LA-based Architect and Artist, Rachel Shillander’s viral ‘Disco Ball Chair’ took the internet by storm in peak lockdown days when Shillander posted a photo of the piece in her home studio. Covered in 30,000 mirrored tiles, the piece lit up her living room and inspired a wave of disco tiling objects.

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley,  Shillander’s experimental practice explores different states of being through the lens of time. Despite some of her pieces taking months to make by hand, she’s not necessarily interested in the time it takes to create an object, but more so the passing of it. 

With 70’s nostalgia as her muse, Shillander draws on traditional architectural concepts of scale, materiality and place to try to make sense of both the present moment and where we’re headed as society. 

At her home studio in Canoga Park, we discuss the ways in which growing up in The Valley has shaped her life and work, what she’s learned working in construction as the only woman on her team, and diving into the nitty gritty details of her sculptural practice. 

Visit https://lland-studio.com/ to view her latest pieces and learn more about her practice. 

With pieces in ‘It-Girl’ shops all over the world like Carmen, Tangerine, Esmeralda Service Department, Shop Amomento and more, the Dutch textile designer, Pien Barendregt, has become a sought after tastemaker for her innovative designs. 

From a small farm town in the northern Netherlands, Barendregt’s work draws on traditional knitting and weaving practices to create new experimental objects and designs. Made with the Earth in mind, Barendregt’s colorful soft sculptures are produced with collected and repurposed natural fibers sourced from second hand shops and local wool farms.

In this conversation, we dissect the threads of sustainability in her practice, finding her voice through fibers, and her dreams of building a ‘Textile Hub’ that focuses on preservation, experimentation and of course play. Whether it’s collaborating with creative friends or working with her diverse team of artists, Barendregt emphasizes the gift of community and the importance of keeping her studio within her home country– The Netherlands.

Visit https://pienstudios.com/ to shop her designs and learn more about her fiber practice. 

As a recent graduate from UCLA, Nico B. Young has already developed a distinct way of seeing the world. At the ripe age of 16, Young was tapped from The New York Times Magazine to document the timeless rituals of high school — after-school moments, skating hangs, band practice, yearbook signings. These days, Young has traded in his camera for a hacksaw as he spends most of his time tinkering away in a wood shop. 

From his parents backyard in Santa Monica, this episode was recorded in a shed built from fiberglass walls, vintage speakers and found objects Young sourced on the street and turned into his own creations. No matter the medium, Young is interested in collecting stories. With left-on pencil marks or the use of repurposed materials, Young’s pieces bring a sense of humanity back into design.  

Listen in as we nerd out on materials, the joy of hunting for objects, and his transformative last year rediscovering his late father and talented pianist, Jeffrey Young, through the eyes of strangers as Young joined his father’s former bandmates on tour. 

Visit https://www.nicoyoung.org/ to learn more about Young and his work. 

Ash Roberts is one to watch. With clients like Festen Architecture and ROWSE Beauty, the LA-based contemporary painter is most known for her beautiful and meditative nature motifs. 

Ahead of Robert's upcoming exhibition Past Life(s) @francisgallery, opening on February 23 in Los Angeles, we visited her studio to chat about her work and the moments that shaped who she is today.

In this conversation, we explore leaning into the discomfort in order to bridge the gap between taste and skill, trusting your intuition, and the peace of surrendering to your inner child. Roberts even shares a special memory from when she was 10 years old and Robert Redford purchased one of her paintings of a toucan at a local coffee shop in Saratoga Springs, New York.

From being a designer to mother to daydreamer, Berlin-based artist, Maryam Keyhani, has never been afraid to wear many hats (literally). If one is lucky enough to wear a Maryam Keyhani creation, then you’ve experienced the contagious joy these fantastical hats spark. Crowds part, strangers can’t help but to smile, and before you know it, somehow you’ve reverted back to your 7 year old giggly self. 

It’s no surprise that Maryam’s fantastical hats have been featured in Vogue and adorned on catwalks, but it moves her the most to hear when everyday, non-fashion folks feel uplifted by her work. 

Listen in as we chat with Maryam about how she turned to her imagination as an escape and form of healing, the trip that is motherhood, and the importance of coming just as you are. 

A weekly series that captures honest portraits of people who make things. Host, Mariah Krey, tracks down makers of all forms, from state fair butter sculptors to traditional bulrush weavers to self-taught furniture designers,for an intimate glimpse into their work and the moments that shaped who they are today.

So give us a listen for in-depth (and a bit cheeky) conversations that explore process, meaning and most importantly the lives of the human(s) behind the things.