Design Cloud is about 18 months young. The heart of our organization is (of course) our people, but our West Loop studio is the playground. It's a lovely space to work, learn and be social. However, getting the playground built proved challenging. I had toured over two dozen potential studio spaces. That's a lot. Finding the perfect mix of location, finishes and urban character that matched my vision and taste proved to be seriously daunting. Frustrated and fatigued, I walked into what was to be our current space ready for disappointment. Instead I thought, "Finally!"
At the time, DCL was four strong. I was keen to team up and design the space with one of our founding members, Seth Ellsworth. Seth holds an architecture degree from IIT and was actively designing and building his own furniture. If you know me, then you know Seth and I got along famously. He brought a taste and aesthetic which exceeded my expectations.
With the idea of DCL still in our heads, Seth and I set out to redesign the space and build the furniture to live in it. Typing this now brings back memories of countless trace paper sketches, drywall dust, and trips to furniture joints in Pilsen, River North, the LP, and Schaumburg (don't hate on Ikea folks). The construction took a month, but the planning took three. The results are what you see in the space. We get compliments every day. Our community, the Cloudsters and I owe some serious gratitude to Seth for helping make good ideas great reality.
Read up on how being a Cloudster gave Seth the confidence to pursue his dreams:
1. When you first saw the ad for DCL on craigslist, what were your expectations, what did you need?
I had been looking to get together with like-minded designers from various backgrounds to work on projects together. When I saw the ad for DCL, it sounded like a group of people who were looking for the same thing.
I was hoping that working with designers who weren't all architects or furniture makers would stimulate something in my own creativity. I think that sometimes you need a critical eye on projects from somebody who doesn't think the same way you do. Most of my other projects were with friends from the same program at IIT, and I think some great design opportunities were lost because we didn't approach things with a wide enough perspective.
2. Describe the best + worst part of your time at DCL?
The best part of my time at DCL was being involved so early in the start-up. I was able to work with the core group from the start to design and shape the space, and brainstorm with the business model. We talked ourselves to death, but once the space came together and people were getting really excited about what we were doing and wanting to get involved, it was great to see all of that effort being recognized.
The worst part of my time at DCL was probably the physical construction of the space. I love designing and making things by myself, but I tend to work myself to the bone on projects like this. In order to make the things I was more excited about, I ended up lowering my costs to make it feasible, which makes my time worth that much less. If I calculated my net hourly rate on the entire project, I'd be surprised if it was anything over $10 an hour.
3. What are you most proud of when thinking about your time and contribution here?
I'm really glad that I pushed the gallery concept so hard. It was up in the air early on if it would be worth the effort, but we were all able to agree that it would stimulate the design community, and help keep our eye out for new ways of looking at things. It's great to see how popular the art events have become.
I'm also pretty excited about the concrete chandelier in the conference room. That idea had been weighing on my mind for a while (ha!).
4. What's the one thing you learned while with DCL?
With my time at DCL I was able to get a better idea of how to go after my own work and be more confident with clients. As a freelancer it's easy to feel like you're not an expert, but now I understand what my value is and how to communicate that to the world. As soon as I get licensed I'll start looking for my own projects and other designers to collaborate with.
5. What's the biggest fear you overcame? Biggest risk? How did it propel you to where you are today?
When I committed to DCL I left my part-time job as a research and graphics assistant for an architectural organization. It was stressful to leave a steady paycheck not knowing what else was going to come up. Being with other people in the same situation helped me come to terms with the uneasiness, and with time it became more comfortable and exciting. We were even referring work to each other, and that's when I realized that it was going to work.
Today, I'm working full-time with a small architecture firm in Berkeley, California. In order to become a licensed architect you have to work for at least three years under the supervision of a licensed architect, so I have to put in my time before I can strike out on my own again.
Seth moved to the West Coast about a year ago. I think it suits him, but we miss having him as a Cloudster. Check out the pics of our furniture being built below, and be sure to visit Seth's design webshop, lhooq.
