Answering Creativity’s Call

It was clear to me as a kid I would have a creative career. Growing up I spent all my free time building sculptures, costumes, catapults, street luge cars, furniture, tree houses and everything in between. I also had a deep passion for art, especially drawing. After high school I studied architecture and sculpture at Syracuse University, and since graduating, have continued to pursue art and design. Though my projects and processes have gotten more sophisticated, I still feel like a kid exploring whatever excites me creatively.

After graduating from architecture school I got a job at an unconventional architecture firm with a focus on fabrication called Situ Studio based in Brooklyn. At Situ we have completed a number of projects using solid surface including saunas, hospital interiors, furniture, and large scale fine art installations. After using the material for several years and becoming familiar with its thermoforming properties, I began to think of and develop new possibilities for solid surface furniture.

I do my best thinking as a designer and builder, but I try to maintain a dedicated fine art and photography practice. Bouncing between different creative projects helps keep everything feeling fresh, and occasionally unrelated projects inform one another and unlock new ideas.

I think a creative spark comes when lots of subconscious thoughts snap together into a coherent idea. For me, most creative sparks happen after rigorously trying to understand a medium, whether it is solid surface, wood, graphite, or film. If you put enough energy into understanding the medium and how it connects to you, culture and history, eventually that energy will coalesce into an idea for a great project.

Try lots of different ideas and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Solid surface is such a unique and dynamic material. I recommend jumping to full scale prototypes as soon as possible and letting the material’s properties inform the design as much as possible.

My father is an architect and, from a young age, would take me to job sites to explore buildings under construction. It was really inspiring to see the guts and bones of buildings and all the thought and labor that goes into making them. Through these site visits, he taught me about construction and instilled in me a passion for architecture. We love visiting notable works of architecture and studying both the nitty gritty details and the deeper spiritual connection we have with them.

I get most excited about designs where form and structure are resolved with a single material. For furniture and small objects, solid surface is strong enough to create dynamic forms while supporting itself. On an architectural scale, solid surface can achieve vast, beautiful, seamless surfaces whether flat or curved, though an additional wood or metal armature is needed.

I’d love to design the ultimate solid surface bathroom complete with a sauna and hot tub, where all surfaces blend into one another and integrate seamlessly.

Thermoforming solid surface is a great way to make organic shapes for comfortable seating. I’m currently working on a chair in the same style of the stool I designed, and I hope to develop a chaise lounge chair out of solid surface as well.