Today we have a little Q+A with Brent Freedman of Gamla Studio, a young emerging furniture and product design studio located here in Vancouver. Gamla makes furniture, household products, toys, onsite installations, and offer a Golden Age Getaway (which we wrote about earlier this spring). Here's our interview:
Tell us a little bit about you. Where did you train or study and what led you to the path you currently are on?
Growing up in Winnipeg with a fashion designer for a mom, I was introduced to the design process early on. I spent my childhood in countless garment factories watching the work she designed being crafted into manufactured goods; this eventually led me to study fine arts and design in Montreal. I've always been a maker, and I've never limited myself to what that means—I even had some success as a musician. Whether it be practical or a bit more experimental, I don't remember a time when I wasn't producing work. So, when I moved to Vancouver a couple of years ago, I founded Gamla, a creative studio that makes furniture, products, and everything in between. It keeps me busy, and I love it.
What's your main focus currently and/or how would you describe your current design aesthetic?
Gamla is about everyday life—about how people live, what their very basic needs are, and how we can address those needs in an artful way. Our main focus is furniture and product design, making high quality objects that are fun, functional, and uncomplicated while remaining sculptural and beautiful. We love working with fine woods and designer textiles, but we make and build our products so they can be used and admired. It shouldn't be one or the other. For example, our line of All Purpose Tables are meant for dining, working, having drinks with friends around, and when not in use, it should be a special object to look at in your space. It's my belief that as a maker, it's my duty to celebrate the materials I use. Elevate, not complicate. Being a new studio, we're working like crazy developing our product line, and I'm excited about our upcoming work.
Love your work - can you explain that design process?
Wow. I suppose the process is different depending on the goal and purpose of the project. If the piece is being crafted for a specific client with specific needs, it begins with listening to what they're looking for, what their space is like, and allowing the form to develop from there. If there is a request for a specific material, I try to discover what exactly it is about this material that makes it special, then will design around that one attribute. Like I said, as a maker, I want to elevate, not complicate the products we design. I'm very hands on as I work; I sketch a little at first, but generally the design is born from the process of creation. I'm constantly stepping back and analyzing each piece as it is crafted. Admittedly, this process can be a bit more time consuming than absolutely necessary, but it's part of being a perfectionist in my craft.
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