(X-Post from /r/Furniture) How do I find a manufacturer for my design?

Sorry if this has been posted ad nauseam, but a quick search didn’t pull up any threads asking this question.

 

I’m educated and practicing as an architect and have no formal training in furniture design but have always been interested in it. I have a few design ideas rattling around in my head, some that require digital fabrication (CNC machine) and some that are more traditional methods of manufacturing. What I’d like to know is how one goes about getting a design made on a large scale. I can figure out how to make a prototype at a local shops but once I get those made, how do I then lease off the design to a furniture manufacturer and distributor? Is it better to go to trade shows with a series of designs or just submit my fabricated designs to blogs and websites to get ‘discovered’? Or is it best to just go straight to them and see if they buy my idea? I understand that this can be a case by case instance and depends solely on how GRANDLY i want my design distributed.

 

Has anyone had experience with getting a piece mass produced?

 

TL;DR: How do I make my furniture designs into a reality and produce them on a large scale?

I live in the Chicago area, if that helps

Great design resource

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