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a conversation with Scott Hudson, Henrybuilt

.. "You just have to keep working on it. It took me 20 years of building and designing things before I felt like I could make anything really worth building a business around. So I am slow." <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/7019378719_d464d7a224_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/7019378719_d464d7a224_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 701px; height: 466px;" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/6889441102_c663d5712c_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/6889441102_c663d5712c_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 1049px;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> above photos of Henrybuilt's SOHO showroom, by David John. </div> <a href="http://www.henrybuilt.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Henrybuilt</a> began in 2001 out of a shed in Vashon Island. 11 years later, Scott Hudson, Founder and CEO of Henrybuilt, which is based in Seattle with showrooms in Seattle and New York, continues to produce kitchen and home storage systems, as well as hand-built furniture that "feels natural and from the hands." Hudson, the founder of Henrybuilt, created Viola Park, in the last few years during the economic downturn, as a way to reach a new client. Viola Park's clients use software to design their own cabinet systems, bringing prices down, and allowing Hudson's vision to reach a new audience. The company’s current design tool is the beginning of what is becoming a more sophisticated online design system. Innovation + Craft When the Henrybuilt office contacted me last year, I was delighted to talk with Scott Hudson about his past, his dedication to working with his hands, and his ability to steer his company into profit when so many companies in the design community have collapsed in the last few years. (no easy task.) On a recent trip to New York, I was able to stop into their Soho showroom on Grand Street, where I was able to touch, and use the Henrybuilt systems. There is indeed a warmth, a feeling of ease, a slowness and authenticity in his work that is immediately apparent upon touch. A feeling of timelessness, and classic "Modern American" craft. Thanks Scott and Lisa. -David John <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7019399513_c96a92d73a_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7019399513_c96a92d73a_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 699px; height: 466px;" /></a> Henry Spurgeon Hudson, your grandfather built his homes out of stones gathered from his own property. Tell me about your grandfather, and your relationship to him, and "to making things." Scott Hudson: My grandfather wanted to become an architect, but his dreams were sidetracked by the depression. He was the only son in a long line of farmers. Although he had to pass up the chance to go to school for architecture at North Carolina State in 1932, he did inherit a 200 acre farm. And on that farm he made a life that turned out to have many blessings he may never have experienced if his life had gone a different way. Perhaps chief among them was the fact that he and his wife became sort of virtuosos of their physical environments. Not artistically, but functionally – and a kind of beauty came out of that. They learned how to make the home they lived in, the food they ate, much of what they wore, and even some of their own tools (my great-grandfather was a blacksmith). We are distanced from this kind of relationship with our physical environment now as a culture but there is incredible power and grace in the ability to make a life this way – and inspiration. I worked with my grandfather during the summers starting when I was 12 years old. We ran fence, hauled hay, built stone foundations ( I mostly carried hod ), framed buildings, milled wood salvaged from old barns, and built cabinets for the school district. I loved physical work, but I was mostly just trying to keep up when it came to making things. Only when I left home did I really start making anything of significance on my own. <div style="text-align: left;">Henrybuilt is: "Highly refined but approachable- and optimized for use. No novelty. Simple and distilled." </div> Have you always been interested in refined work, or has it taken you years to distill your work to its fundamental forms and materials? Scott Hudson: My mother collected Shaker furniture. And my whole family’s farm-based aesthetic was based on function. That’s not to say my grandfather’s work was ‘beautiful’ in a traditional design sense. It was pretty plain. He had a little different orientation to what he was doing than I do. He never would have fussed so much over the ‘beauty’ part. For me, when a thing is distilled in its form, it takes on a dignity that can be out of proportion – in a good and surprising way – with what you would expect a physical object to be able to represent. That is why I am doing this. Because when you achieve that you’ve really done something for someone. But it’s a process. You just have to keep working on it. It took me 20 years of building and designing things before I felt like I could make anything really worth building a business around. So I am slow. <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7066/6873273316_aeedf91aa0_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7066/6873273316_aeedf91aa0_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 467px;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> the veneers being labeled and sequenced </div> How important is "material selection" to you, and what materials do you find yourself attracted to, and why? Favorite materials to work with? Materials that challenge you to no end? Material selection is very important. Every material has a character. Some better than others for certain things. Most people’s