Culture + Nature = blankblank

Each of blankblank's distinctive designs embodies qualities of nature and of our contemporary culture in a way that's both relevant and timeless.

Connecting with the natural world is vital to blankblank Founder & Creative Director Rob Zinn. Each piece may begin with a functional purpose or conceptual goal but that is quickly translated into a form that evokes visceral sensations. "Every design in our collection is approached from a sculptural perspective," says Zinn, "Spatial and tactile considerations always rank with the visual. Our most profound points of reference for texture, finishes and form all come from the natural environment." Much of this process is innate for Zinn the talented designers that he works with: San Francisco's Mike & Maaike, Brooklyn's Mark Goetz and Tim Richartz and the California Delta's Russell Ooms. Each manipulates their designs in a way to produce an effect that distills or enhances natural effects, however the common threads throughout the collection are the quality of the experience of using their designs and the effectiveness with which this is achieved.

A large part of the effectiveness of the collection is the quality and attention to detail in production. The highest quality materials are used to realize each designer's vision, including reclaimed woods, naturally-tanned leathers and naturally patinating cast metals in which the imperfections and wear of the materials is incorporated and anticipated. "The woods, metals and leathers, each of these materials is precious so we strive to do justice to them by using them to greatest effect, and in such a way that they can be enjoyed for a lifetime."

Doing justice to the raw materials is so important to blankblank that each of the furniture and lighting designs in the collection is able to be reconditioned or adapted over time including changing color, finish or swapping out legs or tops. Durability and sustainability are always top of mind.

blankblank was founded in 2004 in Northern California and makes each of the designs in their collection within 150 miles of their studio in California's rural Delta region.