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.

Leeds, New York, jackrabbit.studio With the launch of his debut collection of chairs and tables this year, Brett Miller put an intriguingly rustic spin on the craze for chubby, tubular furniture — one befitting a hipster woodworker living in the wilds of upstate New York. So far, his work is carried at Relationships in Brooklyn, but we’re predicting that his reputation is about to grow. (Photos: Pippa Drummond) What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? To me, it’s about making what feels good, not necessarily what’s most efficient. Making unapologetic, beautiful contradictions. There’s that cheesy notion about “going west,” but I really think that same mentality comes out in design and the sense of endless opportunities to make whatever your mind can imagine. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? My plan is to just keep making work. I’m very excited about the future and don’t want to just sit on this first collection, but to keep moving forward. Good things are happening. What inspires or informs your work in general? I have this compulsive thing with textures where I have to touch things. For instance, I was on an airplane once and the guy sitting next to me had on Nikes with the little gel bubble in the heel, and I could not resist touching it! So I bent over like I was getting something from my bag and poked the little gel bubble, and it was very satisfying. I don’t think he noticed, or if he did, he didn’t say anything. How that relates to my furniture is in the feeling good, both physically and emotionally. I love how round things feel, I don’t like hard edges, and I try to avoid straight lines except where necessary. Also the tools and machines I use have really helped determine the shapes that I make. One of my first tools was a lathe, which is what I use to make the legs of my chairs and stools. Thus the round aesthetic was born and I just kind of ran with it. I’m also very inspired by indigenous woodworkers, primarily wood carvers, and specifically from Africa. Not so much for their aesthetic, which I love, but more for their technique and tools. Many things are made from a single chunk and are carved out with a “sa sa,” or what we call an adze. … Continue reading Brett Miller

New York, birnamwoodstudio.com Since going out on his own in 2017, Brecht Wright Gander has been practicing both under his given name (for conceptual work like his lumpy black collage furniture and glittery vases with Todd Merrill) and as Birnam Wood (for more commercial editions like his line of graphic umbrella holders, side tables, and magazine racks). Adding it all up makes for an exciting new voice in American design. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? I don’t often think about design in terms of its Americanness, but one thing I noticed is that there’s more state support for the arts in Europe than in the U.S. Consequently, their work is less directly dependent on its commercial viability, and there’s an unburdened freshness to the experimentation. I’d say the inverse is exciting about American design. Capitalist energies drive towards chaotic extremes. There is a wildly kaleidoscopic mash of proliferating, thrumming design here. Some of it unnecessary and wasteful, but one thing America does well is abundance and excess. If you start researching faucets you’ll find there’s a whole galaxy of designs – just an absolutely overwhelming swarm of gorgeous, ingenious, ugly, and absurd faucets. So too, staplers. So too, anything. This unhinged energy is exciting. Another thing I like about design is that it is becoming a refuge for artists who are disillusioned with the art world. What many artists are discovering is that they can explore color and shape and form and texture and haptic sensation and humor and ambiguity and whatever it is that interests them in the fine arts, but in design. They can skip directly to making things that spring out of their curiosities and loves, because a “function” liberates the object from the overbearing, overeager, overactive intellect, and from the need for justification and apology. I read something Noguchi said about this after finding his early art commissions were all for stone busts and heads: “I was willing to do almost anything to get out of my rut — to find the means to practice an art I did not have to sell. By a curious switch I thought of commercial art as less contaminated than one which appealed to vanity.” What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? Bigger. I want to make ginormous things and I want to make lots of them. I haven’t been able … Continue reading Brecht Wright Gander

