule of thumb when you
are working through your initial rough
sketches.
Subtle highlights. This shallow carving of honey-
suckle blossoms highlights the curvature of this
cabriole leg by Al Breed.
Avoid Some Pitfalls
In learning how to cook, it’s easy to go
overboard on the habañero peppers. Spices
and ornament pack a lot of flavor in a very
small package. Many furniture builders
eschew ornament precisely because it’s
been overdone so much in the past. But
just because it’s possible to go too heavy on
the salt is no reason to abandon it. Obvi-
ously, discretion is called for. One thing to
keep in the back of your mind: A spice is
at its best when it brings out the flavor in
the dish. Not the other way around.
I like to think you can get a feel for
a design as you approach it from a dis-
tance. The form or overall shape should
be pronounced from across a room, but
the ornament should be barely visible – if
at all. It comes into focus as you cross the
room then provides a delightful surprise
when seen up close.
As always, take a closer look at master-
ful work and take mental notes of those
vines or inlaid ribbons that quietly empha-
size a form. Observe carefully how the
ornament is proportioned in relation to
the elements they highlight. Hopefully
this will inspire you to begin adding some
ornament to your designs. Now, will some-
one please pass the sage dressing before
it’s all gone? PWM
George is the author of the DVDs “Unlocking the Secrets
of Traditional Design” and “Unlocking the Secrets of
Design: Moldings“ both from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks
(lie-nielsen.com).
u Go Online FOR MORE …
You’ll find links to all these online extras at:
u popularwoodworking.com/nov10
BLOG: For more Design Matters, read
George R. Walker’s blog.
BLOG: Read about Editor Christopher
Schwarz’s visit to George R. Walker’s shop.
IN OUR STORE: George R. Walker’s DVDs.
All of our products are available online at:
u WoodworkersBookShop.com
About This Column
If you have a thirst to hone your creative
skills, Design Matters dives into the basics of
proportions, forms, contrast and composition
to give you the skill to
tackle furniture design
challenges with confi-
dence.
popularwoodworking.com ■
9/8/10 3:46:44 PM
 D E S I G N
Great Legs
Play with proportion to
achieve pleasing design.
T he black stallion’s name was Step.
Marvin, the only man I ever saw ride
him, called him simply “the horse,” his
raspy Southern voice pausing for empha-
sis. I was 5 years old the first time I laid
eyes on Step. He was the scariest and most
wonderful thing I’d ever seen. A force of
nature, his frame all rough and muscled
as though a master sculptor had chiseled
him out in a hurry. His ebony coat reflected
blue and purple in the sunlight, and the
turf shook when he stomped his hoof. Per-
haps the thing about Step that set him
apart was that everything about him was
perfectly proportioned. His massive iron-
like legs would have been out of place on
a lesser horse, but they fit perfectly with
his body and muscular neck.
There’s a lesson there. When propor-
tioning legs to a furniture design the legs
need to reflect and connect with the over-
all mass they support. A workbench uses
sturdy tree-trunk-like legs not just for
structural support, but also because the
hefty timbers visually support the mas-
sive top.
I’ve been looking at legs on furniture
and studying how they are proportioned.
Because they play a key role in such a wide
variety of forms, there are few rules that
apply across the board. A light side table
calls for a much thinner leg than a din-
ing table, even though they are similar in
height. Sounds easy, but it can be challeng-
ing to design a leg that’s sturdy enough and
still looks like it belongs with the overall
mass of the piece. I tend to make legs too
stocky and have learned through my mis-
takes to scale them back. Make it a point to
■ popular woodworking magazine December 2010
M A T T E R S
b y g e o r g e r. w a l k e r
A perfect fit. The tapered legs on
this table by Gerald Curry flow
nicely with the overall form.
closely examine how the legs are propor-
tioned in a variety of built work. Regard-
less of style, this can help you develop a
good eye for proportions.
Add Some Taper
You can also design legs that complement
by including some sort of taper, often with
the leg heaviest where it’s joined to the
table apron, case or chair seat. This is a tra-
ditional approach that mimics many of the
forms we see in nature. Think about how
your arms and legs are proportioned. Our
limbs are thicker near our torso and taper
down to our wrists and ankles. Straight
legs work great for a workbench and sup-
ply a built-in square reference surface, but
to my eye a straight leg pulls the life out
of a chair or table design.
