Q&A : Fecht Design
Fecht Design is a home goods company out of Nashville, Tennessee that specializes in beautiful hand-crafted wood pieces. I caught up with the creator of Fecht Design Christian, to learn more about the process of creating home goods that speak volumes.
Enjoy the interview below.
To learn more about Fecht Design be sure to check out their website and facebook page.
1. How did you get your start designing home goods?
It doesn't quite feel like there ever was a start. Woodworking feels more like an expression to me than it does an end in itself. Design is a medium through which I feel comfortable being expressive. It must be similar to how a poet interacts with language. I assume there has to be a knowledge and understanding of how language works and probably even a deep love for words themselves and their meaning, but, ultimately for a poet, the beautiful part of language must be its ability to express and communicate. The more intimate you are with thatmedium, the better you can express yourself, so it's a craft... it's a medium. I feel similar with design.
Design may be something I move in and out of and, in that sense, there was never a start or a beginning. It has been more of a process of developing a proficiency with a language. The end goal, and perhaps this is a bit over-ambitious, isn't to be a successful designer, but to say something meaningful, if that's even possible.
2. What inspires you to create?
I love the process of interpretation. Inspiration comes from every direction and a lot of my design process is an attempt to translate an experience I've had into a physical and practical object. There is a real subtlety to it that I love. I designed and built a table for a good friend of mine. She has these gorgeous long legs.
She's a very pretty girl and I wanted to bring that feminine quality into her table which I think I accomplished. Her table has these really sexy legs. That's one of the wonderful things about furniture, it has a very subtle way of influencing our experience and I have the pleasure of shaping that. In a way there is an aspect of service to what I do. Hopefully I'm encouraging life and beauty into someone's home.
3. What do you love about working with wood/what is your favorite wood to work with?
Wood is a fantastic partner. She dances with you. She'll humble you and make you proud at the same time. As much as I think I'm taking the lead it's usually her that's teaching me, telling me what she likes and how to handle her. I consider her a partner because she has her own art, her own craft that she silently pursues underneath her bark. We need each other in that sense. She gives me beauty and, in return, I give her function, immortality really. She smells nice too.
Sometimes silence has the loudest voice and I think the same can be said for simplicity in design. I'm sure my influences are easilydiscernible, but I think the most powerful objects are the silent ones, the ones that give us the space to listen and hear the quiet movements of beauty.
4. Do you have a favorite piece you have made ?
Yes. My sister is getting married this week. I built her a table as a gift and it's a special piece for me.
5. Describe your style aesthetic.
Sometimes silence has the loudest voice and I think the same can be said for simplicity in design. I'm sure my influences are easily discernible but I think the most powerful objects are the silent ones. The ones that give us the space to listen and hear the quite movements of beauty.
6. Any current obsessions you would like to share?
Other than Robin Thicke?
I've been obsessed with icebergs and glaciers for a long time. They have a magnificent beauty that's really captivating. Their pace is inspiring too. There is a certain kind of comfort knowing that their movement spans well before and well after I'm alive. They remind me that slow is sometimes the best speed at which to create.
7. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
"Let everything happen to you; Beauty and Terror."
8. What is one wooden item you think is a “must-have” for every home?
I think it's important to be mindful of the objects we interact with everyday. I believe they really have a subtle but profound impact on the way in which we participate with life. I don't know if there is one "must-have" wooden item, but I think having something, anything really, that comes from the ground as part of our everyday experience does something to form our character. Wood is alive, it needs to be taken care of. Each piece is unique unto itself and it changes over time. Perhaps it makes us kinder and more gentle people when we have objects like this in our lives.
9. Any advice you would like to give to aspiring wood artisans?
Don't cut your fingers off.
10. Are there any upcoming plans for Christian Fecht Design ?
Always. We will be releasing our first product line in 2014. It'll be a chance for us to present a more unified vision and aesthetic for Fecht Design. Look for that and some really exciting collaborative efforts coming to Nashville in the Fall.
