 Sustainable Furniture Design for Rural Tourist Accommodation Inspired by the Heritage of IstriaDanijela Domljan,
Nikola Lukež and
Zoran Vlaović ()
Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-30 Abstract: Rural tourism is closely linked to a local’s tradition, identity, and cultural heritage. When staying in a specific tourist destination, a modern tourist expects a complete experience of the destination. Experience is necessary in rural tourist accommodation where guests can feel the local culture, nature, gastronomy, environment, and heritage. However, what about the interior design of the accommodation facility and the furniture design that will provide a rural and at the same time modern atmosphere? The paper aims to explore the traditional heritage, culture, indigenous elements, and ornamentation of rural artifacts of Istria, a region in Croatia, to propose a conceptual design of functional contemporary furniture for furnishing the living room in tourist accommodation. The furniture collection, with visual and artistic elements, surface treatment, construction, and selected sustainable materials and ornamentation, aims to brand the indigenous rural Istrian heritage, while at the same time combines an innovative contemporary expression. The research is divided into two stages: the first stage was conducted during field research using photography, observation, and interview methods, and the collected data from this stage served as inspiration for designing a furniture collection in the second stage. The second stage uses the cyclical method of the creative process to design new sustainable furniture concept, consisting of a table, stool, chest of drawers, and coffee table, which form a collection in the tourist interior environment. This furniture design model that uses original heritage to brand the rural environment and increase the attractiveness of accommodation in rural areas could be applied to other locations so tourists can fully experience the rural area they visit and achieve experiential, relaxed holidays and amenities, thus supporting the sustainable development of rural tourist destinations. The practical implications of this research have yet to be confirmed. It is desirable to investigate the impact and satisfaction of users in such designed interiors and confirm such a concept. This will require the engagement of architects and designers and hotel accommodation owners, as well as and the support of economic entities, local authorities, and the government, who need to systematically change the ways of branding rural values to achieve a holistic approach to the tourism offer. Keywords: furniture design; wood products; tourist accommodation interiors; rural tourism; tradition; heritage; brand; sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:4:p:1415-:d:1587111 Access Statistics for this article Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu More articles in Sustainability from MDPI |
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