DESIGNERS: IACOLI & MCALLISTER
In the spring of 2009, iacoli & mcallister were selected to show with the American Design Club's "Hue Are You?" show at The Future Perfect in Brooklyn. They showed their Frame Lights and their Mini-Pedestals, and that was pretty much it for us. We were hooked, and now they're a part of our permanent collection. Their aesthetic is all at once modern, nostalgic, warm, approachable, sexy, adorable, and covetable. With candy-colored coatings over simple shapes, their pieces feel at home in any room.
Says Dave Alhadeff, "I don't know so much about them. Except to say, Jamie is not only an incredible talent, but absolutely one of the sweetest designers we work with. It always feels really good to support nice people. It's why we do this at The Future Perfect. To work with such awesome talent."
Well put, but who are these two? On their website, they list some of their favorite things, some of which are: industrial processes, thunderstorms, other people's mixed cd's, fresh powder, collaborative projects, bike rides, wooden crates, sleeping in... Things we all love, only they turn these things into magic.
I asked Jamie Iacoli a few questions so we can all get to know them a little better.
How did you meet Brian?
He hates it when I tell people this, but the fact of the matter is that we met via the Myspace. Yeah, Myspace, don't judge. :) He was friends with my friends' band, and while I did click on his profile (or whatever it's called on Myspace) because he was cute, it was the content of his profile that made me message him. He had a ton of contemporary furniture/product designers listed as his heroes. In Seattle you don't come across a lot of people who can rattle off all those names, so I was like, "I have to know this guy" (the fact that he was cute was just a bonus). We ended up getting a beer and talking for hours. He offered to teach me how to weld and the next weekend he not only showed me how to weld, but he moved into the studio space I had just started renting. Things just went from there...
Where are you both from, originally?
Brian is from Seattle, and I am originally from the middle of nowhere Indiana and came to Seattle by way of Miami Beach.
What was the first thing you ever designed together, and is it something that went into production?
Hrm, what did we first design together? I can't really remember as the first month or so that Brian and I hung out, I just basically watched him make stuff (old designs that he'd come up with years ago) in the studio we were sharing. I had never been around metal forming before so I literally just watched him put stuff together so effortlessly, like he was making a sandwich. I was hooked, on him and his shop skills. That doesn't really answer your question, sorry...
If you could make anything, without restraint for cost, material, etc, what would be your ideal dream product or object to produce?
I think for Brian and I it would all be about the material. I would love to make a bunch of stuff in 24K gold. Jewelry, sure, but also tables and chairs and lights and EVERYTHING in 24K gold. I love how over the top and luxurious gold is. And I think if Brian could have his way, and I can speak for him because we share the same brain, he'd design a carbon fiber chair. And if we worked together it would be a black carbon fiber and 24K gold chair. I'd also love to collaborate with a fashion designer and do an entire fall collection.
If there is anything you could own for yourself that someone else designed, what would it be?
For me it's the Ligne Roset Togo Sofa. I absolutely love that thing. Gah. I like the idea of "low living" where everything is close to the floor. That sofa, with lots of poufs, and pillows and blankets, and good food, and friends and board games and thoughtful cocktails would be my ideal night.
What world/environment do you see your pieces belonging to or existing in?
I actually love seeing our stuff in super old places, like in Europe or Turkey. While we design pieces that are pretty minimal, I love the juxtaposition of the new with the old, the minimal with the ornate. I have a friend who lives in this crazy old castle in Florence, Italy, and I want to send her a frame light to photograph next to all of her centuries old furniture.
Well, Jamie was right. Brian is cute. And we're really happy that she clicked on his thumbnail, because now, years later, we get to share in their incredible penchant for creating awesomeness. You can see their work in either of our locations, see some of it here, or you can visit them here.
Photo by Kyle Johnson
Posted by Michael Beard
FEBRUARY 18 2011 // 7:00AM // People // PERMALINK
In the spring of 2009, iacoli & mcallister were selected to show with the American Design Club's "Hue Are You?" show at The Future Perfect in Brooklyn. They showed their Frame Lights and their Mini-Pedestals, and that was pretty much it for us. We were hooked, and now they're a part of our permanent collection. Their aesthetic is all at once modern, nostalgic, warm, approachable, sexy, adorable, and covetable. With candy-colored coatings over simple shapes, their pieces feel at home in any room.
Says Dave Alhadeff, "I don't know so much about them. Except to say, Jamie is not only an incredible talent, but absolutely one of the sweetest designers we work with. It always feels really good to support nice people. It's why we do this at The Future Perfect. To work with such awesome talent."
Well put, but who are these two? On their website, they list some of their favorite things, some of which are: industrial processes, thunderstorms, other people's mixed cd's, fresh powder, collaborative projects, bike rides, wooden crates, sleeping in... Things we all love, only they turn these things into magic.
I asked Jamie Iacoli a few questions so we can all get to know them a little better.
How did you meet Brian?
He hates it when I tell people this, but the fact of the matter is that we met via the Myspace. Yeah, Myspace, don't judge. :) He was friends with my friends' band, and while I did click on his profile (or whatever it's called on Myspace) because he was cute, it was the content of his profile that made me message him. He had a ton of contemporary furniture/product designers listed as his heroes. In Seattle you don't come across a lot of people who can rattle off all those names, so I was like, "I have to know this guy" (the fact that he was cute was just a bonus). We ended up getting a beer and talking for hours. He offered to teach me how to weld and the next weekend he not only showed me how to weld, but he moved into the studio space I had just started renting. Things just went from there...
Where are you both from, originally?
Brian is from Seattle, and I am originally from the middle of nowhere Indiana and came to Seattle by way of Miami Beach.
What was the first thing you ever designed together, and is it something that went into production?
Hrm, what did we first design together? I can't really remember as the first month or so that Brian and I hung out, I just basically watched him make stuff (old designs that he'd come up with years ago) in the studio we were sharing. I had never been around metal forming before so I literally just watched him put stuff together so effortlessly, like he was making a sandwich. I was hooked, on him and his shop skills. That doesn't really answer your question, sorry...
If you could make anything, without restraint for cost, material, etc, what would be your ideal dream product or object to produce?
I think for Brian and I it would all be about the material. I would love to make a bunch of stuff in 24K gold. Jewelry, sure, but also tables and chairs and lights and EVERYTHING in 24K gold. I love how over the top and luxurious gold is. And I think if Brian could have his way, and I can speak for him because we share the same brain, he'd design a carbon fiber chair. And if we worked together it would be a black carbon fiber and 24K gold chair. I'd also love to collaborate with a fashion designer and do an entire fall collection.
If there is anything you could own for yourself that someone else designed, what would it be?
For me it's the Ligne Roset Togo Sofa. I absolutely love that thing. Gah. I like the idea of "low living" where everything is close to the floor. That sofa, with lots of poufs, and pillows and blankets, and good food, and friends and board games and thoughtful cocktails would be my ideal night.
What world/environment do you see your pieces belonging to or existing in?
I actually love seeing our stuff in super old places, like in Europe or Turkey. While we design pieces that are pretty minimal, I love the juxtaposition of the new with the old, the minimal with the ornate. I have a friend who lives in this crazy old castle in Florence, Italy, and I want to send her a frame light to photograph next to all of her centuries old furniture.
Well, Jamie was right. Brian is cute. And we're really happy that she clicked on his thumbnail, because now, years later, we get to share in their incredible penchant for creating awesomeness. You can see their work in either of our locations, see some of it here, or you can visit them here.
Photo by Kyle Johnson
Posted by Michael Beard
FEBRUARY 18 2011 // 7:00AM // People // PERMALINK