Meet the Makers Behind These 12 Objects

STUDIO SEITZ
Rooted in the history and tradition of Swiss makers, Studio Seitz is committed to the preservation and modern interpretation of functional heirloom furniture. The Seitz family of craftspeople dates back to 1795 in northern Switzerland. Here in the US, Kevin Seitz and Rob van Wyen build upon the traditions that preceded them, partnering with Swiss craftspeople, to produce the heritage pieces. Designers Seitz and van Wyen note, “Our makers’ unparalledled passion is passed down from the generations before them so that our furniture can be too.”

MATTHEW FISHER
Matthew Fisher is the son of a paleontologist, so it’s not surprising that he now works with metamorphic stone to form art objects. “I was able to imagine from a young age a non-human perception of time,” says Fisher. “I understood raw material not as static, but ever-changing, with no point of origin or finality.” His second collection, Ariadne, draws on ancient mythology, reimagined as vessels, bowls and lanterns in carved stonework. Available through Liaigre.

FOREST + FOUND
Hailing from the UK, the Forest + Found studio works in both visual arts and contemporary craft. Max Bainbridge’s sculptural works are carved from wood, working with fallen trees in their entirety to execute large-scale vessels and free-standing sculptures. The personality of each tree informs his sculptural decision making. “My search for the true essence of the tree is ever present,” says Bainbridge. “For each work, I take the natural shape and character of the tree itself and responds to it directly.” Available through Fair.

ANDY KOUPAL
Artist, designer and educator, Andy Koupal has been working with glass for more than 15 years. He received a B.F.A. degree from RIT’s School for American Crafts and honed his skills working for Simon Pearce, the Corning Museum and, more recently, the Glass Shop at the Henry Ford. Passing on his knowledge of the trade, he teaches at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. His work is the evolution of traditional glassmaking techniques with a contemporary bent to create decorative and functional art. “Working with glass is both infinitely inspiring and challenging,” says Koupal. “My work is a cultivation of endless ideas met with countless hours of designing, making, scrapping, and restarting the process again and again. Through this, I aim to present the most honest, well-crafted version of that idea to myself and the audience.”

CAL SUMMERS
British designer Cal Summers explores the beauty of materiality and form to make bespoke handmade furniture. Hailing from a family of creatives—his father is a still life photographer, and his mother is an art director—he says, “I have always had a very visual mind. I guess I have the eyes of my father, as our house was always filled with odd objects and artifacts which he liked to photograph.” Summers studied 3D Design and Craft at the University of Brighton. He taps into new areas of design innovation, combining traditional craft techniques with modern fabrication processes. Available through Fair, NYDC.

HOMA STUDIO
“Most of the time I don’t know what the end outcome will look like,” says ceramic artist and design principal Altarik Banks of Homa Studios in Montclair, NJ. “I am really just having fun tinkering with different techniques, such as adding, subtracting, twisting, turning.” Banks digitally designs the pieces, printing out multiple variations and prototypes, then creates a mold to transform the design into ceramic form via slip casting. His mantra, “We create objects that propose new visions of the everyday.”

CUSHENDALE WOOLEN MILLS
The mills at Cushendale in Graiguenamanagh, Ireland, have been hand weaving textiles for more than 800 years. First established in 1204 by the Duiske Abbey, Cushendale Woolen Mills is one of only two remaining woolen mills in Ireland where every stage of the wool process, from natural wool to woven textile, is completed. Using Galway sheep fleece from partner farms, the Irish wool is transformed by a team of highly skilled craftspeople. The premium quality fleece is brought to the historic mill for the design, dyeing, carding, spinning, weaving and finishing. The father-and-daughter team of Philip and Miriam Cushen carry the torch, as fifth- and sixth-generation owners in the family business. Available through Oliphant Design, Litchfield.

CLARISSE DESIGN
Born in France and now residing in South Africa, Xavier Clarisse is passionate about creating bespoke furniture, sculpture and lighting. “My work intersects art and design, and the concepts are infused with meaningful layers,” says the founder of Clarisse Design. “Having lived in Africa for 15 years, I wish to portray the real essence of my adopted home, free from idealizations and stereotypes.” His lighting designs, rendered in leather, are inspired by the local vegetation in the tropical region of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Available through Ngala Trading, NYDC.

NATE COTTERMAN
Nate Cotterman uses time-honored Venetian glassblowing techniques to produce modern glass objects in Northeast Ohio. Innovative design and handmade characteristics highlight the natural beauty of glass in his portfolio of lighting, barware and home décor. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Glass degree, he now shares his love of the medium as a teacher. “I was taken with the complete focus and physicality needed for the process of glass blowing,” says Cotterman. “It is a lot like skateboarding to me, in terms of establishing and building on muscle memory. Creating lighting has become a way for me to utilize my skillset in glass blowing to create parts for a larger, more impactful installation.”

ALEJANDRA ROJAS
As a trained architect, Alejandra Rojas calls on her skill of prototyping concepts into reality to produce ceramic art pieces. “I find my creative process involves thinking with my hands,” says Rojas. Her ideas are digitally formed with mathematical algorithms and 3D printing, then brought to life in clay using traditional slip casting techniques and hand glazing. Born and raised in Lima, Peru and now settled in NYC, Rojas’ designs are inspired by her Peruvian culture and the divergent worlds of handmade and hi-tech.

LEAH SINGH
With an Indian mother and American father, Leah Singh grew up shuttling between cultures and countries. Her designs reflect the heritage of India’s crafts combined with the Western architectural movements of Bauhaus and Art Deco. Singh graduated from Parsons School of Design in NYC and returned to India to design and create pillows, rugs and tapestries in tandem with artisan communities in seven different regions—Kashmir (chainstitch embroidery), Punja (Phulkari embroidery), Rajasthan (block printing and weaving), Nagaland (weaving), West Bengal (Kantha embroidery) and Telangana (Bidri metal work).

CHRISTOPHER MERCHANT
Describing himself as a designer and maker, Christopher Merchant works with a variety of materials and methods. His love of craft began in Iowa, where he grew up tinkering and building with his father. After college, he attended a furniture design and woodworking school in Maine. When the pandemic hit, he had to give up his wood studio and relocate to a smaller space. This change in circumstance challenged him to find new ways of creating. He developed a unique digital fabrication technique to create cast work out of wax, concrete and other materials. The result, the creation of ceramic lights that are handmade in small batches in Brooklyn.