Course summary

Discover the latest innovations in sustainable furniture design and making, using the latest equipment, methods and approaches that are informed by history. On this contemporary degree, craft skills meet new cutting-edge technology. This combination means you’ll develop the practical skills you need to inspire and create future developments, whilst exploring materials and key design principles informed by cultural contexts. Why study at BNU? With a history of delivering specialist craft, art and design education for more than 130 years, Buckinghamshire New University is the perfect place to grow into an expert pioneer and designer and start your creative career. Situated in High Wycombe, our town’s rich history in furniture design and making influences our tradition design methods and contemporary teaching. This interdisciplinary approach, and our university Chancellor being the renowned Furniture Designer and Restorer, Jay Blades MBE, makes this course strictly unique. Delivered by our experienced teaching team who boast a wealth of experience within the furniture design and making, product design, modelmaking and design visualisation industry. As industry-professionals, you’ll benefit from their industry insight and connections, gaining direct access to guest lectures, live project briefs, master classes, and plenty of networking opportunities. Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in both your first and second year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers. What facilities can I use? You’ll undertake computer-aided design within our 3D CAD suites, as well as having access to workshop facilities where you’ll produce 3D models, fully working prototypes, computer models and finished pieces. Here you’ll be able to experiment with a range of different materials including wood, metal and mixed media, developing traditional hand skills and utilising the latest CNC techniques and machines. What will I learn? This course is also offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme. This course embeds furniture design and devising innovating approaches and practices to reflect the exciting developments that define the contemporary furniture industry today. At the core of this degree is skills and understanding of techniques, materials, historical and cultural contexts, sustainable design and developing a professional profile. By working through sequences of contemporary and interdisciplinary projects, you will acquire a wide range of creative and technical skills which enable you to complete design projects from concept to final presentation, and help you become a ground-breaking practitioner of furniture design. You’ll also develop your understanding of the impact of technology and the wider social, and political and environmental issues impacting the design and production industries today. As well as this you’ll learn about the requirements needed to operate as a sole trader. In your cohort you will work with other students from related 3D Design programmes where there is benefit from sharing common modules. This will enhance your learning experience and enable participation in a wide set of opportunities to strengthen your knowledge and skills, producing a versatile and responsive graduate suitable to adapting to changing future facing demands.