Sketchup and the Art of Reverse Engineering

I'm sure that at one time or another we've all seen something, either online or in the store, that we would love to have in our home. That is until the price tag is found.  Ouch!  Which leaves us with the alternative of making it yourself.  So what I'd like to do is walk through the process of creating a sketchup plan of a piece of furniture, and to give you some insights into the thought process that goes on during the design stages.

Usually I find inspiration online, either from a site like Ana's, or more frequently from websites that sell furniture.  Most websites will have two or three pictures of an item and some overall measurements.  Some will have additional details about the size of drawers or shelves etc.  These can be helpful but aren't required.  Generally I will save a couple pictures of the item and copy and print out any dimensions given to refer to as I'm designing.  I like to use a precision and length snapping of 1/4" or 1/8" for creating most things.  Using 16ths can be annoying as it is too sensitive.

For our example I've chosen this buffet from PB: http://www.potterybarn.com/pro.....lk-buffet/

So where to begin sketching?  Sketchup does have a feature that allows you to draw on top of a photo, but I find it easier to work through things logically, step by step.  I've found that for most pieces it's easiest to start at the top.  The overall dimensions give us all of the top's width and length and PB tells us the thickness, so sketch that and make it a component.  Now if we didn't have the thickness we would have to guess based on standard lumber sizes, either 3/4" or 1-1/2".  3/4" looks a little too thin.   Because we know the overall dimensions, we know how high the top sits above the floor (35") so move it there.  Next up is the legs.  Looking at the legs they are pretty substantial, a 4x4 will do nicely for the front legs. And because we know where the underside of the top is we now know how long the legs need to be. (33") 

Basically this is the whole process in a nutshell:

1. Draw what you know.
2. Infer from what you know for the next piece.
3. Try and use common lumber dimensions to keep things simple.
4. Don't be afraid to change things. 
5. When in doubt sketch it out.

There will be times where it is necessary to make changes to the design to work with the sizes of wood you have available. (unless you have a table saw)  As long as you stay within the overall dimensions given, the piece will have the same feel as the original, even if some of the proportions are different.  I will try to add to this as I have time or I think of things that would be helpful.   

I welcome any questions and feel free to add your own tips/strategies.  I certainly am not an expert.