tendency is to isolate materials, though. Really they are only good or bad based on what they are combined with and what they are doing. All good designers and builders know this. But getting this across to others – others who are your clients – can be very challenging. Its not easy to project what a combination of materials will feel like, and its very easy to be seduced by a small piece of stone or wood that in large doses will be all wrong. My favorite materials ‘wear no makeup’ and don’t show off. They sit quietly, somewhat in the background and look beautiful when you notice them. The best fashion designers understand this – and the subtleties of combining material better than anyone. <div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/6873273032_4735506b17_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/6873273032_4735506b17_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 701px; height: 467px;" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;">Henrybuilt chairs prior to being varnished. </div> <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7097/7019399915_b7e3c87d0e_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7097/7019399915_b7e3c87d0e_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 700px; height: 582px;" /></a> Were you formally trained as a craftsmen? The only formal training I have as a craftsman was 6 weeks in a welding program that enabled me to work in the oil fields – something I had really wanted to do - during a period when I dropped out college. And to be perfectly clear about this, it is not my craftsmanship that sets the standard for Henrybuilt. It is the work of many other much more talented craftspeople who make up the team at Henrybuilt. You began Henrybuilt out of a shed in Vashon Island. How quickly did the company grow, and how has your work changed over the 10 years? The company grew much more quickly than I expected. It doubled in size for the first several years. Recently with the housing downturn, we have grown much more slowly, but we have been fortunate to keep growing and expanding into new areas and new products even through the downturn. We seem to be entering another period of rapid growth now. Our work has become more precise, and more complete over the years. The primary focus of our business is the development of systems, like our kitchen system, that combine a very high level of craft with a holistic approach to design. So we are less and less focused on parts, and more and more focused on how assembly’s of parts come together. The concept of approaching a kitchen as a ‘system’ is not ours. It originates in Europe, and company’s like <a href="http://www.bulthaup.com/">Bulthaup</a> have taken it to a high level. But the combination of this approach with the particular feel we create, and the level of customization – is unique. The objective of creating the ultimate combination of system, customization and craft is what drives our design effort. We believe this system approach is the future of the market and the future of the way people approach the design and building of the best kitchens – and perhaps other areas of the home as well. Are your kitchens and furniture work following any specific aesthetic design history? Can you step back and see your influences? We share influences with a lot of modern designers: the Scandinavians, the Japanese, the Shakers, the mid-century modern masters. But we are focused on something our own too that is very American that is difficult to describe. We are trying to achieve the beauty of something that fulfills a large part of its value by being a tool, without losing the feeling that you want to cozy up to it. One of my goals is to always make things that feel natural and from the hands of the people who are designing and making them. Its always interesting to hear what the guys in the shop think of something as its being designed. The link between designing and making is tight. We try to keep this built into the design and prototyping process. It’s a collaborative effort. And that produces a more honest product. If we were just a designer, or just a manufacturer, the quality of the design that we produce would be different. There are moments of "color" in your Viola Park line, how do you think about color? Color is not my first instinct. The credit for the color in the <a href="http://www.violapark.com/">Viola Park line</a> really goes to Virginie Remy, one of the key members of the Henrybuilt design team who worked with me on the development of the line. I wanted to use color in our own version of the way the Shakers did, but she brought it to life and made it Viola Park. The work of Henrybuilt – and Viola Park - is a result of the effort of a lot of people, designers and makers, coming together. And often that includes coming together with our clients, with them as part of the design team. "Modern American." Do you think this phrase captures Henrybuilt? It’s an honorable phrase and a worthwhile goal. Roy McMakin, I can't help to think of his work when I see Henrybuilt. Both of you I feel continue the discussion of minimalism, spare use of color, and a strong study of form, and line. Roy McMakin’s work is remarkable. It’s flattering for you to find a similarity. He is someone who clearly understands that an object can have powers that transcend what people expect of it – and knows how to create that quality of work – and is willing to do what it takes to make that happen, which is not easy. <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7233/7019379017_38ceea8221_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7233/7019379017_38ceea8221_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 699px; height: 466px;" /></a> <a href="http://www.henrybuilt.com/">Henrybuilt</a> here, and <a href="http://www.violapark.com/">visit Viola Park here.</a> <a href="http://henrybuilt.tumblr.com/">Follow Henrybuilt tumbler</a> --------------------