New York, asapingree.com Asa Pingree grew up building boats on an island off the coast of Maine, so it makes sense that for his breakout collection this year, he turned from woodworking to the material of his youth — fiberglass. By infusing each piece with graceful, unexpected curves and saturated colors, Pingree brings the material firmly into the 21st century. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? You can’t look at the designers this list has highlighted for years now and not see the American scene as overflowing with talent. It’s an exciting group of self-starters really doing the hard work to keep making beautiful work. But ironically, the most exciting part of the American design scene is still a little under the radar. With social media, everyone can see your work almost as soon as you’ve even conceived of an idea. It’s made for a very visual medium, but objects need to be experienced. At the same time, the divide between the larger design industry and young independent designers persists. Scaling up production on your own is a huge hurdle, so it’s no wonder so many designers have decided to focus on the luxury market — why wouldn’t we, it’s both lucrative and exciting. But unfortunately, it means our work has less reach and I think it limits our impact because of that. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year?  The highlight for me is always making new work and exploring variations on established pieces. We will certainly continue doing that; we have a lot to flesh out with our new collection and a few new dining tables, which is really our core business. Also — you receive inquiries every day about new projects and collaborations! It makes it a full schedule, full of unknowns, which I love. We are also part of a small co-working group of independent designers in Brooklyn looking to share resources and sales efforts. I find that really exciting. It’s hard for a creative trying to be an entrepreneur, but we’ve built a really supportive community looking to find a new model. The tools are there. What inspires or informs your work in general? Simplicity of design and a focus on function are a constant for me, but I’m also always in search of the point where my practical role as a designer is set aside and I’m allowed to explore and find what … Continue reading Asa Pingree

Austin, yuccastuff.com An architect by training, Daniel Morrison worked for OMA and Ball-Nogues before moving back to Texas and setting up his furniture studio, Yucca Stuff, which takes both its curious name and its materials palette from his home state. There’s nothing regional, though, about his on-point, minimalist aesthetic. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? American design is a profusion of regional attitudes. Every part of the country has its own manufacturing history, a unique material palette, and a vernacular design language. I’m most interested in the work that results when American designers leverage the capabilities of their region. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? In November 2017, I moved my studio from Brooklyn to Austin, Texas. With the move comes more space and exposure to new vendors and materials. I’m excited about connecting with a new community of collaborators and sourcing some materials I’ve always wanted to work with: red sandstone, grey Lueders limestone, and local hardwoods like pecan and mesquite. In 2017, I released a collection of new pieces, including a limestone and wood coffee table and a credenza with terracotta handles. I can’t wait to start filling orders for these new pieces. But mostly, I’m hopeful that the move to Texas will afford a slower, more focused creative life. What inspires or informs your work in general? My training as an architect frames the way I think about furniture and product design, especially in my approach to materials. The palette of central Texas has always been a guiding force for the studio practice. There are some materials that I will never grow tired of: white limestone, rusted steel, terracotta, saddle leather. For me, these materials engender a certain timelessness. I’m inclined to keep my work simple enough to honor their temporal qualities. I refresh my perspective with art and travel, but there are a few people that will always inform my work: Donald Judd, Louis Kahn, and Peter Zumthor.

Brooklyn, stevenbukowski.com His studio is only a year old, but Steven Bukowski’s products so far — from a Noguchi-inspired bent steel table to a chic little table mirror we exhibited at this year’s OFFSITE show — all share a refined aesthetic that make us eager to see what he’ll make next. What sealed the deal on his Hot List award was a new series of playful wooden furniture he’s been collaborating on with his wife, artist Hannah Bigeleisen, which we’ll feature more of soon. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? Being less interested in design principles, I tend to see the redefining of the role of the designer and the conventions of the existent business models as a central feature of design in the States. Designers here embrace the spirit of individuality, yet as a community, we share the ambition of breaking traditional boundaries in terms of material usage, and processes. It’s working alongside so many talented artists and designers that really excites me; we exchange ideas and knowledge and have a shared passion for excellent design. I think American design is now strongly influenced by this strong sense of community, fostering new ideas and ongoing dialogues, while offering access to equipment, technology, information, and networks. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year?  I’m excited to be putting together a new collection of furniture and accessories. These designs are the result of my investigating how form and material can be used to manipulate space and perception. I’m also revisiting some of my earlier designs and refining them in terms of engineering and proportions with the goal of making them a bit more production ready. I’ve also started up a collaboration with my wife, the artist Hannah Bigeleisen, which presently focuses on a large-scale public installation in one of several NYC parks. What inspires or informs your work in general? I love futzing around in the shop and figuring these things out, it’s like a game or a puzzle. This play also allows for new ideas or uses to emerge that were not initially considered. Meanwhile, I draw inspiration from a long family history of engineering, fabrication, and craft. When approaching a project or idea, I typically allow for the materials or processes to inform the function and aesthetics; it is an ongoing dialogue throughout the prototyping process.

