FAMILY

Our Los Angeles Studio is located in a historic structure located at 2121 North San Fernando Rd. The Studio occupies two connected buildings, a c. 1923 former lumber shed and a 1936 streamline modern addition which was added when the property was taken over by the Hemphill Diesel Engineering School. The front of the building still features an Art Deco frieze that pays homage to diesel engines. Since June 2016 when we moved in, we have been working steadily to make the building our home.
Production and prototyping took place in our Studio shop. Physical prototyping is an important part of our approach, and allows the inherent properties of each material to inform the finished product. Watch as Hannah connects the dots between the machines - from the drill press to the jump shear - to create our mirror, which relies on every part to create a coherent, balanced whole.
The Japanese ideology of Wabi-Sabi embraces the beauty of the imperfect and the transient grace of ever-changing nature. In Wabi-Sabi, true beauty's luster grows with time and use. Ada Corten was designed in pursuit of this ideal. These fixtures currently ship in 2-4 weeks until inventory runs out. After that the lead time will increase slightly while we produce another batch based on the response we get from you -- we're excited to hear your feedback!
During the summer, the structure opens to face the pond. With a large open face and a retractable roof, the structure has the ability to open itself up the pleasant island atmosphere. To avoid pest problems, an optional zipper-up screen can be put in place.
During the winter, the roof is closed and a flat packed plywood skin is taken from under the foundation platform and “wrapped” around the walls of the tea house to protect the interior from the extreme Northern climate. A large reclaimed barn window illuminates the tea house from the back side. The beautiful pane was actually found on sight and incoporated into the design on the fly.
During childhood years in Cote d’Ivoire and summers in coastal Maine, Brendan fell in love with the functional beauty of working tools and wooden boats. His father curated a show called the Art of the Personal Object at the Smithsonian when he was a kid. Brendan received a Sculpture degree from Oberlin College in 2001 and a Masters in Industrial Design from RISD in 2009. He loves taking tours of factories and the smell of cedar shavings.
The mirrors are being put to the test in Warby Parker’s New York and Los Angeles stores through November 11th, and will be auctioned off to support Free Arts, which offers free arts education to underserved kids and teens in both cities. Visit our mirror in person or bid on it via Paddle8.
During the early days of quarantine we collaborated with dear friends Block Shop Textiles to cover our lamps in their gorgeous fabric.
In 2006 together with his brother and sister, he founded Islesford Boatworks a non-profit youth boat building program that builds a boat with kids. He served as the program’s first boatbuilding educator and is currently president of the board. Run out of the family barn for its first 12 years the program achieved an importing milestone in 2018 by moving into its own waterfront home, am old ship store built in 1850 called the Blue Duck
Phoebe grew up with her three sisters on a farm in New Jersey, which instilled in her a deep appreciation for nature, open spaces and horses. She's passionate about the intersection of business and design and earned her MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in 2018. She loves a good road trip through the American West.
After graduating from Oberlin College, Brendan moved to Maine where he got a job on a lobsterboat. In between fishing for two different captains Brendan took a year off to lead the construction of a timber frame barn on the family property. This experience led him to discover a passion for craft-based education.
Darcy’s fondest memories growing up in the Midwest involve trips to flea markets and antique shops. She believes the history behind objects and materials is intrinsic to the language of design. After receiving a BS in Interior Design from OSU, she connected with friends in LA where she discovered the importance culture has on creativity. When she’s not working, you’ll find her shopping for plants or diving into a new DIY home project.
In 2012 Islesford Boatworks secured a lease from the National Park Service for the Blue Duck, an old ship chandlery situated on the water's edge. The 1850 timber frame building had fallen into disarray over the years, with windows boarded and rooms divided. Brendan working with a team of staff and volunteers helped lead the effort to restore the building to its original floor plan while updating it to house a boatbuilding shop and island hardware store.
