Local Story: Bronx, New York
Tiffany is the Creative Director + Founder of Gomez Design Studio, a small start-up company that began with the vision of building furniture and functional art made entirely from salvaged and recycled materials.
Visit website: gomezdesignstudio.com
What were some of the experiences and contexts that led you to establish Gomez Design Studio in 2013?
Starting Gomez Design Studio for me, was sort of my rebellion against a system that didn’t work for me. I hadn’t been utilizing my design background very much and when I did use it, there were so many limitations because of the nature of the business and the corporate world. I wanted to establish something for myself so that I could create without limitations and continue to learn my craft at my own leisure. And so Gomez Design Studio was born.
What was the ethos behind the studio and your products? What were some of the less intrinsic qualities that you hoped to communicate to customers through the studio and its products?
At the start, I had wanted the studio’s main focus to be about creating sustainably with reclaimed wood. Showcasing what could be done with discarded lumber was a really important factor and still is of course, however, the need to expand and reach out to my community on a more personal level over the last year or so has pushed me to rethink the ethos and explore how sustainable communities could essentially be established through design and education. It’s been a fairly recent change so I have not yet communicated the concept in its full context to my audience, but I’m hoping that I can break down the creative process in such a way that the only way for people to respond is by doing it too. Only then can my work have a bigger impact. You see, it’s not just about me. The ethos has evolved into something way bigger than what I alone can do.
Recycled material is such a critical component of your products. What issues did you see in the world of recycling and how did you seek to address that with your products?
For one, much of what gets “recycled” doesn’t actually get recycled. A very limited amount of plastic, glass, paper, wood, etc actually gets made into something else. On top of that, the majority of what we throw out or “recycle” gets shipped to other countries. Can you believe that? We send our garbage overseas for other people to deal with and live in. It’s awful. The truth is, we need to change our methods of consumption and limit what we throw out in the first place. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen on such a profound level just yet, so in the meantime, I’m taking what we already have and merely changing the perspective of what it can be. Most materials can be manipulated and altered quite easily and if you learn to look at these objects in a new light, you’ll be surprised at what they can become. Though much of what I’ve worked with has been wood, I’m hoping to step into a whole new world of materials and create with them products and ideas that challenge the consumer to rethink their relationship with the material world.
You’ve said that true sustainability has to be holistic. What does Sustainability mean to Tiffany?
When most of us hear the word sustainable, we immediately think about the environment and though that is of course a major component of sustainability it’s not the whole story. To be truly sustainable or holistically sustainable we have to address not only the environmental impact but the economic and social impact as well and how it aims to improve the human condition. Being holistically sustainable requires us to address our lifestyle choices and consciously apply (and question) how we can ultimately eradicate mass social injustice, poverty and environmental degradation.
The use of geometry and shapes is a common theme in your pieces. What is the inspiration behind this aesthetic?
Ever since I was a child, I was fascinated with puzzles and how things were made. I realized later on that I have an affinity with problem-solving and I find these ideals are reflected very much in my work. I’m given an abundance of discarded material, all of which possess their own unique characteristics (shape, color, size, etc.) and so I play off of that. These elements on their own represent pieces of a puzzle and merging the elements together is my attempt to make sense of human connection with these objects. The repetition of the geometry that you see as a common theme in my work exposes the patterns within human behavior. Consume and discard, consume, and discard. We are, after all, creatures of habit.
Can you tell us about the range of materials that you use and how they inspire what products the studio produces?
Right now, the primary material is wood and though I’ve started experimenting with paper and plastic, I haven’t yet developed a solid collection of work that highlights those materials. I’m in the process of building a strong materials library so that I can really begin working on some concepts that I’ve had in mind for quite a while. The new body of work will definitely challenge the perspective of what we can do with such a diverse range of discarded material.
Being a Bronx native and having established your brand in the Bronx, what role does the community of the Bronx, and community in general play when it comes to Gomez Design Studio? In your view how can brands/businesses serve as a conduit for community impact?
Community has shown to be an extremely important factor for Gomez Design Studio and as the mission of the brand continues to develop, community will certainly become the central focus. Seeing the success of my workshops here and listening to so much positive feedback about what it means to bring this craft to our borough has shone a much needed light on what our community needs and could very well benefit from. Developing programs that are focused on establishing sustainable communities through design has become the new mission of Gomez Design Studio. I hope from here that I am able to connect with other brands and businesses to keep this model and mission growing.
What short and long term impact do you hope Gomez Design Studio creates for local communities?
For the short term, I’m hoping that what I create in the studio as well as the information I put out will spark a change in those that view it. I hope for people to see the real tangibility of this work and begin applying it at home or at least trying. Eventually, in the long term, I hope to see this develop into the brand mission and goal, which is to see communities thriving sustainably and Gomez Design Studio is the hub that connects it all.
You’ve mentioned that your parenting and relationship with your son has helped to shape Gomez Design Studio. In what ways has this relationship impacted you as both a person and a business owner?
Becoming a mother has impacted me in so many ways I couldn’t possibly list them all but I will say that he is the reason I began to change my mission. The desire to build sustainable communities and establish programs for kids is all because of him. You see, I can teach him what I do in the studio in terms of design, but at the end of the day, that’s my work, not his. But creating a brand focused around community, now that’s a bigger mission and one that I most certainly want him to be a part of. Being his mom has allowed me to see the world beyond myself and what I can do. If I don’t act on the mission, then what will I have handed down to him?
With such a diverse range of products and art, what is next for Gomez Design Studio?
In terms of products, I’m working to establish more collections of work that showcase a wide variety of materials as I mentioned before. Additionally, I would like to begin experimenting with bioplastics, which is the more science-based side of design. I think the introduction of those elements will take my products to a whole new level and I can’t wait. Aside from products though, the development of community-based programs is at the forefront, so be on the lookout for some new changes to the brand. Expect some significant community challenges along with new programs and classes.
Content Marketing for your Local Organization