JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2017, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (03): 162-170.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-2006.2016611056

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Stratums characteristics of metal furniture design in the Republic of China by a synthetic method of grounded theory and structural modeling

ZHANG Yingquan1, 2,WU Zhihui1*   

  1. 1.College of Furnishings and Industrial Design, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China;
    2. Academy of Art, Jinling Institute of Technology,Nanjing 211169, China
  • Online:2017-06-18 Published:2017-06-18

Abstract: 【Objective】The bottleneck of a lack of relevant messages and scientific methods for investigating metal furniture design in the Republic of China(MFDRC)was overcome to analyze the style and stratum characteristics of metal furniture design in MFDRC. 【Method】Some useful information was mined from the films of MFDRC, and a synthetic method of the grounded theory(GT)along with structural modeling was created for the study. 【Result】 The results of a three-level GT coding by employing this method were obtained as follows. First, the MFDRC problem was divided into four subsystems-economic specifications, culture-art, ideological-functions, and industry-proximity. The stratum differences and proximities of the four subsystems were investigated, based on the environmental background, product demand, and design supply, to form the primary GT coding. Secondly, some variables describing the stratum characteristics of MFDRC were abstracted from the above analysis results to establish a system of variables, initial structural model, and adjacent matrix successively, to form the secondary GT coding. Finally, an ordered normative hierarchical structural model was built by using a structural modeling method based on the adjacent matrix to form the tertiary GT coding. 【Conclusion】The functioning mechanisms of the stratums’ differences and proximities, and their backgrounds were obtained according to the model, which gave some beneficial insights into contemporary furniture design.

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