Dreamy and joyful, Sam Klemick’s 'Collection Two' furniture employs salvaged materials

Eclectic in nature, designer Sam Klemick’s latest furniture series called Collection Two is an appealing synthesis of her inspirations, beliefs, and experiences. The LA-based object and furniture designer's dreamy oeuvre is characterised by ingenuity drawn from iconic works across various disciplines, such as Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's 1990 magical realist anthology film Dreams, and the 1999 'Duvet Jacket' by the Belgian fashion designer Maison Martin Margiela. Graceful silhouettes from the 1961 French drama Last Year at Marienbad informed the fluid shapes of her Collection Two furniture pieces, exclaiming distinction in wood.

The joy she finds in the creative process, and her awareness of the wastefulness in the fashion industry succinctly drive and shape her overall designs and sourcing. While a fresh face in the global furniture design industry, she is no stranger to designing itself—she is established in the fashion design industry with her experience of 14 years, boasting creative associations including those with Paige, Rag & Bone, Free People, and Guess.

Studio Sam Klemick, previously known as Otherside Objects, is an American furniture design practice 'driven by imagination and guided by circular methods.' "The studio utilises salvaged materials and deadstock/ vintage textiles. As a career knitwear and clothing designer, (I) conceived (my) studio after observing the wasteful, ‘fast’ practices within the fashion industry. These insights inspired Studio Sam Klemick’s concept and mission: to reimagine and transform that which already exists," the American designer relays. In line with her ethos, as well as the waste generated persistently by the fashion industry, choosing sustainable design methods as a conscious practice, by simply repurposing materials, remains at the heart of Klemick's ensuing designs.

Collection Two includes a stool design, a side table, a bench, and two chair designs, all handmade, and conceived under a recurring theme of the rhythmic composition of the wooden bulbous pieces crowned with the cloud-like upholstery. The inspiration for the chair's cushions emanated from the iconic 1999 'Duvet Jacket' by Maison Margiela, but it is not just that design concept that Klemick’s work coincides with. The idea of using mundane things and converting them into high fashion was something Margiela was known for, which reflects in Klemick’s style of using wood salvaged from construction sites and deadstock fabrics. Her concern for the amount of unnecessary waste being generated compels her to only employ recycled materials in her product designs.

The product designer's distinctive style is a re-imagination of traditional forms, with her 'joyful' furniture featuring rotund legs—heaviest at the bottom, tapering towards the top, and distinctive upholstery for each piece—marking her expertise in textiles as well. A sense of fluidity offered by the wood grain accentuates her furniture, giving each piece of the same design a subtle nuance to its counterparts. An absence of sharp edges and lines, in tandem with the cloud-like forms of the cushions gives it a floating nature, providing a dreamy aura to the space it inhabits.

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts—a quote by Aristotle that has been proven time and time again. When ideas, concepts, inspirations, and entities come together in the most fulfilling way, their cohesion finds a more distinguished character of its own. Dreams by Akira Kurasawa is one such example—Even though he is responsible for illustrious works such as Drunken Angel and Seven Samurai, Dreams is regarded as one of his most personal works. It is an anthology of eight vignettes bound by a common theme—the ethereal nature of dreams. Mirror by Andrei Tarkovsky, which enjoys second place in IMDB’s list of the top 50 most visually beautiful movies ever made—is another masterpiece which gently delves into the concept of dreams. These movies' exploration of nature and depiction of dreams inspired Klemick greatly throughout her career as a designer. Last Year at Marienbad, a French film served as a muse for Collection Two, its elegant silhouettes of the serene topiary garden influencing the designs—especially notable on the 'Wiggle Bench.'

Sam Klemick’s journey as a furniture designer is rather serendipitous. The American designer learned the basics of furniture making in the night classes she took at the LA Woodshop after work as a hobby. She learned the rest of it through trial and error, and videos on Youtube. Her desire to pursue furniture design solidified when she was introduced to the lathe, going on to develop a fondness for it. Her style is characterised by the process of bringing together wood-turned elements—which she uses to create her design language. Klemick explains, “Turning is probably my favourite woodworking process. I feel that it doesn’t require the same level of accuracy as other techniques which is good for me.” She is involved in the entire process of the product, from design to execution. “I am definitely a designer first and a maker/builder second, but I love both parts of the process,” she adds. Not trying to conform to a singular style, Klemick’s work manifests with a hands-on approach, as a reflection of her influences, inspirations, and her expertise as a fashion designer.