STANDARD daily edition
an honest-to-goodness design affair
standard stag thursday, november 1, 2012
a Design Affair
robb whittlef tells us all the steamy details minh dang Beyond the tourist attractions that Minnesota offers like the Mall of America, there is a hidden gem for people who love things with soul. In 2010, Robb Whittlef opened HISTORIC studio. From all corners of the globe, the interior design studio offers a range of antique, reinvented vintage and amazing found objects. Although the studio is primarily a to-the-trade resource, they offer pieces through online retailers.
minh: what features do you look for when you’re searching for new products? robb: I’m always looking for things that have the ability to make someone want to know more. We all have a story to tell, and the objects we surround ourselves do as well. They are a manifestation of our likes, loves and lives. m: how far have you traveled to find pieces for historic studio? r: I’ve literally traveled around the world many times over. In fact, last year I flew over 250,000 miles. Whether it is Europe, Asia, India, Australia, Mexico, or most of the United States, I’ve probably covered it in the past year. Yet, at the same point, I honestly find amazing things right in my hometown of Minneapolis that I would never even expect to be here. m: tell me about an item that you found and transformed into a new design. r: Over the years I think I have transformed almost every piece of scrap you can imagine into something else! From making a standing floor screen from an old wooden set of garage doors with perfect patina, to welding old iron railings together for a coffee table, to creating artwork out of tiny pieces of driftwood. The best part is that every day I see so many more things waiting to be reinvented. My education never ends. m: what philosophy do you live by? r: I guess my viewpoint of reinvention is to make the irrelevant relevant, to make the invisible visible and understanding what you don’t know makes you brilliant. historicstudio.com
Chopstick Desk Lamp