Bay Area Made is a community of values-driven makers from around the Bay dedicated to virtues such as craft, quality, good design, innovation, and sustainability. In addition to building community amongst local makers, we’re dedicated to educating and inspiring consumers to support local companies who create quality products that are better for the user, the community, and the planet. From the clothes we wear to the food we eat, to the products we use daily, WHAT WE MAKE locally and HOW WE MAKE IT really does matter.
One of the ways we showcase our community is through our annual exhibition during SF Design Week. This year our exhibition was hosted by Gantri lighting in their beautiful San Francisco SOMA studio. “Bay Area Made: Product Design Stories” featured products from 37 Bay Area Made members, and the stories behind them. The products represented standard, custom, and customized offerings from established and up-and-coming brands spanning home & garden, clothing & accessories, food & beverage, and body & bath, providing a behind the scenes glimpse into who creates the products, and how and why they are made.
In this series we’re featuring select exhibitors and their stories. Here is the third installment.
Check out Part 1 , Part 2 & Part 4 of Product Design Stories.
Jason Lees Design
Parquet Side Table & Herringbone Coffee Table/Bench. Stained Douglas Fir. 2011/2023
For the past twenty years I’ve designed custom made-to-order modern furniture and cabinetry for architects, interior designers, and private clients. I’ve completed projects locally, nationally, and internationally for residences, offices, retail spaces, cafes, restaurants, and hotels. I’m drawn to wood and it’s the primary material I use. Over the years I’ve worked with a wide range of wood species in solid wood, veneer, and plywood, and wood finishes such as stains and paint. I like to mix wood with other materials such as metal, laminate, linoleum, glass, acrylic, leather, and fabric.
I generally collaborate with local craftsmen to execute my custom projects, but in addition to being a designer I’m also a woodworker and craftsman myself. When I’m inspired to explore a design idea, or work with a new material that I’m excited about, I’ll get into the workshop. The Parquet and Herringbone Tables on display are a result of this.
In 2011 I was inspired by the idea of taking a traditional, classic pattern generally seen on a two-dimensional surface such as parquet flooring and blowing it up to create a functional three-dimensional object. The Parquet Table was born from this inspiration. The design was well received and in 2013 was selected for an exhibition of California furniture design at the Museum of Craft & Design, and a show of Bay Area furniture design hosted by Arkitektura for SF Design Week.
Over the years I’ve made custom sized versions of the Parquet Table for clients. I’ve always wanted to explore the concept further, and last year I created the Herringbone Coffee Table/Bench based on another classic pattern.
Although a modernist, I’m drawn to timeless design. I love how they have a geometric, ordered quality, yet their massive, sculptural forms echo ancient structures such as pyramids and temples. I also love how the bold end-grain of the Douglas Fir enhances the pattern but gives them a raw, unfinished feel reminiscent of Brutalist architecture. I like to call them “Organic Brutalism”.
Looking forward to creating future iterations of this concept.
– Jason Lees, Designer & Craftsman
Medium Small
Umlauf Coffee Table & Mirror. Aluminum, ABS Plastic, Glass. 2024
Medium Small is the design practice of Brandt Hewitt and Megan McGuinn. We met in architecture school, where we began our long-term creative partnership. Our design practice is integrated into our everyday lives, and we strive to bring thoughtful creativity to all our endeavors. We’re often asked about the meaning of our name, and ultimately, it’s pretty simple. Our medium is small projects – it’s all about relative scale. Names are vessels, and we needed ours to be big enough to hold all the things we do.
We offer furniture, lighting, and specialty fabrication – all designed and produced in our San Francisco studio. Our approach to design is grounded in a combination of handcraft, digital technologies, and industrial tooling. Focusing on high-quality, small-batch production, we realize our work using modern methodologies in our compact studio. We are as (if not more) excited by the design of production process as the finished product, often devising unique and creative jigs and work-holding solutions to create an outsized output in our modest footprint. We keep our studio nimble, our work versatile, and prioritize an artful process.
Our latest collection, Umlauf, is inspired by Umlauftank 2, a shipbuilding and naval architecture research complex in Berlin. Designed by Ludwig Leo in 1969, the building’s primary function as a cavitation circuit is expressed prominently on its exterior as a bright pink pipe. Taking cues from this graphic form, the mirror and table displayed here are modular. Configurable thanks to interchangeable connectors, the base is a flexible and changeable sculpture.
– Brandt Hewitt and Megan McGuinn, Owner/Designer/Maker
Jakob
Fold, Ridge, Formed lines, Pilz. Ceramic, Wood. 2021-2024
Austrian designer based in San Francisco, Jakob creates unique handmade interior objects, primarily in ceramics. Drawing inspiration from European contemporary design pieces and his background in industrial design, Jakob infuses his work with a balance of functionality and artistic expression. After graduating with a Master of Arts from the University of Applied Sciences Joanneum, Jakob’s artistic journey led him to San Francisco and a newfound passion for ceramics. Learning more about throwing, handbuilding, and slip casting, he began exploring the possibilities of the medium.
In 2022, Jakob launched his “Formed Lines” collection, a testament to the flow and form achievable through slip casting. Driven by an interest in functionality, he then designed the “Pilz” lamp, drawing inspiration from organic shapes.
Subsequent collections, like the “Ridge” cocktail set and “Fold” lamp, showcased deeper explorations of form, interaction, and expression. The “Ridge” collection, for example, delves into the interplay between clay form and the flow of glaze within the kiln. The geometry of the pieces is designed to cause the glaze to pool in the ridges, creating a visually striking contrast in color and pattern.
Jakob’s “Fold” lamp takes a more conceptual approach. Inspired by the delicate form of a folded paper lampshade, this piece plays with user expectation. The familiar silhouette is reimagined in ceramic, creating a surprising juxtaposition between the perceived lightness of paper and the substantial weight of the material.
– Jakob Tiefenbacher, Designer
Photos by Medium Small
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