Modern in Denver recently spoke with furniture designer Michael Brotman about The Grove collection, a new line of furniture he designed that is now available at Room & Board.
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?
I have a fine art degree with an emphasis in furniture design. I have worked as a custom cabinetmaker and have built custom furniture for a large portion of my life. My passion has always resided in woodworking and furniture. As a young kid working with my grandfather in his workshop, I learned to love the smells of wood, the feel, the natural characteristics and the magic that happens when you take a pile of wood and create an heirloom that will last a lifetime.
WHAT IS YOUR POSITION AT ROOM&BOARD AND WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO DESIGN THE GROVE COLLECTION?
My position within Room and Board is Merchandise Manager of wood and steel furniture. I have several wonderful partners and we operate as a collaborative team to evaluate, design, and develop all new pieces that are offered by Room and Board. Idea generation comes from all facets of our company and the world around us. When a piece is finalized and approved for our collection, we step back, look at the collection and see elements from all of us within the designs. It is very rewarding to be a part of such a creative group. We feed off of each other’s energy to be better and better everyday. It is our belief that the best ideas and outcomes do not come from any one person, rather they arrive collaboratively through creative brainstorming where all voices are heard and all opinions are considered. Grove was born from a desire to create a solid wood, domestically manufactured, mid-century inspired bedroom and storage collection. We were inspired by the all of the great furniture that was produced in America during the mid 1900s. The tapered legs, the chamfered corners, and the soft finish of oil and wax all combine to give us the timeless design of Grove. We believe that success is all in the details and Grove is a great example of this pursuit. All of the elements of this collection were designed to celebrate the natural beauty of the wood used to build it. We spent considerable time designing just the right knobs, getting the scale of the base just right, and making sure that the routing details on the case were exactly the right proportion.
WHAT WAS THE PROCESS IN DESIGNING THE COLLECTION? WHAT WAS THE TIMELINE FROM CONCEPTION TO FINISHED LINE?
Often we start the process by identifying a need within our assortment. This is based on several different criteria: sales, customer insights, store input, or a need in our assortment. The goal for us when we developed Grove was to offer a high quality, solid wood collection rooted in mid-century aesthetic. Next, we identify which of our woodworking vendors would be best suited for such a piece and begin to prototype. The prototyping process varies greatly by the complexity of the piece or collection. For example, the time it takes to develop one accent table is often far less than the time invested in a mulitple piece collection. When we receive the initial prototypes, we evaluate the scale, form, details, function, etc and make any shifts necessary to achieve the desired outcome. Because we do not compromise in terms of design or quality, we will continue to sample the pieces until they are perfect.
WHO IS SPECTRA? AND WHAT IS THEIR STORY? HOW AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THEM?
Spectra is a highly valued partner that has been working with Room and Board since 1999. They began in 1969 as a hobby in the basement of the family home making cutting boards, chess boards, candleholders and other small wooden giftware items. They quickly grew into a full fledged business, employing several local craftspeople, in 1972. As the business grew and they accquired more sophisticated machinery, they introduced some small furniture pieces that were met with great success. After they were bitten by the furniture bug, there was no turning back. The business is currently under the supervision of the second generation of the founding family. They have continued the family tradition of uncompromising quality and domestic production. When we crossed paths with them, we new that they were a great fit for Room & Board. Over the years, we have partnered on many successful collections and will continue to work together in the future. Our goal is to develop long lasting partnerships with all of our vendors and make it our mission to support one another to ensure that we both grow and succeed together.
TELL US ABOUT THE SUSTAINABLE QUALITIES OF YOUR FURNITURE LINE. FROM DESIGN TO MANUFACTURING PROCESS TO MATERIALS.
We approach sustainability from a slightly different direction than what is currently in the media. “Green” is a term that is very widely used in the world today with many different meanings. We talk about sustainability on a daily basis and know that there are many ways to interpret that term. We do not see it as a fad or a marketing opportunity. Sustainability has been an important part of our conversations from the beginning. We use domestic materials from some of the most closely managed forests in America, domestic craftspeople, and we follow or exceed environmental regulations. We have always left a very small footprint and will continue to do so. Moreso, what we produce will last for a lifetime. By combining the highest quality furniture with the best possible value and timess designs, we are ensuring that our furniture does not inhabit landfills, but instead is passed on to generations beyond our own to be viewed as family treasures. Further, we work closely with our vendor partners when we develop a piece or collection to ensure that we are maximizing the material yield and minimizing any waste. Many times during the development process, we change a dimension by 1” in order to mazimize the material we can use from a board.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE SPECIFIC PIECES IN THE LINE? WILL THERE BE MORE?
We focused on Storage and Bedroom for the pieces in the Grove collection. It began as a bedroom group with media and storage as natural extensions. The clean crisp lines made the creation of the group easy. The hardest part was narrowing down the great ideas to what we offer today. Integrating sliding doors to Grove was also a natural. We wanted that media to feel like that great vintage piece that you inherited from your hip uncle that he used to house his hi-fi.
WHO ARE YOUR INFLUENCES?
My influences are very wide reaching. I admire anyone who works passionately at their craft. I appreciate all genres of design from traditional early American, to the beautiful simplicity of Shaker, to the fine details of mid-century, and cutting edge modern. My goals, and the focus of Room & Board, is to celebrate natural materials and create timeless furniture that our customers will live with and love for a very long time.
WHAT IS NEXT?
Great things from Room & Board! We are beginning our development process for 2010 and are very excited about some of the possibilities. Rest assured, you will see the same outstanding quality and great value you have come to expect from Room & Board.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE COLLECTION?
Go see the Grove Collection and all of the other great, American-made pieces in our 2009 collection! Kick the tires - open the doors and drawers and look inside to see first hand the details that make a difference. Check out our incredible upholstery assortment, rugs, accessories, and lighting that will help put the finishing touches on any room. You will not encounter product anywhere that is crafted as well as what you will find at Room & Board.
