Nicole Kujawa, Furniture Design Portfolio

Nicole Kujawa, Furniture Designer

A compassionate designer committed to problem solving, designing and developing sustainable products. My process begins with research, from consumer demographics, and competitive markets, to trends and innovation. My educational background has enriched my design sensibilities through understanding historic furniture ornamentation and proportions. My working experiences have given me skills to develop products with global partners, and thoughtfully design into capabilities. The following work represents projects that I feel were successful for both

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Nicole Kujawa nicolekujawa.design@gmail.com 517.599.3329 1941 W. Evergreen Ave 3F Chicago, IL 60622

A compassionate designer committed to problem solving, designing and developing sustainable products. Employment Upholstery, Furniture Designer Interior Define October 2021 – November 2022 ● Research current trends in the home and lifestyle market. ● Immersive competitive and aspirational research to develop design briefs. ● Create new concepts for upholstered products in the occasional, dining, and bedroom categories. ● Taking concepts through sketching, modeling and rendering to create compelling visuals to present cross functionally . ● Value engineering. ● Product development through rounds of edits and direct communication with factories. ● Worked remotely. Furniture Designer Sauder Woodworking July 2017 – October 2021 ● Ideating and developing product within restraints of cost and material capabilities. (RTA & KD) ● Developed residential and commercial grade products. ● Leading projects from conceptualization to commercialization. ● Researching the market and industry trends, translating learnings into concepts. ● Travel to global design shows to create trend reports to help generate product briefs. ● Travel to Asia to review products, and make design edits on location. ● Proactively designing with focus on innovation and the future consumer. ● Help create and maintain internal processes to have concepts and proactive work built full scale. ● Help build and maintain sample libraries for department use and reference. Intern, Furniture Designer Redhead Furniture November 2015 – November 2016 ● Designed for collections of occasional tables and accent pieces. ● Produced renderings of product or detailed components for presentations. ● Worked remotely. Intern, Furniture Design Kindel Furniture, Grand Rapids June 2015 - August 2015 ● Altered existing product in CAD and sketches for custom orders ● Organized material library ● Detailed existing archival pieces focused on digital recreation of carved ornamentation. Work Study Kendall College of Art & Design, Grand Rapids September 2012 - December 2015 ● Helped maintain, organize, and document KCAD’s historical furniture collection. ● Maintained digital portfolios of all student work. ● Assisted teachers with classroom prep and furniture related events. Education Kendall College of Art & Design, Grand Rapids, MI Furniture Design, BFA- Diploma - May 2017 ● Received Celia Moh Full-ride Scholarship for Furniture Design students 2016 - 2017 Skills ● Digital sketching. Autodesk Sketchbook as my preferred application. ● CAD, Rhino, Keyshot, Photoshop, Sketchup, MIRO. ● Google Drive/Docs, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Asana, Clarizen, Trello. ● Strong communication among domestic and import product development teams. ● Building work relationships through trust, vulnerability, and humor. ● Presenting and sharing new ideas in a physical and remote setting. ● Create an environment that encourages collaboration. ● Product/collection development and management. ● Time management in a fast-paced environment. ● Drawing perspective, elevation, and detailed views, and rapid ideation.

Fiona Sofa Collection Based on the growing trend of sculptural silhouettes in the home industry, I designed an accent collection with elements of curvature. Typically this look can come off as a bit eccentric, so I felt it was necessary to ensure that this collection was approachable, so consumers can feel comfortable jumping into a bold trend. Below are some early ideation sketches, elevations of the final design after a few rounds of updates, and those 3 items rendered below.

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Updated Traditional Upholstery Accents Current lifestyle and interior trends are leaning into an eclectic and timeless aesthetic. In order to create products that can integrate into this style, it is important to understand context of historic design to create a sense of familiarity. I designed these accent chairs based on classic silhouettes, with details that give them an updated look. Whether that be simplified curves, unconventional welt placement, and am emphasis on full soft forms that emulate comfort. Below are initial concept sketches with their final version rendered below.

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Transitional French Occasional For the past several years, the farmhouse aesthetic has been a prevalent trend. This collection is a response to farmhouse, but with a fresh take as more refined than rustic. Bright natural finishes paired with a French country aesthetic, this collection embodies the charm of heirloom furniture. Giving consumers pieces to create the relaxed look they desire, but with a modern twist.

Creating Iterations Designing within price and material limitations has its obstacles, and it’s important to foresee potential challenges. Above are examples of the same case with different features and storage in order to cost out multiple variations and have options.

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Urban Gardening Accents The ever growing trend of home gardening has presented opportunities to create solutions within the home. Designing furniture that can accommodate plant life requires attention to detail while still leaving room for versatility. While this project was born out of the houseplant trend, these pieces offer a wide range of home solutions. Whether it be entry, bathroom, or closet, these designs allow consumers to display their personal items in a creative way.

Concept sketches

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