ICFF 2012 Report: Graypants' Ecofriendly Lighting
An everyday material yields intricate designs and uncommon beauty in lighting fixtures that tread lightly on the earth
No, it's not copper. Nope, not steel either. No, it's definitely not wood. Give up? Join most of the visitors to Graypants' booth at the 2012 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York. These Seattle lighting designers make their fixtures entirely out of repurposed cardboard found on the streets of Seattle.
We caught up with the founders of Graypants, Jonathan Junker and Seth Grizzle, to get the scoop on the inspiration behind their designs.
We caught up with the founders of Graypants, Jonathan Junker and Seth Grizzle, to get the scoop on the inspiration behind their designs.
Pendant Lighting
Grizzle and Junker met in architecture school at Kent State University, Ohio. After moving to Seattle, the pair started working with cardboard as an experiment to see how far they could take material. They made fixtures with intricate cutouts that play with light and shadow.
Pendant Lighting
Although the two were both working at architecture firms when they moved to Seattle, they found themselves searching for a creative outlet that they weren't finding through their work.
Working with their hands and creating a unique and ecofriendly product was unexpectedly satisfying. At first, they just found themselves playing with cardboard when they got home at night. But their designs quickly developed, as did a great public reaction.
Working with their hands and creating a unique and ecofriendly product was unexpectedly satisfying. At first, they just found themselves playing with cardboard when they got home at night. But their designs quickly developed, as did a great public reaction.
Moon_10 Scraplight
The name Graypants started out as a joke. When Grizzle and Junker were in school, they consistently wore the same pair of gray pants when they were together — so much that they were almost known for it. When they were brainstorming for a company name, a friend joked that they should just call it "Gray Pants."
Seth Grizzle (left) and Jonathan Junker
Junker answered our five questions, and Grizzle chimed in on the last one.
Q. What is the biggest priority in your designs?
A. For us, the main goal was to transform a cardboard box into something more. It's more about solving a problem. It's a constant exploration process for us. We're always looking into new textures and shapes. We keep making, and we keep trying. We have the words "Dream, Scribble, Make" up in our office. That's really how our process works.
Q. What iconic designer would you love to work with?
A. Kengo Kuma. I love his work.
Q. What's your go-to place for inspiration?
A. A long hike in the beautiful Seattle mountains
Q. Do you have a favorite piece of furniture?
A. Probably my Eames rocking chair in sea-foam green. I had the opportunity to get one at a good price, and I just couldn't turn it down.
Q. What famous person's home do your products belong in?
A. I'd love to see our work in one of Louis Kahn's projects. I can't remember the name of the one I'm thinking of, but it's a great Pennsylvania home with a lot of texture and great light.
Grizzle: It'd be amazing to have our pieces in the home of a designer that we admire. If someone like Charles and Ray Eames had bought one of our pieces, that'd be the ultimate compliment.
Next: See more reports from the ICFF 2012
Junker answered our five questions, and Grizzle chimed in on the last one.
Q. What is the biggest priority in your designs?
A. For us, the main goal was to transform a cardboard box into something more. It's more about solving a problem. It's a constant exploration process for us. We're always looking into new textures and shapes. We keep making, and we keep trying. We have the words "Dream, Scribble, Make" up in our office. That's really how our process works.
Q. What iconic designer would you love to work with?
A. Kengo Kuma. I love his work.
Q. What's your go-to place for inspiration?
A. A long hike in the beautiful Seattle mountains
Q. Do you have a favorite piece of furniture?
A. Probably my Eames rocking chair in sea-foam green. I had the opportunity to get one at a good price, and I just couldn't turn it down.
Q. What famous person's home do your products belong in?
A. I'd love to see our work in one of Louis Kahn's projects. I can't remember the name of the one I'm thinking of, but it's a great Pennsylvania home with a lot of texture and great light.
Grizzle: It'd be amazing to have our pieces in the home of a designer that we admire. If someone like Charles and Ray Eames had bought one of our pieces, that'd be the ultimate compliment.
Next: See more reports from the ICFF 2012
Junker and Grizzle get the cardboard from various businesses around Seattle and take it back to their studio, where they carefully cut circular shapes with lasers. The rings are glued together, coated for fire resistance and outfitted with bulbs and wiring.