Meet the Maker: Michael Robbins

 

Michael Robbins is a designer who handcrafts each piece of furniture in an old barn in the Hudson Valley of New York. With a background in photography, Michael learned his woodworking skills while helping build a handmade house in Vermont. Learn more about Michael in his Meet the Maker profile after the jump...

 

Name: Michael Robbins

Location: Livingston, NY

 

Where did you grow up? I grew up in rural upstate New York, on the southern edge of the Adirondacks in what is known as the Mohawk Valley.

Where did you study/train? I went to art school in New York where I studied photography. After that I worked on trail crews in the Adirondack Mountains which lead to an opportunity to work on a remote hand made house in Vermont. It was a small timber framed cabin without electricity. There I learned a foundation of skills from a very talented woodworker. That lead to building a small adobe in New Mexico after which I bought my first lathe and made my first stool.

What was the first thing you made and sold? My first sale was a large color photograph to a photography collector. The picture was of a low slung industrial park next to a large round hill, everything was covered in a dusting of fresh snow, everything was beautiful and white.  

Who is your design idol? Out of the hat it's Hans Wegner, an incredibly prolific designer.

 

Where do you find inspiration? There's a Dutch barn being built down the road from me, two guys harvested the timber, sawed it on a bandsaw mill and are now cutting the joinery. It's all white oak, some members 16" deep by 25 feet long. The other week they were out there working when it was right around ten degrees outside. A true labor of love.

 

What's one thing you wish YOU had made or designed? The wrap around Shaker pegboard.  

 

What's your advice for a designer/maker just starting out? I'm sort of in those shoes, which makes me reluctant to give advice. I try to set daily goals, work hard, stay focused, all the while letting things flow. I always save time at the end of the day to take the dogs on a walk.

 

To see more of Michael's work, check out his website: Michael Robbins Furniture.

(Images: Michael Robbins)

 

via apartmenttherapy.com

 

REK Expanding Bookcase by Reinier de Jong

First introduced four years ago, REK, a bookcase that grows with a users book collection, is now lighter and more sustainably built.

 

Says de Jong, "[books are] No longer functional carriers of information but rather artefacts representing one's identity. It is not so much about the quantity of books anymore but what counts is a well-considered selection of quality books."

 

"Book shelves are therefore changing as well, from purely functional pieces of furniture to unique design pieces, equally important as the books they hold."

 

First designed and produced in 2008 by de Jong, REK is a bookcase that grows along with a book collection. The greater the number of books, the bigger the bookcase. The zigzag-shaped parts slide in and out to accommodate books in the resulting spaces.

 

Books can be arranged according to their size and narrow spaces used for magazines. The new REK has the same dimensions as the first one but weighs only 80 kg. The maximum dimensions of REK are: 202 x 228 x 36 cm.

 

The new version of REK now has a recycled HPL finish by Abet Laminati. "It is light grey with a texture that people associate with fine concrete or grey cardboard. A lot easier to transport but above all, easier to slide. We have also improved the guidance and added a stop, making sure the parts do not slide out too far."

Photos: Peter van Dijk.

+ reinierdejong.com

via mocoloco.com

 

Alberto Frias’ new OM Meditation Pod for meditating in hi-tech environment

Alberto Faris new Om meditation podOm pod creates a personal meditation environment as it features personal light, sound and space

Alberto Frias, artist and designer of the Transport Perceptual Pod (2002) trigerred the revolution into the wellness home furniture genre, with his unique meditation pod, that was designed to provide an ultimate relaxing environment through the combination of light, sound and space. The Mexican designer has mastered the art of designing furniture to fit the modern lifestyle. Most of his projects are based on the concept of spirituality and hence all the furniture he makes has a power of inner healing. While his Transport pod was outfitted with high-tech features, including speakers and an array of light-emitting diodes synchronized to music for ultimate relaxation, the designer is back yet again to tickle your senses to rejuvenate your senses with his new OM Meditation Pod.