Omah

Multifunctional rattan furniture as an export product for the millennial generation in the United States

2019

Finalist of International Furniture Competition Indonesia Furniture Industry & Handicraft Association

Role

Industrial product designer

Timeline

2 months

Tools

Inventor & Corel Draw

Reading time

3 min read

Overview

This product was made in order to take part in the International Furniture & Craft Design Competition held by Asmindo (Indonesian Furniture and Craft Industry Association). This product was selected as a finalist in this competition and was included in the 2019 Trade Expo Indonesia.

The Challenge

Assessment of furniture design includes aesthetics, ergonomics, functional, innovative, market-oriented, anthropometric, and feasible to produce.

Approach

The process of making the product goes through a process of research, design and production by local rattan and furniture craftsmen (Gresik and Surabaya).

Output

Multifunctional "Omah" furniture using rattan and multiplex materials. This product can be used as a medium for storing goods or as a desk or decorative table.

Outcome

"Omah" was exhibited at the 2019 Trade Expo Indonesia at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE), Tangerang, Banten

Market Research

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Country

In 2017, according to the Head of Foreign Trade Section Edi Widodo, several European countries experienced a decline in the value of their exports but for the United States experienced an increase of USD 2 million. Indonesia is the number 7 furniture supplier in the US furniture market (US$ 562 million). This shows that America is one of the right markets for Indonesian furniture.

Market Research

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US Demographics and Market Trends

The trend that is happening in the United States is the decline in residential ownership and people prefer to live in apartments.

Households with one (single) family member are also increasing. Based on generation segmentation, the boomer generation wants to live comfortably at home and enjoy old age, while the millennial generation is forming a family.

The need for furniture can be formulated as follows:

  • Reasonably priced furniture

  • The demand for multifunctional and compact furniture is increasing

  • Consumer interest in furniture that can help and facilitate daily activities is increasing

  • Furniture sales have been affected by the rise of e-commerce

Market Research

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Target Users

The generation that buys the most furniture is the millennial generation, even though the costs incurred are the lowest compared to other generations. However, the generation that spends the most money on buying furniture is the boomers generation

The target user for making furniture this time is the millennial generation in the United States

Market Research

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Color

The color selection comes from one of the 2018 color trend categories by Azka Nobel. The selected category is "The Comforting Home". This category is applied because it describes the comfort of living in the house.

This aims to make consumers feel more comfortable in carrying out their activities when using the product.

Omah is a multifunctional wardrobe product that can be used as storage, work table, decorated table, study table, or dining table. Omah can also be used as a choice of furniture for residences with quite limited land as a new choice for storage cabinets. Omah is made of rattan material which has the advantage of being able to be curved.

Design Highlights

Design Implementation

Leason Learned

  • Omah is the first product that I made for the foreign market. During the process of making Omah, I learned a lot about material properties, production processes and communication with craftsmen. There needs to be clear communication between designers and craftsmen to produce products according to the wishes of the craftsmen.

  • Sometimes, the production process does not run smoothly so that we as designers have to adjust to the availability of materials and the ability of craftsmen.

  • After going through several stages, Omah was selected as a finalist who had the opportunity to take part in the 2019 Trade Expo Indonesia. When attending the exhibition, foreigners from German offered this product to buy. However, this product cannot be purchased because it is still in the competition phase. This shows that this product has been interested by the intended foreign market segment.

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in Jember