If you want to explore the long tail of furniture design, a new service called OpenDesk is worth investigating — it’s a crowd-sourced database of downloadable furniture designs as well as a network of craftspeople that can build that furniture for you. While there aren’t many pieces of furniture available yet, there’s a lot you can do if you find a piece you’re interested in. If you’re a professional with access to a CNC machine and suitable tools, you can fabricate and build your own pieces based on these designs. Fortunately, those without the skills or tools to completely build their own furniture have other options. You can either receive “raw,” sawn materials that you can then finish and build into completed furniture, or you can get an IKEA-style “flatpack” of finished pieces that you can assemble yourself.
via The Verge
