Design Approach

Object Utilitarian is a solo, woman-owned studio specializing in original, stone-carved designs.

The work begins at home in the designer's quintessential tiny NYC apartment shared with her husband and two cats. This is where she experiments, tests, and lives with a problem until she understands it. She arrives at her designs by studying her own behaviors and the utility of everyday objects, always with the same goal: to elevate the everyday, and let the material do what design alone can't.

Each piece is carved and finished by hand, a labor-intensive yet meditative process. She works on several at a time, giving each one deliberate attention while allowing for fresh perspective. 

 

The Material

These ideas are rooted in function, but stone as a material, beautiful in its rawest form, results in the pieces holding their own as decorative objects, too: nothing to hide away, nothing that looks out of place when not in use.

The base of the stone itself is selected for its uniqueness. From there, the design and the natural variation combine to guide the final form. 

 

The Influence

Beyond nature, her influences are varied, from wabi-sabi philosophy and minimalism to the weight of brutalist architecture. She also frequently returns to the work of Georgia O'Keeffe, specifically her homes: the art, the interiors, and the structures themselves. Regardless of how her own aesthetic develops, an appreciation for O’Keeffe’s point of view remains a constant.

 

The Philosophy

Her final pieces aren't seeking perfection, they're rather vehicles to help showcase the material in as close to its natural state as possible: bruises, cracks, and rawness are all celebrated, the form simply yet thoughtfully adapted to serve a new purpose in our everyday lives.

Stone has always given her a deep sense of peace, an honest reminder of nature's beauty and vastness. Creating objects that others can return to throughout the day is her way of sharing that.