Company Name: Board by Design

Studio Location: Carbondale, Co

Product Line/Design Specialty: Windsorrondack Rockers/ Solutions in Wood and Metal

I decided to design for outside because…

I did not see an accurate representation of a traditional rocker embodied in contemporary materials and colors.

The first thing I do when I get to the studio is… 

Move all of my bikes, which are stored in the studio, into to the front yard, high-five my assistant, and put on music fairly loudly, depending on the day.

My first design job was…

Working for the Mesa Museum for Youth in Mesa, Arizona. I designed the sets and interactive games for learning in a museum where every show changed every four months.

One of my biggest sources of inspiration is…

Seeing voids in the product design landscape and coming up with solutions.

Who is your design icon? 

Chuck and Ray Eames. How they understood materials and their diverse breadth of work.

What other design disciplines inspire you? 

The Auto industry. Their vast budgets allow for incredible and opulent solutions. I feel some of the best designers have gone that route.

The best thing about my job is…

I work for myself and get to play mad scientist in my lab.

The last book I read…

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann.

Favorite gadget used for business?

iPhone.

Success for me is…

Having the time for a balanced life (family, work, bikes, and snowboards).

I always…

Surround myself with great people that make me a better person.

CAD or Pencil?

 Both-ish

Read More about our Young Designers:
Jay Bearfield
Kathryn Prideaux
Jessica Carnevale
Brad Reed Nelson
Ryan Burrows and Mike Corragio
Zachary A. Bitner

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Company Name: EcoWalls

Product Line/Design Specialty: Living Wall Design and Installation

Studio Location: Bordentown, NJ

I decided to design for outside because …

Mike: My college background began in veterinary medicine. I soon became fascinated with how animals interact within a space. Designers of zoos and aquariums try to replicate a natural habitat, while trying to tell a story about the environment and to conserve and protect it.

I believe that the concept of landscape immersion translates to the urban environment as well. The challenge of taking an otherwise concrete setting and bringing natural elements into these spaces to make the inhabitants feel more comfortable is actually not that different than designing for a zoo.

Ryan: I feel there is a lack of sustainable green options for small spaces and I’ve always been interested in nature and the challenge of replicating it in intimate urban spaces. These landscapes often become an extension of our living space, allowing us a little bit of an oasis in an otherwise impervious environment. We feel more comfortable in spaces that incorporate natural lighting, water, plants, fresh air, and other natural elements. I enjoy creating these types of spaces and this is why I studied landscape architecture and am a designer.

The first thing I do when I get to the studio is …

Mike: Make a cup of coffee and attack the list of e-mails and messages. Then music from my iPod jumpstarts the design process!

Ryan: Ditto.

My first design job was …

Mike: Designing a water garden at my parents’ house when I was twelve. I scratched a design on paper and my dad and I created a small koi garden.
During college I created a master plan for the space, and over the years we have been able to expand the water garden and landscapes to the point that half the property has running water.

Ryan: Our first commissioned installation together was a terrarium design for the Rutgers University Floriculture greenhouses. We essentially created miniature ecosystems for various amphibians and reptiles. We then expanded on this concept and tested materials to create a similar terrarium backdrop but on a larger scale. Hence, our first living wall was born from this process and still resides at the Floriculture greenhouses today.

One of my biggest sources of inspiration is …

Mike: One of my biggest sources of inspiration is the natural environment. I think there is no better teacher than nature. Nature has perfected balancing textures and color palettes and showcasing what plant combinations work well together in masses and as specimens. Studying the small intricacies of a natural space like a deciduous understory or streamside grotto really aid in understanding microhabitats and community relationships. These concepts really help to fortify my designs.

Ryan: One of my biggest sources of inspiration is functional and integrated landscapes. I’m always interested in how designers use the landscape as a tool. Whether it’s to create habitat space or treat stormwater through an artificial wetland, I really try to expand these principals and create installations and products that are driven by both design and purpose.

Who is your design icon?

Mike: I am fascinated by the zoological industry and find the work of firms like Jones & Jones and CLR Design very inspirational. As an individual icon, I really admire Brazilian designer, Burle Marx. His colorful treatment of the landscape with large masses and bold patterning are iconic.

Ryan: Frank Lloyd Wright. He had a gift for blending architecture into the landscape in a way that wasn’t invasive. I also gravitate towards designers that juxtapose modern elements with natural elements. I think that’s why living walls are so striking as features in the built environment because they unexpectedly greet you.

What other design disciplines inspire you?

Mike: Zoological design still provides a huge source of inspiration for me. The concepts of landscape immersion, expanding the guest experience, and acknowledging plant/animal interactions really help me in creating designs that will be sustainable, attractive, and engaging to those that live, work, and play within the spaces we design.

Ryan: I gather much of my inspiration from the fields of architecture and furniture design. The mixed use of materials, context, and scale really expand the concept of what we can achieve with our vertical landscapes.

The best thing about my job is …

Mike: The best thing about my job is that I get travel and experience so many different places and work with so many talented professionals. I’ve always had an affinity for plants and I’m grateful that I have created a business that allows me to work with different plant palettes in so many capacities.

Ryan: The best thing about my job is that it combines all the things I love—art, architecture, science, and horticulture. Every day I get utilize my creative side, expand current research programs, and investigate new materials and plants that we can integrate into our systems. Fortunately, I’m blessed to do this all through my company.

The last book I read …

Ryan: Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus.

Favorite gadget used for business?

Mike: It may sound rudimentary but one of my favorite “gadgets” is chalk. There is no better feeling than freehanding a design on our living walls and beginning the plant installation. If I had to pick a piece of technology, however, I would definitely say a tablet is my lifesaver. They make client presentations so much easier.