But how much taper is called for? Too
Natural inspiration. As this anatomy study by
much and the profile can have a stiletto Leonardo da Vinci illustrates, human legs natu-
look that even appears structurally com- ally taper from thick to thin – the same approach
promised. Too little and the leg looks often appeals on furniture.
lead photo courtesy of lie-nielsen toolworks
Progressive tapers. Sneak up on the right taper; you can trust
your eye to proportion this.
static. I drew up the series of table legs
above to illustrate. On the left is a straight
leg followed by a series of tapered legs.
Which looks most pleasing to you? Here’s
how much each leg is actually reduced:
A – Straight
B – Reduced by a fifth
C – Reduced by a third
D – Reduced by half
E – Reduced by three quarters
I’ve looked at taper on a large number of
built examples and regardless of whether
they are simple or an elaborately turned or
carved profile, most actually fall into a nar-
row band. They often reduce by one-third,
one-half or slightly less than one-half. By
that I mean they might be 2" at the top and
11 ⁄ 8" at bottom, or 11 ⁄ 2" at top and 13 ⁄16"
on the bottom. This is a helpful starting
point to keep in mind when designing legs,
regardless of whether they are turned or
square in cross section.
Another source that offers some insight
on taper in a vertical element is a classic
order. A classic order is an ancient form
used in the construction of temples con-
sisting of a column and a support structure
above it. The lower third of the column
remains constant, then begins to taper
inward. Actually it curves in very gradu-
ally. This reduction in diameter probably
echoes the natural tapering in the tree
trunks first used in primitive construc-
tion. Usually the column is one-sixth
smaller at the top than at the base.
Although furniture legs often taper in
the opposite direction, getting smaller
toward the floor, it’s important to note
that a simple taper prevents a vertical ele-
ment from becoming static and lifeless. As
always, take this knowledge and look at
built work. File away in your mind what
appeals to you as well as what doesn’t. If
anything, it’s more common to see a design
illustrations above & chair photo by the author
Thickness. Which of these legs looks most pleasing to your eye?
lacking because legs are made too massive.
A flag goes up for me when I see a design
where the legs look a bit like they’ve been
popping steroids.
Application
When sketching up a design, it helps to
at least begin with a leg envelope that
meshes with the overall form. I try to
establish both the largest cross section
and the taper. To avoid making the legs
too massive, I start on the small side with
a cross section just able to support the load
then bump it up until it starts to gel with
the overall mass, as shown above in the
“Thickness” illustration.
If you’re not confident in your own eye,
try this exercise. Sketch out your design
with a series of legs that go from thin to
bulky. Ask yourself which is too thin to
your eye and which is too heavy. You’ll sur-
prise yourself with how a leg in between
these two meshes with the overall piece.
With the mass of the leg established, rough
Nice legs. Tapers and curves are combined on
the legs of this Windsor chair to add movement
and visual interest.
Subtle but effective. The col-
umn on this Corinthian order
tapers gently from bottom to
top by 1⁄6 of its diameter.
in the taper. Start with a taper that reduces
by at least a third and bump it further if
necessary. Once that suits your eye, you
can turn to detailing the leg.
At this point there are many options.
You can add some curvature; it can be
turned or carved. But establishing that
envelope gives you a good jumping-off
spot. You may just build a force of nature,
something that comes to be known rever-
ently in your house as “the chair.” PWM
George is the author of the DVDs “Unlocking the Secrets
of Traditional Design” and “Unlocking the Secrets of
Design: Moldings“ both from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
u Go Online for more …
You’ll find links to all these online extras at:
u popularwoodworking.com/dec10
blog: Read more Design Matters on George
R. Walker’s blog.
blog: Read about Editor Christopher
Schwarz’s visit to George R. Walker’s shop.
in our store: George R. Walker’s DVDs.
All of our products are available online at:
u WoodworkersBookShop.com
About This Column
If you have a thirst to hone your creative
skills, Design Matters dives into the basics of
proportions, forms, contrast and composition
to give you the skill to
tackle furniture design
challenges with confi-
dence.
popularwoodworking.com ■
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