One of the most important tasks of a designer is envisioning the future by challenging convention. In order for innovation and progress to happen in a product space, we must be capable of looking at what is, and imagining what can be. Through my education and practice I have trained my mind to stay plastic, and I feel a personal responsibility to help others remain flexible in their thinking and open to new ways of being. The following objects address this topic of reimagining archetypes.

3:1 challenges the nesting table archetype with three unique pieces that intersect in three dimensions. Comprised of sheet steel and finished in an electro-static powder-coating, 3:1 functions as a single cube or as three distinct side tables. Previous to this piece, the expectation for nesting tables is that they must be like a Russian Doll: scaled versions of identical pieces that slide into each other from one direction. My personal design brief was to make distinct forms that intersect three-dimensionally. The high-contrast colors were chosen to not only complement each contemporary form, but so that each piece can stand both alone or alongside each other in any environment with equal strength.

3:1  2010
Powder-coated steel.
W 18   D 18   H 18

In design, innovation is often led by a material or technological breakthrough. 45–a multi-purpose LED lighting object comprised of powder-coated aluminum–is designed as the optimal housing for a new technology at the time, LED strip light. By taking advantage of the extremely thin physical characteristics of LED strip, 45 was designed to capitalize on the characteristics unique to this new form of light. Rather than following the archetype of a traditional lighting object-eg. table lamp, floor lamp, sconce–the intent of 45 was to create the most compelling, and functional object possible, with its form deriving from discovering the simplest way for a closed object to lean against a surface with stability. Depending on the positioning of the triangle, the user can achieve various qualities and scales of light. Using the wall as its reflector, 45 becomes less about the materiality of the object and more of an adjustable frame of light and space.

45  2011
Powder-coated aluminum, LED.
W/H  41, 82 D .5, .625

F/G, standing for Figure/Ground, explores the concept of an object creating its own environment; a figure creating ground. Rather than being passive to particular lighting conditions in a space, F/G––using diffuse light emitted from its structure––helps define the context it lives in. Lighting plays a critical role in the perception of an object; museums and galleries provide great examples of this. If an object or painting is under-lit or not lit at all, its importance and perceived value is greatly diminished. By simply placing a spotlight on something, value is created. Furnitures and non-lighting objects are typically powerless to the context in which they are placed. F/G takes the familiar and comforting form of a side chair, and creates its own environment, empowering itself with light.

F/G  2015
Powder-coated aluminum, LED.
W 16   D 16   H 29.5

Comprised of powder-coated steel rod, ROVER is a multi-functional, roaming, living-object. Inspired by tumbleweed, ROVER is designed to freely traverse the landscape of an architectural space. Home objects and furniture are typically considered as static. When mobile, the simplicity and integrity of an object can become compromised by the addition of the most common solution: wheels or casters. I aimed to create an object that energizes space around it, which is designed to be moved around and re-positioned within a living environment, activated by objects around it such as books or magazines, and turned into a side table or rack.

ROVER  2015
Powder-coated steel.
W 22   D 22   H 22

UV is composed of ultraviolet LED‘s, powder-coated aluminum, and woven nylon thread. The flexible nylon thread that suspends UV on a wall creates its composition, reacting to the ultraviolet light projected from below. This reaction enables the thread to become its own light source, emitting a soft orange glow. The challenge of this design was how to demonstrate the seemingly magical powers of ultraviolet light–which enables reactive materials to glow–in an essential way. The nylon thread, which reacts to ultraviolet light, is both the means by which the object is hung, as well as the composition. In its resulting form, UV references a picture frame hung with no picture, where the interest is in the method of hanging itself.

UV  2016
Powder-coated aluminum, nylon thread, LED.
W 27  D .5  H 13.5

Comprised of weathered timbers and smoked glass, DRIFT combines minimal form with a depth of material. Adhering to my own design principles, I aimed to create a coffee table that activated the space around it–by activate, I mean as opposed to rectilinear forms that do not push and pull space around it. Starting with an asymmetrical form for the top, I additionally wanted to challenge structural norms. By shifting the proportions of the top, I was able to craft a base, made solely of two timbers, which only supports the four-cornered top at three points. This innovation of support allows for a free-floating, cantilevered corner, which both activates space around the objects as well as allows space to flow in and under the piece.

DRIFT  2012
Weathered American cypress wood, glass, lacquer.
W 59   D 37   H 11

DIP is a weathered American cypress stool and side table with rubber-dipped feet. Alongside BONE and LAB, DIP embraces the beauty of the material with its stripped-down construction in attempt to create sophistication out of modesty. Additionally, the textured surface eliminates the high-maintenance of a perfect wood product by allowing nicks and dings to be embraced as enhancements. Once assembled, the stools are put through a sandblasting process where the less dense grain of the cypress wood is eroded away, giving the pieces a textured surface depth. The feet of the stools are dipped in a liquid rubber compound with a dual purpose of protecting the feet and floor, as well as providing necessary material and color compliment and to the otherwise raw cypress wood. In order to achieve structural stability without cross-bracing, the joints are reinforced with small, dense tenon pieces which span between the legs and top.

DIP  2012
Weathered American cypress wood, rubber, lacquer.
W 16   D 13.5   H 18

BONE is a weathered American cypress lounge chair. The piece aims to challenge notions of value by making something primitive sophisticated. BONE is formed from simple materials, while using basic wood-joining techniques. Every joint is a simple butt-joint, and the success of the piece relies almost solely on the resolution of proportion. Once the form is composed, the entire piece is put through a sandblasting process where the less-dense channels of wood grain are eroded away, giving the piece a three-dimensional texture. The chair is finished in a black aniline dye and clear-coat lacquer.

BONE  2013
American cypress wood, dye, lacquer.
W 26.5   D 24   H 16/26

LAB is a pure exercise in minimalism and efficiency in design. Made from weathered American cypress, LAB is formed from a single board of wood cut into three pieces––two of which are identical––then notched and slid together. With a manipulation as simple as creating slight angles on one edge of the stock 14” cypress board, the table goes from a simple slotted construction, to a balanced and refined piece. The cypress wood is sandblasted, which erodes the less-dense grain away from the board, giving the material a three-dimensional quality, adding visual and tactile interest. LAB is finishing in black aniline dye which, with its dark, consistent tone, further accentuates the three-dimensionality of the material.

LAB  2013
Weathered American cypress wood, dye, lacquer.
W 13    D 20.5    H 19.5