A Study on the Concept of Emotional Function in Furniture Design -Focused on the Analysis of Contemporary Art Furniture-

가구 디자인에 있어서 감성적 기능의 개념에 대한 연구 -현대 아트퍼니처 작품분석을 중심으로-

This article aimed at broadening the view on 'the concept of function' in furniture design. In this context, we argued that the established concept of furniture function has confined itself to the rational perspective, so that the emotional action and influence of furniture hardly regarded as an important issue in furniture design, and this has been a hinderance to multidirectional discussions on the meaning of furniture in our life. Starting from the investigation on the basis that forms the different dimensions of our experience of furniture, we clarified that we should view the meaning of furniture within a wider sphere where the actions of furniture on our perceptional, behavioral, and emotional levels are inclusively considered. In this light, 'emotional function' of furniture was defined as a concept that explains a multidimensional action of furniture, which leads creative aesthetic experience which enrich the interplays between designer, furniture, and user. The feasibility of the concept has been examined by an analysis on the characteristics of contemporary Art Furniture, which is experimental approaches towards various aesthetic values of art and design. In order to realize emotional function of furniture, furniture should become an experiment for the new perception and emotion; invite more of the user's interplay and action in the meaning-making process; and arouse emotional echoes and reflections within user's mind.