San Francisco-based One Workplace has announced a new venture. According to the office furniture dealership, Pair, based out of San Francisco, will fulfill a long-standing need in the design community by finally giving designers the freedom to tailor furniture easily and affordably.
Pair is being led by Brian Buhl and Brian Wilson, the partners who successfully launched the two brand. Together, Wilson and Buhl plan to create a furniture brand that offers designers more freedom. "Up until now, companies haven't had much of a choice when it comes to furniture design," says Buhl. "There's always been the high-end fashion forward office furniture brands, but now we're giving clients a level of creativity that lets them truly personalize their furniture." Buhl adds, "We have a standard product catalogue, but nothing is precious, everything you see is completely hackable."
The portfolio and statement of line was developed with personalization in mind. Everything from the product, the supply chain and engineering are guided by a shared philosophy in mass customization that is accessible from a lead-time and pricing standpoint. It's an approach based on their belief that production needs to be within the US and underscored by a close collaboration with suppliers.
Co-founder, Brian Wilson, says, "we developed the portfolio with the design community in mind, allowing interior designers more control of the product design," adding, "this is not about shoehorning, it is about design freedom." Wilson, who comes from a design background, believes industrial and interior design can be more closely aligned through collaboration. Having the two at the table presents a new-found synergy. And it was Buhl's prior collaborations with industrial designers that inspired the founding of Pair.
Their partners, Eric Pfeiffer and Ben Hopkins, are both industrial design veterans that have a keen understanding of the market's demand for a nimble and responsible design process. Eric says, "no longer can furniture concepts and ideas incubate for years in furniture manufacturers' design studios. When Silicon Valley can change something in weeks, furniture design needs to respond in-kind." Hopkins, having had years of experience as a design director, says, "clients and designers want a unique statement, and have their fingerprint on the product. We can park our egos to let that happen, and have fun doing it."
ABOUT PAIR
Founded in 2017 and operating out of San Francisco, Pair creates a completely new approach to office furniture. By combining standard forms with a variety of finishes and details, Pair lets designers personalize furniture simply and affordably. Built on collaboration and committed to local manufacturing, Pair believes that great design starts and ends with great conversations, partnerships, and a lot of fun.