Reed Hansuld is a Canadian contemporary furniture designer and maker based in Brooklyn, NY. He believes in the continuation of high craft and thoughtful creation through his personal making practice as well as by teaching at various craft schools in the USA and abroad.
“The work represents the collection of my experiences — every piece is a piece of me.”
“My life — a collection of moments, details etched into my subconscious by their significance — the experience of people, places and all their myriad sensory influence.”
“A professional designer is forever developing ways of expressing their aesthetic; that aesthetic is innate and is refined over a lifetime.”
The moment we begin working together is the moment a unique process begins, resulting in an end piece that will be a 1 of 1 representation of our partnership. A professional designer is forever developing ways of expressing their aesthetic; that aesthetic is innate and is refined over a lifetime. As a maker, it is the countless hours of investigating the ergonomics and engineering of the pieces we create: the way an armrest falls to hand; the profile of a table edge; the rush of air as you slide closed a perfectly-fit drawer; visual and physical proportions; how it fits in a space, and the way one intuitively interacts with it. The details of this may be hard to see at a quick glance, but offer an enhanced experience with the object either consciously or subconsciously.
“Hand-made work embodies a special connection of a maker with a material; we feel this more potently when the hand is relied on right from the start.”
Being both a designer and a maker is like being a singer-songwriter; there is a synergy between the idea and execution of creativity. Designs begin with hand sketching, a technique utilized throughout the process from idea generation to resolving details, fabrication processes, and communicating ideas. Not limited to the confines of a drafting program, hand sketching allows for a freedom of expression, relying on intuition of line, weight, and proportion. Once a concept is decided on, we began full-scale drawings, creating mock-ups and prototyping details. Hand-made work embodies a special connection of a maker with the material; we feel this more potently when the hand is relied on right from the start. There is so much nuance to craftsmanship, and I remain dedicated to hand-building furniture informed by contemporary aesthetics and augmented by modern processes.
Reeds work has been featured in American Craft, Architectural Digest, Azure, Core 77, Design Milk, Dwell, Elle Decor, Surface Mag and more. His work has been shown around the world including at the Architectural Digest Show, Center for Art in Wood, Gallery Naga, IDS Toronto, Maison & Objet, NY Now, Riverside Art Museum, Wanted Design and more. Reed’s work has been acquired around the world and his customers range from private clients and permanent gallery collections to embassies and consulates.
“Reed believes in the continuation of high craft and the valuable impact that it has on people both on a personal level and societally.”
Reed frequently devotes time to teaching and lecturing at some of the most renowned craft schools across America and abroad, including the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship (Maine), Penland School of Crafts (North Carolina), Center for Fine Woodworking (Nelson, New Zealand), amongst others. Reed believes in the continuation of high craft and the valuable impact that it has on people both on a personal level and societally.
“The closer you look,
the more interesting
it should get.”
I believe in producing pieces that are meant to be enjoyed over a lifetime. They are commissioned by you and could be passed from generation to generation. For me, that means it needs to be exceptionally crafted, built-to-last, and consistently compelling to engage with.
