Meet Steven Clarke | Furiture Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steven Clarke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steven, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was studying a combination of film, new media and Architecture at the Art Institute of Chicago and my work became about the intersections of design and art. When I started working in successful Architecture offices in Chicago I felt that the spirit of design and connections to other creatives was lacking. A chair that spoke to musicians in the current moment was more rewarding to pursue than drawing the same antiquated house that a developer brings to a design meeting. There was a spark of genuine creativity and a series of designs I worked on while in Shanghai, Seoul and Chicago that i really wanted to sift through, choose a few pieces and out them out into to the world to see what people thought of my ideas and talents. Also, in the back of my mind I wanted to create a company that could grow and be a place for designers that learned how to work on their computers. Emotive sculptors that could find an outlet.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Throughout my professional career, I dedicated myself to tracking down and visualizing renowned art museums, including the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the Frick Museum, and the Mall of Saudi Art Museum.

These experiences of enhancing an already exceptional architectural piece with a layer of artistry provided invaluable feedback during the design process. Engaging in such intellectual work elevated my aspirations and inspired my unique artistic style.

Indeed, highly successful designers develop a design language that draws inspiration from the past while simultaneously establishing a distinctive and compelling identity. This language often alludes to other realms and evokes profound emotional responses.

Mastering one’s craft and consistently proposing positive ideas for people to engage with is essential. As exemplified in great works of art, they can convey messages, foster personal growth, and contribute to spiritual healing on a collective level..

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would start with some time admiring the Liebeskind museum and getting some food at City O City down the street.

There are so many great coffee shops that have amazing art, so really check out like three of those on the outskirts-ish of the city and find the secret strong man gym (Iron Titan) in an industrial complex for a session of moving boulders with some of the best.

Take a trip after to the botanical gardens to wind the day down or a trip to boulder for a nice meal.

When I was in Europe I traveled to about 3 cities per day so I am ambitious here! I would try and make your way down south to see if you could get to some of the most beautiful mountains and sand dunes about 4 hours south of Denver in San Luis, if you have a mystical Art curiosity check out Taos Plaza while you are down there and head back up to Denver.

On your way back check out Lions Lair gym in Colorado Springs.

See if you can catch a women’s game of lacrosse at the University of Denver. I always try and find good pizza so I would check out Esters for that.

On a night you are free be sure and check out Kulture Music hall to wind down.

If you are flying out take some time at the airport to have some brunch at the hotel across the concourse and check out the Architecture!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My love for being in the library, reading every architecture book I could get my hands on at Miami University, the design professors there, Tristan Sterk, Dan Pancoast, and Thomas Kong for believing in me. I spent a really great trip to Sofia, Bulgaria, with Thomas, where he sung my praises as part of his Motorola grant. Sofia was also where the computer software V-Ray is made, and I used this on multiple highly coveted art museum visualization jobs that really gave me the confidence and experience to bring museum-quality work to designed objects, really a theory and plan facilitated by the Art Institute of Chicago..

The idea of destiny continued for me when I was able to release my chair work at ICFF in New York City after working for Hervé Descottes and his lighting team for such world class Architects as Frank Gehry and Jean Nouvel.

Website: https://www.stevenleeclarke.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenleeclarke

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenleeclarke

Image Credits
Steven Clarke