Furniture Design

Course

The furniture industry is undergoing profound transformation and therefore companies are reconsidering their product ranges, presence in international market, distribution channels, and product and brand communication. All this requires a strong upgrading of the skills of designers and their ability to relate to added value building.

The Master in Furniture Design is based on the capacity of Italian companies, working in the furniture industry, to use design as a fundamental lever of competitive advantage and a structural element of corporate culture.

So, the core of the program is focused on the knowledge generated from the advantageous relationships instilled between the Italian production system and the network of professions involved in design.

The Master sets its cultural roots in the “Italian model” of rapport between enterprise and design, while also aiming to develop new knowledge in innovation that responds to the challenges posed by technological, social and market changes.

The program’s structure takes on a systemic vision of the role of design in the furniture industry – teaming new fields of interest to the traditional focus on product development – along with the growing importance of brands and its tangible and intangible elements of expression.

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Training objectives

The aim of the Master in Furniture Design is to provide designers with specialized skills in the field of furniture design, teaching them to respond to the changes and transformations occurring in the industry’s production systems and markets by using the most advanced relationship models of integrating the product development processes with market dynamics and technological advancements.

Furthermore, the program seeks to complete the training of professionals in industry working in R&D, marketing and brand management departments and provide them with the ability to understand and manage design as a lever of competitive advantage.

The course is primarily intended for those already with work experience in the furniture industry and in related fields seeking to: complete their training, expand their knowledge base and understand the dynamics of an advanced relationship model between design, culture and productive systems.

Didactic Plan

The program is delivered through company visits, lectures, testimonials, case studies and project work according to the following teaching modules:
1. Design and Manufacturing Processes: the main production models, technology and their relationship with design skills are introduced, providing students with a wide panorama of the diverse product typologies and technological matrixes of the furniture industry.
2. Product Design: the module focuses on the many phases of the design process, from need and opportunity exploration to conceptual solution definition and from product development to engineering. The objective of the course is to provide students with vertical and transversal abilities through the development of projects that start with a brief provided directly by companies supporting the educational program of the Master.
3. Design, Brand Direction and Communication: the module introduces design direction and management principles by linking brand positioning and identity with supply management and brand expression (brand positioning and architecture, product portfolio strategies, brand presence at point of sales, etc.). The course aims also to introduce strategies and tools for managing media and digital distribution channels.
4. Retail, Service and Exhibition Design: the module introduces issues in retail (channel typologies, presence formats, etc.), point of sale organization (layout, etc.), user experience (service and experience design) and integration between the tangible and digital dimension. The course also introduces the principles of display and product styling, as well as exhibition design.
5. Intership: 350 hours of professionalizing projects or 350 hours of curriculum internships at companies and professional studios, with the aim of experimenting and expanding the skills acquired during the Master in the world of work.

Didactic Modules

Portfolio Empowerment
Pitch and presentation strategies
Empowerment
3D modeling and rendering
Free Hand Sketching
Introduction to Italian Design, Technologies and Materials
Italian Furniture Design and Manufacturing
Ideation and Concept Design
Sketch modeling
New Product Development
Product Engineering
Design for sostenability and Design for circular economy
Design for manufacturing
Shapes, Surfaces and Colours
Design and Brand Drection
Digital Media and E-Commerce
Retail, Service and Exhibition Design
Curricular internship or Project Work

Title Released

Students, after the final examination, will achieve the 1st level Specializing Master in Furniture design. Learning from the Italian experience diploma will be issued, with the related achievement of 60 CFU/ECTS.

Employment Opportunities

The master seeks to train international designers for companies and design studios working in the international market, in Italyand abroad. The program trains students for the following roles in the Furniture Industry:

• R&D Managers;
• Designers or Leaders of Product Development Teams;
• Product Engineers or technical experts in the design of furnishing elements;
• Product Portfolio Managers;
• Design Managers or Art/Design Directors;
• Communication and Brand Managers.

Admission

Requirements

Applicants must hold a Bachelor or Master Degree in Architecture, Industrial Design, Engineering, Economics or Scientific Disciplines (Chemistry, Informatics, Physics). International students will be evaluated based on equivalent degrees in their home countries.

Applications will be evaluated by the Commission of the Master Course and be made based on the following: CV; final graduating grade; professional experience evaluation; and knowledge of the English language. Final acceptance could require an interview.

The formal evaluation of the study title eligibility is by Politecnico di Milano. As a consequence the formal application should be done on the website www.polimi.it (the steps are described in the following weblink).

In particular, the steps that you will have to follow are those mentioned from page 1 to page 8 (by clicking on the following link you will find yourself directly in the same page shown on guidelines).

Deadlines

To participate in the selections you must fill out the online application form by the following deadlines:

• EU/ Non-EU who graduated in Italy / EU citizens with qualification gained abroad by May 04th, 2025;

• Non-EU citizens who graduated abroad by April 04th, 2025.

Price

The cost of the Specializing Master is 15.500 € Exempt from VAT under Article 10 of DPR 633/72. (15.000 € participation fee + 500 € registration fee at Politecnico di Milano).

PROMO

EARLY BIRD: -10%

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FAMILY SUPPORT: -50%

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POLI.NETWORK: -50%

A promotion designed to strengthen the bond and identity among members of the Politecnico di Milano community.

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Faculty

The specializing master is entrusted to a highly qualified faculty, composed of teachers from the Politecnico di Milano, industry professionals and experts coming from the business world.

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