Los Angeles, rosshansendesign.com It was only a few weeks ago that Ross Hansen’s work stopped us in our tracks as we were perusing an exhibition of Cranbrook alums. Turns out Chicago’s Volume gallery had spotted the young designer first, though, and will bring him to this year’s Design Miami with an epoxy and clay cabinet and table (first two images above) that they’ve nicknamed “psychedelic travertine.” What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? To me, one of the most exciting things about American design is that over the last 10 years, the grip of functionalism has loosened its hold. Yes, the first criteria of any object is that it needs to be useful, but allowing for different interpretations of utility has created opportunities for the designer to form new relationships between object, user, and their surroundings. Designers now have the permission to slip back and forth between categories, alter functions, invent new material relationships or just do whatever steps necessary to develop their ideas. And that is encouraging news regardless of your location. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? I am excited to have a couple of pieces exhibited at Design Miami with Volume Gallery and in April I will have my first solo exhibition at their space in Chicago. After that, I will be eager to get back into the studio to continue to developing my process and understanding of certain materials. What inspires or informs your work in general? The work is inspired by a wide spectrum of ideas but it is also heavily influenced by the process itself. As a INTP personality, I love analyzing the limitations of materials and developing systems that expand their applications, all while giving a knowing wink to the warm embrace of the familiar.

New York, pelledesigns.com The husband-and-wife team of Jean and Oliver Pelle — architects who began designing furniture together in 2011 — had been on our radar for a couple of years. But in 2017 they took things up a huge notch with a jewelry-inspired collaboration with Erie Basin and a collection that turned stone offcuts and rough, construction-grade wood into something beyond sophisticated. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? American design feels like it’s having a big moment in the global design scene right now. We see the influence that the Americans have in Europe and that is very exciting. What’s also interesting is that there’s a big range to American design work and it’s harder to categorize under a single umbrella term. The heterogeneity is unique. America always had the benefit of being young. There is also a uniquely warm and approachable quality in general. We think it has something to do with the direct feedback loop between designers and their work to their clientele/audience. The designer is taking control of their work — how it is made, presented, and sold. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? 2018 will be the ten-year anniversary of the Bubble Chandelier, a DIY article Jean wrote back in 2008 for the now defunct ReadyMade Magazine. The original prototype for The Bubble Chandelier became a full collection of 11 models and is a significant part of our studio’s foundation and identity. We think that it deserves a radical revisit to see how far we can push the idea of The Bubble Chandelier. It is a bit like writing our own history by revisiting our earliest piece. We are very curious to see where that will lead. What inspires or informs your work in general? PELLE is really the work and voice of both of us. We like to say that it carries both our DNA. What we have in common and what is constant to our work is the desire to create very personal work. To simplify, our influences range from pop culture that has stayed with us from the ’80s and ’90s to architectural theory from the Grays vs Whites era. We look in the direction of what grabs us — emotionally and visually. We find parallels in other creative fields such as music, film and fashion because we believe that these fields mirror our own. We like … Continue reading Pelle

Miami,​ officega.com Why aren’t more people talking about Jonathan Gonzalez’s work? After a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Curio space at Design Miami in 2015, we’ve been excitedly following his Miami-based studio’s work, which often employs organic or raw materials and pastel colors. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? In our own practice, we get to do everything. Objects, art, architecture, exhibitions… There is something about this wide openness that feels distinctly American.   What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? Our studio continues to develop new work for the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami. We have designed and fabricated almost every piece of furniture for their new museum building and will be working to help realize some major works of artists outside our practice. We are working on new furniture for an exhibition with the gallery Tile Blush and currently designing a collection of new site-specific pieces for a project in Chicago. Our studio is designing a private residence as well, it should be interesting. The ability to design and create our own work while solving the complex problems of other artists and institutions creates new challenges constantly. What inspires or informs your work in general? Underrepresented architectures and urban objects. I find a particular joy in banal artifacts from the last century. Between my house and our shop there is a run of curved precast concrete bus stops, from maybe the 1960’s or 70’s. The bench seat curves upwards forming a backrest and arms and turns over to create an overhang for shelter.  They appear to float above the sidewalk and have this incredible large pebbled aggregate, making them just uncomfortable enough to not sit on all day. There is this weird beauty to them… formally and functionally married and so good, and yet invisible. Each country has its own set of these incredible infrastructural artifacts, responding to notions of indigenous form and material and building technologies. They are super useful.

