As being an interface designer working in an agency, I wrote this article from my very own perspective but I bet there are a lot of similarities to other jobs. So, in my case, I spend most of my time designing digital products. Of course I’m always looking forward to see them online and utilized by different users. But unfortunately, I noticed that I might miss something throughout this situation — the very special feeling of creating something tangible; something that I can hold in my hand at the end of the day. In order to find my own balance, I started building furniture a few years ago. I’d like to share some thoughts about why I think you should also try to do so.

We live in an era where a lot of things get more complex. The surface of everyday products may get simpler but just because of that functional aspects evolve even more abstract. Most of the time it is impossible to repair something by yourself, like our parents used to, which is unsatisfying and a little scary, as well. While loosing our independence step by step, we develop a recollection to handmade products and manufactures that arrive on the scene, again. Because we are aware of what it takes to really create products with our own hands, it retrieves our respect for the thing itself. Part of this movement is the DIY trend which expresses our need for recovering control. Building a piece of furniture is an appropriate example because basically everyone could do it. If you own a cordless screwdriver and a saw, then you might already own everything you need. The rest is a tiny dose of mathematics and a basic understanding for three-dimensionality. There is a vast spectrum of difficulty: From simple shelfs to complex multifunctional furniture systems. The learning curve is steep and the sky is the limit, as always.