You co-founded Sunfish in 2021 with your partner, Julia. Tell us about how you two started.

Julia and I had a fine art practice collaboratively up until we launched Sunfish. A lot of the artwork we were producing was about interior space, architecture, and exploring using a lot of different materials. We started producing furniture for our apartment in the Summer of 2020, and it just felt natural, like something clicked, so we decided to create a studio and launch Sunfish.

How do your roles differ in the creative process? Is it typically the same or does it vary based on the project?

Our roles definitely vary from project to project. Julia and I work very closely together on the development of new work, from the initial concept through materials, form, and detailing. Our roles tend to become more distinct during production.

Julia does most of the painting, which has become an increasingly important part of our practice, including our hand-painted mirrors, room dividers, and other painted works. I handle much of the carpentry and oversee production with our outside vendors and craftspeople, including wood finishers, occasional fabricators, and upholsterers.

There is a lot of overlap between us throughout the process, but this is generally how the production side of the studio is divided.

Something that always strikes me about a Sunfish piece is the materials you use. How does material inform your design process?

Material is often where a piece begins for us. We’re drawn to materials that already have a strong character like beautiful wood grains, ceramics, metal patina, lacquer, and horn scales. We like to let those qualities influence the design rather than treating material as something that gets applied at the end. We really try to work within the logic of material, but are always looking to do something a little unexpected.

In addition to material richness, the interplay of materials is a big part of how we make pieces. We like bringing together surfaces that respond differently to light, touch, and scale, so that a piece feels layered rather than singular. Often, it’s the contrast between materials, something glossy paired with something more tactile. Most recently, we produced a Chess Table for our friend Armando’s booth at the Kips Bay Showhouse, with a lacquered base, hand-painted details, and a horn chessboard top. For us, the hand-painted elements help soften the glossy, architectural quality of the base, while the natural figuration of the horn adds richness and something a little less controlled.

On your site you mention historical research as an integral part of the practice. Are there particular design movements or time periods that inspire you?

In the beginning of Sunfish, we were looking closely at a lot of Modernist production from 1950s and ’60s France, Mexico, and Brazil. We were especially drawn to the way designers in Mexico and Brazil were able to work within the broader language of Modernism while still producing something distinctly local, using regional materials, traditions, and craftspeople while also pursuing universality.

More recently, a lot of our historical references have shifted toward French Art Deco interiors and furniture from the 1920s and ’30s. Looking at that period has been useful as we begin to think of Sunfish less strictly as a furniture studio and more as a decorative arts workshop.

We’re still making objects with utility, but we want them to carry a level of artistic intention and visual presence that asks for more attention than a typical piece of furniture. That shift has opened up the way we think about the studio, not just in terms of furniture, but painting, surface, ornament, materials, and the broader environment a piece belongs to.

As you look ahead to the next year of Sunfish, what are you most excited about?

We’re doing a show this October at Assembly Line Annex in Tribeca, where we’ll be releasing a new collection of straw marquetry furniture. We’ve been developing the work for quite a while, and we’re really excited to finally share it.