THE LANA RANGE
The Lana range was designed for major UK retailer Next. The brief they set was specific in wanting a range of painted MDF furniture that was “luxury on a budget”. The key aspect to this project was the competitor research. Next had identified this as a gap in their market and were looking to be more competitive with other retailers like John Lewis that already had successful ranges. Having worked on the Harvard range at John Lewis, the starting point was finding a way to change this range drastically for another retailer but keep the same key points for success.
The Lana range contains a sideboard, drinks cabinet, coffee table and side table with a position to expand the range into a secretary desk for customers working from home. The design features an overset door front, with a retro-style grooved pattern, and rounded brass fittings. The curvaceous nature of the overset doors and the brass fittings juxtaposes the sharp corners on the top of the cabinets, giving the design balance and enhancing the retro feel to this range.
Design for a Lana storage secretary desk
The products in the Lana range are manufactured from MDF board with a painted finish – suggested in a light grey or light pink colourway. Optionally, a grain pattern could be pressed into the surface of the MDF prior to painting to give the impression of a painted wooden board. The brass effect fittings are manufactured from mild steel with a liquid gold coating. The products are semi knock-down, with the legs and cabinet able to be detached and able to be attached to the cabinet with countersunk machine screws and wooden inserts from below – meaning they cannot be seen when the products are in place. A particularly versatile range, the design possibilities for new products are endless.