Steven Bukowski
Steven Bukowski designs functional and expressive furniture in New York City. His work explores the space between art and design, drawing heavily from his familial background in fabrication and craft. His rich understanding of form, colour, materials, and manufacturing processes lends itself to a collection that is thoughtfully designed for a lifetime of use.
Its a pleasure to have both Steven on board to answer ‘The Makers’ Q & A this week.
Explore more of their work on the links below.
How important do you think your working and home environment are to you?... for example is the work you make reflected in your personal space?
Very important! I am a creature of comforts and enjoy making each space enjoyable to work and live in by making it comfortable and cozy. I’m constantly rethinking how to rearrange or alter the spaces to make each more conducive towards its purpose.
What do you think has informed your personal aesthetic?
I design with playfulness, regularity, and straightforwardness in mind as a way to escape the uncertainty and mendacity of the current global situation. Of course not without its hidden surprises and secrets though. This is manifested through some of the repeated forms that I have been working with lately. It’s all sort of predictable in a way, but hopefully surprises people by its hidden functions.
Do you collect anything/have a favourite object?
I collect little odds and ends, oftentimes just small offcuts from projects that have an interesting or inspiring shape, form, texture, etc. I have a few shelves in my studio that are filled with these random little pieces.
What in the design world has caught your attention recently?
The alarming void of differing perspectives and voices from the BIPOC community in the design world. I am excited that we are ushering in other voices, as it has primarily been centralized around the Eurocentric design canon for a while now. Bobby Sukrachand (@sukrachand) has led a charge in the NYC design scene, creating a venue for dialogue on his Instagram page, which has sparked many critical conversations and actions. We have already seen a shift towards openness, for instance in curation and editorials, and we will continue to insist on inclusivity until it is no longer a trend.
If your work could find itself in any interior/space or environment where would that be?
Definitely a Kubrick film, though it’s a bit too late for that!
Where is your favourite place to be?
In nature, away from all the day-to-day naggings and distractions.
Do you have a dream project or client?
At the risk of sounding trite, a dream project would be designing and building my own house and studio/workshop somewhere in Upstate New York. I’d like to use the opportunity to explore both new and old ideas in architecture in regards to efficiency, construction, and sustainability to create a harmonious dialogue between the architecture and nature.
Do you have a project that was a turning point in finding your own creative path?
I’d say it was right around the time that I was working on the bar seating for Cafe Altro Paradiso. I was in the process of suspending operations with my former business partner while simultaneously considering quitting self employment and just finding a job. Working on this project helped me work through all of the frustration, depression, and directionlessness I was feeling at that time.
Could you share with us the best pieces of design advice you have received?
“Read something irrelevant every day” was a bit of advice one of my professors in school taught us. It’s about the importance of expanding your knowledge and experience beyond our narrow understanding of a problem or issue at hand, and having other creative solutions to draw on later on when the moment is right.
How important is collaboration to you?
Collaboration is an important tool; not only because the sum is greater than the parts, but it allows for deep introspection into one’s own decision-making process and biases. For that, I’m grateful for having had the opportunity to collaborate with my wife (@goddammithannah) and several friends, along with clients and other businesses. I think it’s taken all of our work to a new level since gaining more insight.
Do you have a favourite material and why?
I do really enjoy working with wood because it’s fairly simple to manipulate.
Form, function or fantasy?
A bit of all three, it’s important to balance all of it.
