Coil + Drift

New York, coilanddrift.com
Coil + Drift’s John Sorensen-Jolink was a modern dancer for 10 years before turning to design, and a choreographer’s sense of movement informs the studio’s instantly iconic pieces — not to mention the way they are presented. A suite of lighting made from translucent glass hoops, which debuted earlier this year, set a new tone for the traditionally wood-based studio and is a harbinger of things to come.

What is American design to you, and what excites you about it?

American design is a growing constellation of independent studios attempting to make boundary-pushing contemporary objects that reflect their unique histories. It’s a flexible and growing community of designers who are living and creating in the age of the internet, finding solutions to problems of originality and saturation by communicating with and supporting one another. 

What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? 

This spring, Coil + Drift will step outside the confines of the traditional trade show context to launch a new, lighting-only collection inside a performative domestic environment. The presentation will take place for one week in May and will include durational performances exploring the word reflection. Following this we will begin to introduce an assortment of home accessories, include a hardware collection and a family of ceramic vessels, next fall.

What inspires or informs your work in general? 

This year, my husband and I purchased and renovated an apartment for the first time and I’m taking the opportunity to install new prototypes I’m working on throughout the space so that I can live with them before they go into production. Some of the pieces have even come out of a specific design challenge in the space. I have never worked this way before and am hoping the outcome will lead to a collection that is more personal and reflects how I actually live.

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