Genius Loci by Lillian Reed
At Designed & Made, we consider ourselves to be more than cabinet makers. We think of our company as a design studio with advanced manufacturing capabilities. When we are involved in a project early, we can help shape walls and room layouts to enhance the final product for our clients.
This is evident in the office of our new shop. As we walked the space and considered the office layout, we identified an opportunity within the architectural design process for a piece of art on a feature wall that would be created specifically for this size art piece.
While this may seem like a side project piece of art for our office walls to the lay person, it allows us to experiment with CNC machining and finishing techniques at the intersection of art, design, technology and manufacturing. The knowledge we gain during these types of projects provide us new design, manufacturing and finishing techniques that we can use to elevate our client’s homes, businesses and workspaces in the future. When we create cabinets and other features, we are really creating functional art.
The artwork, named Genius Loci, started as an organic hand drawing which was machined with 3D topographical features and finished using a combination of oil paint, gold leaf, silver leaf and platinum leaf. The methods used range from the ancient to the modern.
See how the process played out in the gallery below from framing the wall to making and installing the artwork.
2020 Artisan Home Tour
Designed & Made is excited to work with Tom Rauscher & Associates and Hage Homes on a custom home which will be featured on the 2020 Artisan Home Tour. Working with professionals early in the process allows us to complement their vision for the space and fit architecturally-designed cabinetry within the home without constraints.
Designed & Made is creating a grotto-style range hood using a combination of 3D modeling, 3D printing and CNC technology. These capabilities help bring the vision to reality and enable greater collaboration throughout the process.
As you’ll see from the sketches, photos and renderings below, we are working in an iterative process to execute the architect’s vision tailored to the homeowner’s lifestyle.
3M Built to Perform Campaign
3M recently chose Designed & Made as a partner for its Built To Perform campaign. The film crew came to our shop and shot our team using their products which we use everyday.
Take a look behind the scenes and view the finished videos below.
3M Built to Perform
3M™ Built to Perform from Brett Schnacky on Vimeo.
Products for Pros Videos
Linden Hills Urban Cottage
This new construction home in the trendy Linden Hills neighborhood was built by Reuter Walton and architecturally designed by Peterssen Keller Architecture.
Designed & Made worked on custom kitchen cabinetry, the center island, built-in cabinetry for the living room, laundry room cabinets and bathroom vanities.
“Designed & Made was awesome to work with. Their attention to detail is unmatched by anyone else in the industry. They make every cabinet fit the space whether it is intended to be a substantial stand alone furniture piece, or take its place in the background of a room. Brian and his team are more than capable of aiding in the design of your cabinets. Their eye for detail will make every piece flow from room to room. When it comes to the end of the project, Designed & Made made sure everything was adjusted perfectly after finishing was completed. I look forward to working with D&M on the next project.”
~ Tim Rasher
Project Manager, Reuter Walton
As Seen in Luxe Magazine: Luxurious Powder Room
Designed & Made is proud to be featured in Luxe Magazine for its work on a custom home in St. Paul on the storied Mississippi River.
The Moroccan-style design for the legs was applied to the kitchen island, master bathroom vanity and powder room vanity for a one-of-a-kind look.
Architect: Charlie & Co.
Builder: Detail Homes
This home was also featured on the cover of Midwest Home magazine in August 2017 and Jan/Feb 2019.