Miami,​ nun-is.us Nun​ ​is​ ​the​ ​collaborative​ ​design​ ​practice​ ​of artists and designers​ ​Jessica​ ​Martin​ ​and​ ​Deon​ ​Rubi.​ ​​Their work, which we discovered earlier this year, often mixes elemental materials, like glass, metal, and stone, with a contemporary, Miami-inflected palette.  What​ ​is​ ​American​ ​design​ ​to​ ​you,​ ​and​ ​what​ ​excites​ ​you​ ​about​ ​it?  Deon:​ ​I​ ​think​ ​design​ ​in​ ​general​ ​is​ ​an​ ​opportunity​ ​for​ ​dissent,​ ​to​ ​stray​ ​away​ ​from​ ​the​ ​known. American​ ​design​ ​is​ ​as​ ​diverse​ ​as​ ​America​ ​itself,​ ​and​ ​is​ ​driven​ ​by​ ​process​ ​and​ ​progress, which​ ​is​ ​so​ ​subjective.​ ​I​ ​think​ ​American​ ​design​ ​can​ ​be​ ​whatever​ ​it​ ​wants​ ​to​ ​be.​ ​It’s exciting​ ​to​ ​work​ ​in​ ​design​ ​in​ ​America,​ ​the​ ​hub​ ​of​ ​trends​ ​and​ ​consumerism,​ ​and constantly​ ​try​ ​to​ ​break​ ​that​ ​down​ ​while​ ​actively​ ​participating​ ​in​ ​it. Jessica:​ ​It’s​ ​hard​ ​to​ ​talk​ ​about​ ​American​ ​design​ ​without​ ​the​ ​rise​ ​of​ ​industrial​ ​manufacturing, or​ ​how​ ​the speed​ ​of​ ​urbanization​ ​shaped​ ​patterns​ ​of​ ​consumption. It​ ​made​ ​room​ ​for diverse​ ​markets​ ​and​ ​broadened​ ​design​ ​to​ ​a​ ​larger​ ​audience.​ ​In​ ​some​ ​regard,​ ​I​ ​don’t fully​ ​consider​ ​myself​ ​an​ ​American​ ​designer,​ ​and​ ​I​ ​think​ ​that’s​ ​what​ ​interesting. Culturally,​ ​it’s​ ​a​ ​place​ ​that​ ​isn’t​ ​hindered​ ​by​ ​its​ ​past,​ ​which​ ​in​ ​many​ ​ways​ ​is​ ​what makes​ ​it​ ​powerful. What​ ​are​ ​your​ ​plans​ ​and​ ​highlights​ ​for​ ​the​ ​upcoming​ ​year?  Deon​:​ ​Together, we ​are​ ​curating​ ​a​ ​group​ ​show​ ​for​ ​this​ ​coming​ ​Art​ ​Basel,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​working​ ​on​ ​a​ ​series of​ ​modular​ ​furniture​ ​pieces​ ​commissioned​ ​for​ ​a​ ​mobile​ ​gallery​ ​space. I​ ​have​ ​a​ ​solo​ ​show​ ​in​ ​February​ ​2018​ ​with​ ​Central​ ​Fine​ ​Gallery,​ ​where​ ​I​ ​will​ ​be showing​ ​new​ ​work​ ​that​ ​leans​ ​more​ ​towards​ ​​art,​ ​with​ ​painting​s ​and sculptures.​ ​I​ ​am​ ​also​ ​starting​ ​a​ ​consulting​ ​business.​ ​ Jessica​:​ ​Recently,​ ​I’ve​ ​found​ ​myself​ ​diving​ ​more​ ​into​ ​architecture,​ ​thinking​ ​about​ ​design​ ​on a​ ​larger​ ​scale.​ ​I​ ​started​ ​working​ ​on​ ​on​ ​a​ ​series​ ​of​ ​stone​ ​objects​ ​that​​ ​​use​ ​the​ ​tension​ ​and​ ​weight​ ​of​ ​the​ ​material​ ​as​ ​a way​ ​of​ ​creating​ ​structure.​ ​The​ ​pieces​ ​are​ ​a​ ​study​ ​in​ ​iteration,​ ​and​ ​using​ ​remnants​ ​of stone,​ ​with all​ ​the​ ​limitations​ ​of​ ​their​ ​shapes,​ ​to​ ​create​ ​variation.​ ​I’m expanding​ ​these​ ​already made​ ​objects​ ​and​ ​drawings​ ​into​ ​a​ ​larger​ ​body​ ​of​ ​work,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​continuing​ ​an ongoing​ ​series​ ​of​ ​large​-scale​ ​paintings. What​ ​inspires or informs​ ​your​ ​work​ ​in​ ​general?  Most​ ​of​ ​our​ ​inspiration​ ​comes​ ​from​ ​a​ ​place​ ​outside​ ​of​ ​design​ ​—​ ​mechanics, software,​ ​the​ ​Internet.​ ​The​ ​abundance​ ​of​ ​information,​ ​speculation,​ ​the​ ​materiality​ ​of new​ ​technologies,​ ​​elasticity​ ​as​ ​adaptation,​ ​and​ ​also​ ​DIY.​ ​All​ … Continue reading NUN