Read More about our Young Designers:
Jay Bearfield
Kathryn Prideaux
Jessica Carnevale
Brad Reed Nelson
Ryan Burrows and Mike Corragio
Zachary A. Bitner

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Company Name: Carnevale Studio

Studio Location: London

Product Line/Design Specialty: Brutiful – Ceramic Tables / Puffy – Neon upholstered furniture / Stretch – woven dining chairs.

I decided to design for outside because…

I came to design something for outside almost by accident. During the development of the Brutiful collection I came across a company up in Yorkshire (Naylor Industries). They’ve been making industrial clay products for the past 135 years. We experimented with this extremely resilient type of clay, called Heathernware. It would survive attack by almost anything.  So the resulting collection can work equally well anywhere, inside or out.  It’s normally used for hardcore utility grade underground pipes!

The first thing I do when I get to the studio is…

My studio is inside a woodshop in London. One wall is completely covered in experimental swatches and images. I usually start my day looking it over with a cup of coffee in my hand.

My first design job was…

I was recruited for my first job after graduating from RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) by Martha Stewart in New York City. I designed accessories for her Kmart line, mainly candlesticks and clocks.

One of my biggest sources of inspiration is…

With the Brutiful collection, I was inspired by the architecture that surrounds me in London. Carnevale Studio is based near the South Bank, this area was heavily bombed, it was re-built after the war and became the crucible of British Brutalism in the 50s and 60s. Now London’s cultural centre, these looming, fortress-like buildings dominate the river bank. Their heavy lines and repeated motifs are reflected in the Brutiful collection.

However, it’s usually fashion that gets me going.

 Who is your design icon?

So the official answer is Charles and Ray Eames of course! They were so innovative and ahead of their time with their creations. They were always designing and enhancing their surroundings and I loved their personal style as well. The unofficial answer is actually Christopher Kane. His work is extraordinary. I’d love to work with him.

What other design disciplines inspire you?

Civil engineers. To be able to build a bridge still amazes me.

The best thing about my job is… Creating something that has never existed. I love that with just a simple sketch I can create something someone can sit on (after building it!).

The interaction between people and objects has always intrigued me.

The last book I read… Short stories of F.Scott Fitzgerald. I especially loved the story, Diamond as Big as the Ritz.

Favorite gadget used for business? 

I’m absolutely obsessed with my iPad; it’s quite handy. Although I still carry my sketch book everywhere and that’s the most important.

Success for me is…  Can be just little things, like last month in Milan during the Salone del Mobile, a little girl loved one of my chairs and ran up to kiss it! That was very cute.

I always… Try to look at everything around me for inspiration.

CAD or Pencil?

Definitely pencil. Sketching and full scale mock ups are more helpful when I’m building a new piece.
Read More about our Young Designers:
Jay Bearfield
Kathryn Prideaux
Jessica Carnevale
Brad Reed Nelson
Ryan Burrows and Mike Corragio
Zachary A. Bitner

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Company Name: Prideaux Design

Studio Location: Metal Arts Village – Tucson, Arizona

Product Line/Design Specialty: land + room – landscape and interior design

I decided to design for outside because…

To me it was an extension of a home. In Tucson, true outdoor living is possible for much of the year. I feel it is a missed opportunity when a home does not extend into the outdoors, allowing the owners and visitors to enjoy the beautiful weather and wonderfully unique landscape.

Moving my design skills to the outdoors was a new challenge – like creating art with a new medium. The beauty of the desert is so appealing to me – I am so blessed to be able to design using our gorgeous architectural specimens.

The first thing I do when I get to the studio is…

Do I get to the design studio? I feel like I spend most of my day in my car!

My first design job was…

My bachelors degree is in industrial design and right out of school I worked in NYC working for a small industrial design consultancy. We created perfume bottles, card-reading machines, cosmetic packaging, and on and on. I worked in the city for a few years for various firms. I remember one whole day creating alternate heart shapes out of clay for a perfume bottle top concept.

One of my biggest sources of inspiration is…

Mid-century modern architecture and landscape architecture. I love pouring through books from the era and noting materials, transitions, forms, and feelings. My grandparents built a beachfront home in California in 1956 designed by Edward Killingsworth that was a masterpiece. The visions of that home and the memories created there will always be with me. They sold the home in 1990, but sadly it was demolished several years ago by the latest buyer.

Who is your design icon?

Eva Zeisel for her fluid and sensual design sensibility; for her amazing life story of triumph; for blazing the way for female industrial designers; and for continuing to work well into her 90s. Her work so moved me as a young adult that my eldest daughter is named Eva.

What other design disciplines inspire you?

What design disciplines don’t inspire me!?

The best thing about my job is…

The thrill of seeing a vision come to life, and the joy it brings to my clients.

The last 3 books I read…

I have two young daughters and have my own business. I am afraid that reading books (other than design or business books) has fallen off my list lately.

Favorite gadget used for business?

iPad. Without a doubt

Success for me is…

Having enough work to keep doing what I love and building a name for myself such that clients are seeking out my work.

I always…

Wear sunscreen.

CAD or Pencil?

Pencil for all concepts. Sketching is critical for me to ideate. I like to draw loosely and think freely. After I have presented the hand-rendered concept and vision to the client, CAD all the way.

What excites you about the future?

The universal recognition of the importance of green building and sustainability. The possibilities for new materials and new ways to use them. The unknown.

Read More about our Young Designers:
Jay Bearfield
Kathryn Prideaux
Jessica Carnevale
Brad Reed Nelson
Ryan Burrows and Mike Corragio
Zachary A. Bitner

Return to Leaf Magazine