a conversation with Scott Hudson, Henrybuilt

.. "You just have to keep working on it. It took me 20 years of building and designing things before I felt like I could make anythi...

9:38 AM

a conversation with Josh Vogel

... "I believe in the beauty of basics & I believe in an essential spirit that transcends both context & material. Right now, I hope that the objects I make help people connect themselves with the spirit in which they were made." - Josh Vogel of <a href="http://www.blackcreekmt.com/">Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading Co. </a> <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6506774801_a1c29457f7_b.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6506774801_a1c29457f7_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 697px; height: 523px;" /></a><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6511418463_3200957dc2_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6511418463_3200957dc2_b.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 525px;" /></a> "Art and design are a language like any other. I am not seeking to make a statement, rather participate in the conversation." "the more "technical" that our lives become the more resonance words like "craft" or "hand made'' have - simply as a reaction ..." "We need hand made things to have a more poetic connection with life, we want to connect to something important through them (a feeling)." <div style="text-align: center;"> ----------- </div> the conversation with Josh: You are an artist and craftsman. Can you talk about the objects you currently make, from the unique editions to the cutting boards, to the belt, etc. Is there a separation in your mind between your sculptures and the cutting boards? Josh: The theme here seems to be connection. To me it all comes down to connecting with people…some objects or products are more easily accessible than others. Some of the projects that I get involved with such as the sculptural work or the larger scale turnings can take months to complete, the smaller more product oriented work can breakdown to a matter of hours. Either way, I basically have an inability to give anything less than 110% when I go to work. I have the same focus & intensity making a spoon as I do a complicated sculpture…the sculpture reflects that focus over a much longer period of time, hopefully with different results. Design for me has always been a very interactive process. The practical aspect of “work” and being “hands on” are an enormous part of how I do things. As a designer, making the designs helps inform my decisions, and as a maker, I constantly learn & gain experience through application & exercise of my designs. Do you think we idealize the past? It is just as easy to idealize the future, as it is the past. I believe that objects are reflections of our culture, and can be read as the signs of the times. The 80's were so decadent. What do your objects say about the culture we live in? Josh: I find it very difficult to speculate…I agree that who we are & what we do are reflections of something much larger…I also agree that, in retrospect, the 80’s seem extravagant. But that’s just it, for me, it comes down to context – a lens through which we view things. Feasting seems quite decadent in times of famine. In this respect, it’s difficult to guess what the objects are saying. I hope that they reflect my desire to connect & understand in a more fundamental way. I believe in the beauty of basics & I believe in an essential spirit that transcends both context & material. Right now, I hope that the objects I make help people connect themselves with the spirit in which they were made. Why do you feel people are seeking "authenticity" in design? The old fashioned filament bulb has risen to popularity in the last few years. I think this a perfect example of this. We want to be in spaces that feel real, that reflect the past, a simpler time, a more pure time, if you will..... Yes, I think it is true…we want to be in spaces that feel real, but fundamentally it is about our desire for connection. Whether it is about maintaining & deepening a connection or finding new ones, in times of change these parts of our lives get challenged. I think culturally, icons like the light bulb are created to help define that change. In retrospect, the bulb may be from a simpler time, but it also represents the technological beginning of an entire electrical revolution. There is a connection here with something deeper… I think the word relevance gets thrown around when we talk about this “real” connection. I am a big believer in that all things genuine, authentic, & personal are relevant. <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6511539261_cdb9bebb0e_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6511539261_cdb9bebb0e_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 698px; height: 524px;" /></a> <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6511558671_e25591650c_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6511558671_e25591650c_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 698px; height: 930px;" /></a> Is your work about looking towards the past, or about the present? There is a very big aspect of the work that I do that is rooted in a long line of craft tradition. One of my favorite quotes to paraphrase is Isaac Newton’s one about "standing on the shoulders of giants…And if I have seen further it’s because…”. Checking in with this idea is very much a part of my daily life. But, I gather as much inspiration and motivation from my daily life, my immediate environment, & the people around me as I do from looking backwards or forwards. The instance of my own connection happens only by being absolutely present & engaged. It unfolds & reveals itself moment to moment…there is no great mystery here, it’s just the nature of work & being creative. How did you first find craft/wood? Did you come from a family of makers? Cattle ranchers, contractors, artists & teachers. More than being