Brooklyn, kinandcompany.com The collaborative studio of cousins Joseph Vidich and Kira de Paola, Kin & Company’s sculptural furniture pieces verge almost on art. Their work often centers on pushing a material to its limits, as in their Thin Series, a collection of metal tables and chairs so spare they look as though they might collapse — but don’t. What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? When we think of American design, we immediately associate it with technology and change. America thrives by questioning the status-quo — in science, politics, art, or design — while encouraging innovation. We have always admired the early modernist American designers, such as George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames, for their ingenious experiments with new materials and manufacturing methodologies burgeoning at the time they were designing. There was a sense of immediacy during the post-WWII era which allowed designers to draw inspiration from science and technology as well as historical precedent. American design today embodies this legacy of experimentation and transformation in a world that is quickly becoming more compressed, more saturated, and more technological. American designers’ inherent optimism leads them to relentlessly question the boundaries of what a design object is or could be. This idealism, both courageous and fraught with individualism, is what excites us. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? We are really excited to be working on a brand-new collection for the Architectural Digest Home Show in March. We’re showing a more extensive collection, with larger pieces, than we have shown before. All our pieces to date have been developed individually; this new collection will be our first to be designed as a cohesive unit. This has made an enormous difference in our ability to delve deeper into the concepts and aesthetics of the new work. We’re also working on some collaborations with other designers, which we may debut at the AD Show or later in the spring. As creative partners, and cousins, collaborating is such an integral element of our practice. It’s when we set our egos aside and open up to each others’ perspectives and ideas. We believe that taking those risks enriches our designs, and we can’t wait to expand that collaboration even further! Currently, we’re in the research phase of our design process and have been experimenting with a variety of materials and techniques that we’ve never used before. It is a really important … Continue reading Kin & Company

Brooklyn, homestudios.nyc Having cemented its status as the go-to interiors firm for cult-favorite bars and restaurants in New York and LA, Home Studios this year launched its first collection of furniture, centered around five core materials: stone, resin, glass, metal, and leather. Homework debuted in a cinematic, meticulously designed booth at Sight Unseen OFFSITE, reflecting co-founder Oliver Haslegrave’s obsession with and background in film.  What is American design to you, and what excites you about it? If one way to think of America is largely defined by paradox, which I agree with, then American design is likewise defined by the same contradictions, but also inherently tasked with — to the extent that it can — resolving them. This also gets a little paradoxical, and from a high enough view is likely just a natural phase in a young country’s cultural growth and maturation. But what is really exciting is that currently I see an emotional sincerity and vulnerability in a fair amount of work, which to me is a crucial step in that resolution. Maybe this has been going on for some time — I don’t know enough to know — or maybe I’m overly sentimental, but what excites me in American, and all, design is the emotional element, the story. I think this is an inspiring time. What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year? A number of interiors projects, including our first hotel and our first New York residence, as well as several really interesting collaborations. And new Homework pieces, which we will be making one at a time. What inspires or informs your work in general? Film. I recently started a film series in the studio to focus on production designers — David and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, Richard Sylbert, Jeannine Oppewall, Jack Fisk, and many others. I love watching films — it was my major in college — and really enjoy thinking of interiors, which we approach as visual stories, through the framework of cinema. And reading — novels, nonfiction, magazines — always leads to diverse and unexpected ideas and connections across disciplines. Recently I read Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss and The Rise by Sarah Lewis — both very inspiring. Also taking photographs is very important, and helpful, to our process.