Category Archives: NEWS

Who are the Studio Dunn summer interns? This week we’re introducing you to them!

The sweetest thing in Studio Dunn isn’t the semi-melted lemon-lime popsicles in the freezer — It’s Rhode Island School of Design senior, Emily Woratzeck. Her requirement for a hands-on internship with a small, community oriented company are what attracted her to Studio Dunn. Along with outfitting our photo space in pink vinyl, she surprises us with effortless energy and the dependable ‘I blinked again’ photograph. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for her work in the world of design. Emily, can we get more homemade ice cream sandwiches please!?

Who are the Studio Dunn summer interns? This week we’re introducing you to them!

Tall, lanky and fearless, Coby Unger isn’t afraid to get down and dirty, in fact, he prefers machine grease over the leading daily moisturizer. Celebrated for his understanding of mechanical engineering, this self-motivated New England native will tackle any project full force — his weapon of choice: the oscillating spindle sander. Challenging himself regularly with courses at RISD, our soon to be Drexel student is learning how to integrate design thinking with engineering. We welcome our clever, jig-rigging, wax-loving intern — Mr Coby Unger.

Who are the Studio Dunn summer interns? This week we’re introducing you to them!

What would be more fulfilling than a career in architecture and design? If you ask Charlotte Lipschitz, she’ll sip her morning coffee and tell you ”nothing–with the exception of puppy-sitting.” A humanitarian at heart, this quick humored, trigonometry sorceress earned her degree from Brown University — not to mention she’s a competitive sailor on a national level. Needless to say, is there anything this tan, knowledge-craving salad-lover can’t do?

Who are the Studio Dunn summer interns? This week we’ll be introducing you to them! Interns join Studio Dunn for the creative learning experience and unique design-and-build environment and leave with a great deal of knowledge and a handful of portfolio additions. First up is David Zacher…

At the age of 13, David Zacher passed up a lifelong opportunity to work in a traveling carnival. Random? It gets better. Part chef, part bicyclist, part wheat-paste, part RISD grad student, this Jack-of-all-Trades can attribute his skill-set to his hodgepodge of different experiences. After ‘sampling’ many career paths, the West Virginian realized that designing a better world could actually be a career rather than just a hobby. We aren’t sure if he’ll ever regret his decision to leave the U.S. congress, but we’re quite happy that he did; we love his inventiveness, quirky laugh, and awesome stories. Anyong & Sayonara Mr. Dumpter-Diver–Enjoy your trip to Korea & Japan!

Wood moves with the change in temperature and humidity. Depending on the conditions a one inch wide piece of solid hardwood can expand and contract more than 1/16 of an inch. As furniture makers, we understand this natural movement and design our furniture accordingly. If this movement is not taken into account wood furniture can crack and splinter and sometimes multiple elements under this tension can explode!

“Not all young designers are as experimental with traditional materials. For many, the emphasis on environment has led to a reexamination of the less eco-impacting past. Studio Dunn, winner of this year’s Editor’s Choice award for new designer, is going traditional not only with materials and design, but with manufacturing methods as well. All of the designs are manufactured in the good ol’ US of A by artisans in their native state of Rhode Island (this local pride also informs the name of each piece). Studio Dunn’s design sense references the hand-crafted nature of mid-century modern classics like Haywood Wakefield while also tapping into contemporary collective desires to be equal parts environmentally and aesthetically conscious.”

Studio Dunn will be showing its collection at the 2010 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Jacob Javits Center in New York, May 15-18, 2010.

Studio Dunn uses solid American hardwoods sourced from local lumber yards that promote sustainable forestry. Sustainable or managed forests replant the timber that is used to continue the cycle of life, minimizing the impact on the environment. We are proud to help safeguard our resources for the future. We enjoy working with these woods and feel we must support these sustainable practices so that these resources will continue to be available to us and the generations to follow.

Studio Dunn traveled throughout Rhode Island matching designs with appropriate photo shoot locations. The names of the pieces didn’t always match up with the city or town where we decided to photograph them. In this case we photographed the Barrington Chair at Beaver Tail Lighthouse in Jamestown. The team woke up at 4:30 am and drove 30 minutes to Beaver Tail where we captured images of the chair lit by the rising sun in the 38 degree Fahrenheit winter morning. We went home with red noses and ears and hopped right back into bed.

Studio Dunn was born out of Keeseh Studio, a community woodshop. The shop offers affordable workspace for artists and designers through a membership system similar to a fitness center. It gives the members access to fabrication capabilities, resources, and a community of others with whom to share their ideas and gain critiques. Keeseh’s members have played an important role in the development of Studio Dunn’s works. Additionally, Keeseh offers woodworking classes to encourage the growth of woodworking as craft and further wood as a design medium.