taught to make things growing up, I was taught to be respectful, resilient, inquisitive, & independent. My family has always had a very strong sense of duty, coupled with a wicked work ethic. Somehow I inherited a line to tow in all of that, a kind of <a href="http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2049187_2049195_2049267,00.html">“John Henry vs. the steam drill”</a> challenge that makes more sense to me than perhaps it should. Do you remember making things as a kid? I drew a lot as a kid & overalls with pencil pockets were part of my uniform. I still fill up sketchbooks. Hammers & nails, scrap wood…but everything changed when I was old enough to have my first pocketknife. <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6511481423_36c8f6cdbf_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6511481423_36c8f6cdbf_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 697px; height: 309px;" /></a><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6511680333_fe21738528_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6511680333_fe21738528_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 695px; height: 741px;" /></a> What has wood taught you? I am going to have to spend a lifetime trying to figure it out! Working with wood has become a large part of my life, I think that on one level or another I could relate every other thing to it. It has become a catalyst of sorts…maybe that is just it…through my work with wood I have come to understand a great many other things. The power of water, the genetic potential of an acorn, photosynthesis, charcoal, metallurgy, forestry etc., etc., it’s all there. I am not saying it’s only there, I am saying it’s a matter of getting into it…exercising your desire to learn, seeking out connections. Would you consider yourself a purist of sort? I am not a purist & if that is the impression, you simply find me at a moment of being very focused. I consider myself to be very flexible. I love conceptual thinking, challenging accepted ideas, and exploring different mediums. Any craftsmen to recommend? These guys, local & international, are both craftsmen & masters in their respective fields & are both hugely influential to me. <a href="http://www.pritzkerprize.com/laureates/2009/index.html">Peter Zumthor</a> & <a href="http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/28">Martin Puryear</a>. Can you explain how a wood lathe works? Does it require a large amount of force? Do you see that force when you look at objects that have be worked on a lathe, or does that force disappear? I think most people are a little let down the first time they see a lathe – until you switch it on & it starts to turn a rough piece of lumber. It’s a very basic machine. The concept is simple, the log spins very quickly on a fixed axis…then, chisels are levered into the spinning log removing shavings of the wood. Somewhere in there is a circular, curvilinear shape, open or hollow, round or flat, bowl or box. There is certainly magic in the making. Turning takes great force to accomplish as with many other kinds of material transformation. If I manage it well, in my work, that very force is finally recognized in balance of form & clean shape. You mention the sound of the lathe, and you can hear it in <a href="http://vimeo.com/28970811">the Scout video</a>. It sounds incredibly peaceful.... When I blew glass for 5 years, I felt at times I was in a glorious state of otherness. Can you relate to this feeling? Wood turning demands attention and tends to remind you if you become too distracted. I am sure not all that dissimilar to molten glass. I think that otherness that you are describing is the moment of empathy. It’s not necessarily about you or the material; it’s the moment where both meet. There’s an unconscious give & take, an intuition, a push & a pull, resistance & give…carving an edge, choosing a path & staying with it as long as possible. There is no machine, there is no tool, your neck is not sore, your arms are not tired, it’s just happening. Yes I can relate to that feeling. New projects? You know it’s funny that you brought up glass blowing. One of the most interesting new projects of ours has been making wooden tools for a glass blowing neighbor of ours. The studio uses a specific type of wood for their blocks, forming sticks & molds. Most of these tools live in water & are used in connection with the molten glass, which you might be familiar with. It got me thinking harder about a discussion we have been having about wood tools…& more particularly, specialized uses for wood. <a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6506763985_cc434b517e_b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6506763985_cc434b517e_b.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 698px; height: 488px;" /></a> Where can we find your works? Joshua Vogel Turnings: <a href="http://www.blackcreekmt.com/turnings_main_page.html" style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading Co.</a>,<a href="http://www.karkula.com/" style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 51);">Karkula</a>, <a href="http://mattermatters.com/">MATTER</a>, <a href="http://standardgoods.gostorego.com/" style="font-weight: bold;">Standard Goods</a> (Los Angeles) Joshua Vogel Ltd. Edition Sculptural Wood Kitchen Tools: Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading Co. & <a href="http://marchsf.com/">MARCH</a> (exclusively) Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading Co. small products: <a href="http://www.blackcreekmt.com/small_products.html">go here... </a> (a big thank you to Josh and Kelly for the photography, words, kindness, and work.) --------------

a conversation with Josh Vogel

... "I believe in the beauty of basics & I believe in an essential spirit that transcends both context & material. Right now...

11:23 AM

pomp apartment

a conversation with Scott Hudson, Henrybuilt

a conversation with Josh Vogel

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