The Art of Furniture

Rhode Island’s Lady J designs and builds her way to Spike TV’s Framework

Joe Kernan
Posted 1/15/15

Rhode Island School of Design graduate and Providence product designer Jess Brown was one of the builders chosen to compete in Spike TV’s first-ever furniture design competition series, …

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The Art of Furniture

Rhode Island’s Lady J designs and builds her way to Spike TV’s Framework

Posted

Rhode Island School of Design graduate and Providence product designer Jess Brown was one of the builders chosen to compete in Spike TV’s first-ever furniture design competition series, “Framework,” hosted by renowned hip-hop artist, actor and author Common. It will showcase emerging furniture designers as they compete for a $100,000 cash and the opportunity for their work to be sold by a major manufacturer.

“If I win, I’ll use the money to pay off my substantial student debt,” Brown said, reminding us once again that even the best students can still be in debt years after graduation.

Actually, Brown already knows whether she won or lost, but she’s not allowed to tell us.

“We started taping in August and we are done…I can tell you that I met a lot of really great people.”

One of the people she met was a guest judge who has worked with Herman Miller, the furniture manufacturer who introduced the world to the iconic designs of Charles and Ray Eames in the late 1940s. Brown said that having Herman Miller build and sell your furniture is a singular honor, but getting any manufacturer to commit to your designs is a very special honor.

“They were partners, so she contributed a lot to the designs, but people tend to credit Charles more,” Brown said. “They were her designs as well.”

Over the course of 10 weeks, 13 of the participants were challenged to reconsider what they learned about design and come up with novel but practical ways to built furniture. The builders used unconventional materials, found new ways to think of classic furniture pieces and incorporated techniques and disciplines that demonstrate a mastery of furniture creation.

One contestant is eliminated each week until the very best remain. A panel of judges includes the host and a musical entrepreneur led by host Common. Throughout his career as an artist, Common has been on the cutting edge of trends and brings his keen eye for style and understanding of consumer desire to the competition. He will be joined by two of the most influential names in the furniture world today, Nolen Niu and Brandon Gore.

Originally from Paducah, Kentucky, Jessica Brown is a 2009 RISD graduate, where she earned a Master of Industrial Design (MID) degree and a 2006 graduate of Murray State University, earning a BFA in furniture design. She currently works at Hasbro Inc. as a product development project manager in licensing.

“Under Lady J Designs, I keep a personal studio in Lincoln for my furniture and product design business,” said Brown, who’s prepared to re-imagine everything from corporate logos to toasters for the kitchen counter, much the way one of her personal heroes, Raymond Loewy, did.

“I consider him the father of modern industrial design,” said Brown, who knows that more people see his work every day than will ever know who he was. “He designed cars, trains and many, many familiar logos for companies like Shell and Exxon, the Post Office logo…just so many things.”

Described by publicists for the show as an “all-around Renaissance woman,” Brown is a “designer, painter, furniture maker and finish carpenter whose talents include the ability to work with a variety of materials, including wood, metal, paper and plastics. Jessica learned the tools of the trade from her father and grandfather.”

While at RISD, she specialized in sustainable design and was awarded the RISD Rachael Carson Award, named for the scientist who helped shape the modern environmental movement. She considers herself to be a “responsible” designer who attempts to salvage, reclaim, reuse and use less material whenever possible. Her work is influenced by street art, industrial style, Scandinavian mid-century design and pop culture.

Among the judges we find Nolen Niu, whose award-winning designs have been featured in over 300 publications worldwide and whose varied client list includes Andaz hotels, MGM Mirage properties and Esquire magazine. He will speak to the contestants’ designs. Brandon Gore, internationally acknowledged as an artisan who has revolutionized the use of concrete in furniture, will critique the builders on their ability to execute their designs. Gore’s furniture line, Hard Goods, has been featured in Dwell, Vogue, Wired and many other design publications and won “Best Furniture Design” at Dwell on Design 2012.

“As judges, Niu and Gore possess a critical eye for creativity and quality - along with constructive yet brutal honesty,” according to the show’s publicists. “They will also serve to inspire and counsel the builders in an effort to bring out their best work.”

They also inform us that Common has inspired audiences through music, movies, television, books and his philanthropy. His 10th studio album, “Nobody's Smiling,” debuted at number one on Billboard’s R&B and Hip Hop Chart in 2014. Common’s work in film (like American Gangster, Wanted and Terminator: Salvation) and in television (AMC’s series “Hell On Wheels”) and written works, “The MIRROR and ME,” “I Like You But I Love Me” and the best selling “One Day It’ll All Make Sense” have proven his status as an entertainment all-star. Common has been behind some of the largest consumer brands in the country, including Sprite, Gatorade’s G Series, Diesel’s fragrance for men, “Only the Brave” and Microsoft’s “Softwear” clothing t-shirt line.”

Brown herself has been showcased by HGTV’s “Vern Yip,” Crit magazine and is represented in a permanent collection in the Milwaukee Art Museum. She is also extremely personable, witty, quick spoken and decidedly local - the ideal person to show you low-cost ways to improve the space around you by using things you already have at home. Jessica plays trumpet in a guerrilla-style street marching band and watches lots of re-runs of “Designing Women.”

“I create designs that I would want to have in my house,” she said. “My work is inspired by Post War Vintage Danish modern style and urban culture.”

The products incorporate a love for all things pop culture and a healthy fascination with classic television shows and theme songs.

“Particularly what draws me in is the street art. It’s everywhere. Done both by street artists who are expressing themselves creatively and what sometimes seems out of boredom, versus the ‘hieroglyphic’ symbols spray-painted on the streets and sidewalks throughout the city by maintenance workers. Both parties tagging their territories with a secret coded language all their own. This fascinates me, the signage, the symbols…the legality of one versus the [outlaw] other. Every place that I travel to has its own code and rhythm, which I try to capture in my work.”

On her website, she says, “With my products, my interest of pop culture and scholarship for television classics is obvious. Whether it’s designing a mirror frame in the shape of a 1978 RCA classic or laser cutting coasters that resemble the text message bubble alert from Sprint, these influences are recognizable. While trained in the handcraft tradition, I have a deep appreciation of analog design. But in order to stay relevant and keep up current design trends, the exploration and exploitation of new materials is an important part of my work process as is utilizing current manufacturing technologies.”

But, on a smaller scale, Brown is available for any number of design tasks, including designing interiors for individuals or companies or logos for local businesses. “Also, by focusing on good craftsmanship and designing works that users can connect with, I am consequently creating designs that have longevity. By keeping these factors in mind, it is my practice to be able to produce designs that are affordable and accessible to the average person.”

Frameworks can be seen on Spike TV Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Jessica Brown can be found at www.jessicabrowndesigns.com.

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