Having spent her earlier career and education firmly entrenched in the international finance world, a move from New York to San Francisco prompted Ginny to explore more creative industries. After lengthy stints in San Diego and New Zealand, Ginny has returned to LA where she is embracing being a left brainer in the land of right brainers. When she's not in the studio, you can find her learning a new craft, planning the next adventure or trying to wear her dog out.
Daniele began his design career at the ripe old age of five, building wooden cities out of scraps in his uncle’s woodshop in Israel. His love of making brought him to the University of Oregon’s Architecture program where he ran the model shop, spending his free time tinkering with laser cutters and CNC routers. Before joining BRS Daniele worked in Southeast Asia as an architect and sustainability strategist developing ecologically sensitive design solutions for buildings, objects and communities. When he’s not working you can find Daniele doing jiujitsu or taking naps, usually in that order.
Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley of L.A., Hannah grew up collecting samples of pond scum from puddles around her neighborhood and examining them under the lense of her microscope. Her interest in understanding the smallest building blocks of life lead to a fascination with objects and how they are engineered. Hannah received a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design. In her free time, Hannah enjoys hunting for the perfect leather jacket, a good coffee, and moment alone with her sketchbook.
As part of this collaboration, we are donating 20% of proceeds from these fixtures to Summa Everythang, a community organization providing free organic produce boxes in Watts and South Central Los Angeles.
Born and raised in LA, the weather and food has kept Margarete from leaving the City. She grew up near the ocean and traded in the ocean for the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley after meeting her (now) husband. Fresh out of college from UCLA, she found a home as an educator at the Natural History Museum of LA County for 8 years. Her time at the museum grew her love and curiosity for wildlife and flora of all types. Then, after a growing interest in consumer goods and social media, she's now on another career journey. When she's not working, you'll find her taking pictures of wildlife on her neighborhood walks or sending a handwritten card.
Peter grew up near a small lake outside of Olympia, WA. He honed his problem-solving, operations, and logistics skills while managing tours, film festivals, corporate events, and multidisciplinary art exhibitions internationally. Now he experiences the joy of bicycle commuting and a regular schedule. Outside of work, he enjoys the outdoors including camping; hiking; talking to his plants; playing music; digging for & collecting records; and, more recently, sewing.
Marissa grew up in Tijuana, Mexico. As a kid, she would flip through weekly ads for US-based department stores and fantasize about owning all of the products and gadgets that were being advertised. This led to a fascination with consumer products, both new and old. She studied Design at CSU Long Beach, where she focused her studies on designing toys that entertain and appeal to people of all ages. When she's not working, she's learning about Los Angeles history and architecture or visiting local stationery stores in search of the perfect pen.
Growing up all across California and later Chicago, Bella became fascinated with the storytelling ability of objects and how they create senses of home. Afer receiving a degree in Industrial Design from RISD, she went on to be a boatbuilding apprentice in Maine, eventually returning back to California. When she is not in the studio, you can find her building sculptures and leatherworking wherever she can find the space.
Born in coastal Massachusetts, Liam spent most of his early life in the kitchens and wood shops of southern New England. After attending design school in Providence, Rhode Island, he meandered west eventually settling in Los Angeles. You can catch him dodging traffic on his bike and building furniture for his friends.
Rhys is a North Bay native, growing up among redwoods and rolling hills. After studying oil painting at Skidmore College, they moved to Brooklyn where they worked in fabrication and art handling for five years. When they're not at the studio, you can find Rhys laying in the sun, driving out to the coast, or at the hardware store, planning their next home improvement project.
Reared outside of Napa, then schooled at UW-Madison, it became undoubtedly clear that a metropolitan life was beckoning. Ultimately, LA TKO'd NY - better weather always wins out. Our City of Angels offers remarkable culture, design, music, SPACE, style, and endless opportunity for enrichment. Alfie spends copious amounts of his time exploring those facets with a Milk Tea + Boba drink in hand.
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