Matthias Slavens designs and builds furniture with inextricable ties to the environment in which he lives and works. An architect by day, Matthias recognizes the value of creating architecture that is responsive to the site. In turn, the furniture that Matthias makes during his other eight incorporates materials salvaged from the streets of Brooklyn and aesthetics that mirror his neighborhood. 

Visit his website to browse through his current and past offerings. To learn more about his process and practice, check out the Q&A below.

           | "It really is the spirit of Brooklyn. Making."

When did you start making furniture?
After I finished school, what I missed the most was working with my hands. When I started working at
architecture firms in the city, very few offered me that experience. I would leave a ten-hour day at work,
and sketch and build my ideas in a spare bedroom in my apartment. I bought a miter saw for thirty dollars from a man
in Chinatown I found on craigslist, which changed everything.  

What is your motivation for creating furniture?  
At first, my motivation was purely financial. I wanted a way to supplement my income. After a few
years of developing my brand and what I wanted it to become, I really liked the idea of accessible
design. Not everyone should have the same IKEA apartment, but not everyone can afford Design
Within Reach or ABC Carpet. I like to make products that are handcrafted, original, and affordable for
everyone, not just a single demographic. 

What are some things you've discovered about yourself through your othereight?
My limitations as a person: the older I get the more I realize I cannot work a 50-hour work week
and try to make furniture every night until midnight and have a social life. This has taught me to
work a lot smarter, to prioritize my time, (which I was horrible at doing in school) and really find
what is critical in each piece of work and what my deadlines and priorities are. 

How does your day job relate to your furniture design practice?
The more I work in architecture the more I realize it really doesn’t relate. Sure, I use some of the same
programs I use in my job to design furniture, and a similar top-down approach in critical thinking. 
But making furniture is a very personal experience that I often have alone in my workshop, with few
outside distractions. Working in an architecture firm requires loads of collaboration and often a bit of
design compromise, I have found. I prefer the former; it offers a chance to meditate.

How has Brooklyn influenced your furniture design?
Brooklyn is really the reason I started making and selling my own furniture. A lot of my friends had left
their jobs in architecture and started their own companies. Brooklyn really offers the entrepreneurial
spirit — more so than other places. It is really inspiring to go out with your friends and realize that
someone you know designed the chair you are sitting on, or the dress the person eating next to you is
wearing, or that jewelry in the display window. It really is the spirit of Brooklyn. Making.