Bio: Russell Hill, Co-Owner of RAD Furniture, Designer, Visual Artist
Hometown: San Antonio, TX
Studio Location:Los Angeles, CA
Describe what you make: I co-own and lead the design team at RAD Furniture with business partner Ryan Anderson, where we design and manufacture our furniture locally and endeavor to build a North American hub for a diverse set of pioneering design voices from around the world. In addition to RAD, I have a sculpture practice working with metal, ceramics and wood.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: A fun recent item was a first chair for my 2 year old son. We moved to an area up against some wilderness and I made a little chair for him out of a trunk of a fallen tree on the property. I like to hear him introduce it as “my chair” to visiting friends or while telling one of our chickens to “get off my chair.”
Describe the problem your work solves: Whether through internal designs or through collaborations, at RAD we’re constantly striving to make furniture that customers are excited to own and use. The desire to remain attainable and dynamic while manufacturing locally gives us some distinctive constraints – I think it lends an expressive and utilitarian blend to our work.
Share the project you are working on now: Right now, we’re working on developing a rug collection, which has been really enjoyable. Our wonderful junior designer, Spenser Atlas, and I have been learning the myriad of options and styles of materiality, weaving, knotting, and tufting. We’ll be excited to share more in the new year.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: My wife, designer and artist, Hopie Hill and I have been working on a few pieces under a joint practice that we plan to launch early next year. The main brief is crazy ideas only. Next thing you know, we’re using vintage windbreakers for upholstery fabric. We’ve also got a similar brief going at RAD with a new initiative called RAD Oddities. Stay tuned for more there as well.
What you absolutely have to have in your studio: I like to have a big hunting knife to open junk mail envelopes.
What you do when you’re not working: Hang out with my family.
Sources of creative envy (dead or alive): Shout out to some friends and family who make some amazing art, music, and design: Matt Kleberg, Ruby Neri, Kyle Simon, Dan Anderson, Lily Stockman, Fabien Cappello, Jesse Woods, Taylor Tehan, Austin Leonard Jones, and Hopie Hill.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Spam phone calls.
Concrete or marble? Concrete
High-Rise Or Townhouse? Townhouse
Remember Or Forget? Remember
Aliens Or Ghosts? Ghosts
Dark Or Light? Yin and yang
