For furniture designer Lacey Campbell, 28, the last decade was an expanse of art exploration. A passion for drawing and painting took Campbell to Moberly Area Community College in her Missouri hometown and then to Northwest Missouri State in pursuit of a ceramics degree. A shift in interests there led her to an academic crossroads. Torn between chasing a career in interior design and a seeking a future in furniture, she opted for the latter and recently graduated with a BFA in Furniture Design from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Georgia. In less than three years’ time, her portfolio has generated dozens of solutions-inspired tables, seating and storage designs using advanced sustainable materials. By borrowing style from mid-century favorites, Campbell effectively creates pieces that are as strikingly familiar as they are fresh. At the NeoCon Furniture Revolution Gallery in June, Campbell was a stand-out, and her talents most recently attracted Sauder Woodworking, where she began working as a creative designer just last week. Reflecting positively on her decision to trade a potter’s wheel for a new favorite art tool, Cintiq interactive pen technology, she shared some perspective with S&P on her inspiration, education and finding a home in RTA furniture design.

S&P:  What inspires your style of furniture design?

LC:  I am inspired by the things I collect, antique objects and furniture -- especially Eames pieces and Bauhaus style. My house has a lot of teak and mid-century stuff. Just as the great classic designers have always been influenced by history, I try to add a new twist to something that has been made and make it better for today. The re-purposing of furniture is interesting. Maybe that’s the antique hunter in me. It’s using familiar things in a new way. For example, maybe a record console isn’t something consumers want, but I can bring that aesthetic into the current age by modifying the design with eco-friendly materials or adding modern technology. 

My upbringing is also hugely influential. My grandmother, mother, father are all very hands-on. My mother went to school for home economics, my grandmother owned and worked on a farm, and my uncles make cabinets and restore furniture, so there was always craft influence.

S&P:  Why do your design talents mesh so well with RTA furniture?

LC:  I’m still trying to decipher that. I don’t know if I think in that manner or perceive materials in favor of RTA design, but a lot of what I’ve done in the past few years could be flat-packed. The first time I realized I was designing that way was rather accidental with my Battleship Cabinet (left) for a cabinetmaking class at SCAD. Especially with sustainability being so adamant, it’s the direction the furniture industry is going. I want to be relevant and put my own spin on that. Mass-production furniture is something that looks quality and can reach the masses. And I like that idea. 

S&P:  You mentioned sustainability. Is that a focus in your designs?

LC:  It’s becoming that way more and more as I gain experience and evolve with the industry. The assignment for my Cultivate desk (below) was to make something that completely represents the Cradle-to-Cradle life cycle, and that was a real challenge. That brought into light what I now perceive design to be. It forced me to not only select the right materials (3Form Ecoresin) but look at how materials would be shipped, how parts could be replaced, whether it could it survive a second life as a reused or recycled product. It really opened my eyes to how my generation of designers will work.

S&P:  What are some of your favorite materials you’ve used so far?

LC:  I had a lot of success with MDF, plastic composites, resins, Yemm & Hart Travertine and paper-backed veneers at SCAD. I’ve also done freelance work for Loll Designs (100-percent recycled plastic) and SAGE in Design using ECOR, a fiber-based composite. SCAD really watches what the industry is doing and teaches to that -- using felt and cork as a surface, for example. The thing I would like to see is more of is education about coverings and surfaces. SCAD is trying to build a materials library because it’s hard for students to research what they don’t know. A materials and techniques class would be great, too.

S&P:  Describe the conception of one of your favorite designs so far.

LC:  My Doe C Doe chair (left) pulls cues from the old conversation chair and could be considered residential and contract furniture. I researched kinesthetic learning, meaning teaching through movement, a concept that isn’t strongly represented in the kids’ furniture market, and created Doe C Doe as a cooperative listening station for music and audio books. I purposely made it unlike other classroom seating that is very rectilinear. One of the best parts of that design is how the chairs detach.

S&P:  How did your education at SCAD prepare you for a career in RTA furniture design?

LC:  Aside from being competitive, there was an emphasis on studying materials. We did a lot of field trips and worked with some donated materials where it was important to learn about how something is composed. For the most part, when you’re doing a project but you don’t have to build anything, you’re basing it all on research and samples, so it’s important to look at all types of surfaces and often make selections without real cost considerations. What I’m learning now is how to design for good, better and best performance and to accommodate a specific price point.

S&P:  What did your job search teach you about furniture design that you didn’t learn in school? 

LC:  I interviewed with multiple companies, including Target and a company called Summer Casuals, and I learned everyone wants something different. It’s never about what you like; it’s about what the consumers like. A lot of consumers are very comfortable with things they’ve seen before, so the challenge becomes how to design something new while still representing what consumers are comfortable with. Drawing ideas from the past can help satisfy that comfort zone.