DigitalNC is happy to welcome our new partner, the American Society of Furniture Designers (ASFD) and the first batch of items from their collection.

ASFD was founded in 1981 as an international, non-profit professional organization. It is dedicated to supporting professional furniture design and and its positive impact on the market. The society took root in High Point, NC, with the first meeting held at the Bienenstock Furniture Library.

One feature, in the scrapbooks and images, is the work of O.B. Solie. Solie was a furniture designer who created unique sketches depicting new concepts for pieces. He intended his designs to inspire the field to be more creative and embrace current events into their everyday work. From wildlife to the space program, Solie incorporated popular news and media concepts into sofas, beds, and even bathtubs. The “Sportsofa,” pictured above, reflects the popularity of Japanese vehicles during the 1980s. You can also see some of the realized versions of these cartoons in the article “Interiors With O.B. Solie.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, this batch contains a wide variety of unique material including photos, newsletters, conference proceedings, images, press information, and memorabilia. See the links below for a few feature items from these formats:

Scrapbooks containing articles, bulletins, and photographs:

• American Society of Furniture Designers Memorabilia [1982-1985]
• American Society of Furniture Designers Memorabilia [1985-1990]
• American Society of Furniture Designers Memorabilia [1990-1997]
• American Society of Furniture Designers Memorabilia [1997-2002]
• American Society of Furniture Designers Memorabilia [2001-2005]
• American Society of Furniture Designers Scrapbook [2004-2006]

Newsletters (see all newsletters and dates at this link):

• Designer’s Forum
• ASFD Bulletin [February 1998]
• Pinnacle: The Journal of the American Society of Furniture Designers [July 2006]

Other unique memorabilia:

• Bird’s Eye View of Modernism, Post-Modernism, and New Wave Proceedings
• Newspaper Clippings Concerning the American Society of Furniture Designers
• Magazine Clippings Concerning the American Society of Furniture Designers [1982-1996]

To learn more about ASFD, please visit the website. To view all of the new items now available on DigitalNC, please visit the contributor page.