Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 36
Occupation: It’s complicated.
Instagram: @malcolmmajer
Hometown: Baltimore, but born in Chicago.
Studio location: Baltimore.
Describe what you make: I make sculptural furniture that uses highly finished refined geometric forms arranged as irrationally as possible within a loose functional framework. I use steel, aluminum, and wood—usually rendered in bright shifting colors. At first glance, the pieces look like something from a factory but they are not designed with practicality in mind. They are heavy, surprising, and (I hope) confusing but also maybe delightful.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: Back in school, I co-designed a children’s furniture system that went into production and, presumably, was used by kids. It helped launch my furniture brand and taught me that collaboration can sometimes be great. Kids used it too, so that seems important. It was also bright and super abstract/strange so perhaps it was a harbinger of my current work.
Describe the problem your work solves: My work solves a personal problem—the work is me processing my experiences in architectural fabrication designing and making for others. It has become my therapy because it’s where I turn design and fabrication back into moments of happiness and surprise.
Describe the project you are working on now: I’m making a strange loveseat, a new steel form serving as the support, and a wood seat similar to older pieces but much larger.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: I have work going into a couple of shows in New York in May. For one, I’m making a variation on an existing piece, modified for outdoor use. Details will be released soon and I’ll post updates on my website/social media as soon as I’m able to!
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Light, an endless playlist of current hip hop, lots of scrap wood, metal, paint, and respiratory protection.
What you do when you’re not working: My spouse is an artist who does large-scale work and installations so I’m her install assistant sometime. I also have kids, so I try to keep them alive.
Sources of creative envy (dead or alive): Isamu Noguchi, but specifically for the galvanized steel pieces. Alvar Aalto, Dieter Rams, entropy artists, and postmodern designers.
The distraction you want to eliminate: The only distraction I really regret is when I log into Facebook.
Concrete or marble? Marble.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse. I moved into a first-floor apartment in a townhouse with a yard and it’s magical.
Remember or forget? Forget. I think it’s good to kind of clear out the old stuff rather than dwell on it.
Aliens or ghosts? I like aliens.
Dark or light? Light, especially glowing light.
