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We're Hiring a Production Assistant

5/24/2019



Job Description
Assist partners in bringing new design concepts to production
Lead technical drawing, prototyping and product testing (Adobe Illustrator, Fusion 360)
Research and reach out to new vendors and manufacturers as directed
Manage production quotes and sampling
Troubleshoot production issues
Manage and execute in-house and outsourced manufacturing
Woodshop: glue up, lumber prep, CAD/CAM and milling, hand and machine tool work, sanding, finishing
Assembly: lighting, shower curtains, cards, mirrors
Order all parts and supplies needed for production
Design and build tooling and jigs as needed
Coordinate production schedule with studio manager
Communicate with partners daily
Provide technical drawings of all finalized products for sales and marketing (Adobe Illustrator, Fusion 360)
Design and build custom packaging as needed
Design and build large crates and shipping structures
Design and build furniture and fixtures for tradeshow booths
Design and build furniture and fixtures for office/studio/shop as needed
Pack all orders for shipment
Manage all shipping, receiving and inventory
Deliver or coordinate delivery of outgoing shipping pick-ups/drop-offs
Assist with design, sales and marketing as needed
Participate in group brainstorm/critique sessions
Order packing/shipping/office supplies
Manage all photocopying and scanning
Maintain studio space, shop space and tools

Qualifications
Wood shop experience
Adobe Illustrator proficiency
Fusion 360 (or similar) experience
Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs regularly

Hours
40 hours/week

Location
This position is based in our Bainbridge Island, WA studio. Applicants must be able to get to and from our studio independently each day.

To Apply
Please send a cover letter describing who you are and why you would like to work at Grain along with your resume and portfolio (or work samples) to [email protected]. Please note how you plan to commute to our studio.

About
Grain is a practice dedicated to social and environmental responsibility. The work of partners Chelsea and James Minola unites current manufacturing technologies and age-old craft techniques. Goods are produced in small batch runs at their Bainbridge Island studio or through special collaborations with expert artisans.

We live in awe of the natural world. We deeply respect the built environment. We believe in the value of connection.

Grain Collection 2019/20

5/23/2019



Above and below are images of our new collection made in conversation with artist Shiela Laufer in response to Pas de Deux, a duet between art and design, at Colony as part of NYCxDESIGN.

Shiela created two new paintings for this show and in response we made our Quilt Rug and Clover Rug as well as our walnut Offset Coffee Table. The collection plays with standard expectations of shape and edge while embracing Shiela's graphic sculptural forms and warm palette.

Pas de Deux is open at Colony, through May 31, but you can find our work represented in the showroom year round. As our work is made to order, custom dimensions, colors and materials are always possible. 

Photography thanks to Charlie Schuck. 

Pas de Duex

5/13/2019



It is our great pleasure to announce the launch of new work made in special collaboration with artist Shiela Laufer in response to Pas de Deux, a duet between art and design, at Colony as part of NYCxDESIGN.

Sheila Laufer is a painter and printmaker based in Portland, Oregon who we connected with a few months ago via mutual friends. We were attracted to her graphic sculptural forms and warm palette influenced by the rural Pennsylvania landscape and craft culture of her childhood. 

Shiela created two new paintings for this show and in response we have made two new braided wool rugs and a walnut coffee table that take inspiration from Shiela's forms and palette. We can't wait to see it all together after the back and forth. 

If you are in New York this week, please join us for the opening reception on May 16 or during one of the open days through May 31. Along with our work, each of Colony's 14 designers will have new design work paired with an artwork of their choosing. 

Chelsea Minola, of Grain, will be in attendance of the opening and is also available for private walkthroughs by appointment. Please contact [email protected]m to set up an appointment, request VIP viewing or request further information on the new work as it becomes available. 

Pas de Deux is open at Colony, 324 Canal Street, New York, May 16-31, 12:00 - 6:00 pm. The opening reception is May 16, 7:00 - 10:00 pm. Please RSVP here. 

Doing and Being: Ten Years of Creative Collaboration at Grain

10/25/2018



This month marks our tenth year in business and we celebrated with our first solo show, Doing and Being: Ten Years of Creative Collaboration at Grain. The show welcomed visitors into the understated Grain aesthetic with select works from our current collection as well as a few pieces made specifically to shape the Colony space.

The title was a nod to the main motivation behind our business: finding a way to spend as much time together in creative pursuit as possible. Visitors had the chance to immerse themselves in the natural materials and smart sculptural forms that we have quietly championed from the start through tabletop objects to custom rugs.

To commemorate the ten year studio anniversary, we presented a ten piece limited edition run of our well known Dish Side Table made from twice reclaimed Northwest old growth fir.

Huge thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with us and to our long time collaborator and friend, Charlie Schuck, for the installation photos above and below.

Save the Date: Doing and Being

9/28/2018



New York friends, please save the date for our upcoming solo show celebrating ten years of practice at Colony, 324 Canal Street, opening on October 11.

Thursday October 11, 6:00 - 9:00 pm opening night
Friday October 12, 12:00 - 6:00 pm
Saturday October 13, 11:00 - 12:00 pm yoga class
Saturday October 13, 12:00 - 6:00 pm
Monday October 15, 12:00 - 6:00 pm

In addition to the above, we will have a press preview Thursday October 11, 10:00 - 12:00 pm. We are also happy to make client appointments for anyone interested in a walkthrough with Chelsea or James Minola from Grain. Please contact [email protected] to make an appointment.

RSVP for the opening here. RSVP for the yoga class here.

Balance / Unblanced

5/21/2018



Our new Walling Rug made its debut in the Balance / Unblanced show at Colony last week. Colony is a community of independent furniture, lighting, textile and objects designers coming together on a New York City stage to celebrate American design with an international audience. The show is up May 17 - 24 at 324 Canal Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10013. All photos taken at Colony by Alan Tansey.

Grain x NYCxDESIGN

5/14/2018



As part of New York design week, Grain will present a new piece in Balance / Unbalanced at Colony along with 16 other American design studios. This show represents our first official design week as members of the Colony cooperative showroom where you can now find Grain represented year round. 

Colony
324 Canal Street, 2nd Floor, NYC
May 17 - 24, 2018
Opening: May 17, 7:00 - 10:00 pm
[email protected]

In addition to our work at Colony, Grain will again participate in Sight Unseen OFFSITE with a new rug on view at Lauren Synder's stunning Manhattan store, The Primary Essentials. 

The Primary Essentials
3 Centre Market Place, NYC
May 16 - June 30, 2018

For more info on these events or any of our work, please email [email protected] Hope to see you in New York!

Grain Collection 2017/18

6/21/2017



Our 2017/18 collection of furniture and lighting was inspired by a recent residency experience in Northeastern Oregon — think alpine mountains meet prairie. We were so energized by this new, but also familiar landscape. We endeavored to capture some of the quiet drama of that wilderness in our new work.

Above and below is photography by Charlie Schuck styled by Natasha Felker with artist Signe Quitslund wearing Maiden Noir. See our presentation of this work at Sight Unseen OFFSITE as part of NYCxDESIGN.

Tour of Sight Unseen OFFSITE 2017

5/31/2017



We had a great time switching it up this year by showing at Sight Unseen OFFSITE instead of our annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair booth. OFFSITE 2017, curated by Jill Singer and Monica Khemsurov - the tireless editors of Sight Unseen, featured 25 up-and-coming designers in a 13,000 square foot space in Soho, May 19 - 22, as part of NYCxDESIGN.

Above is our booth with all new work inspired by a recent residency in The Wallowa Mountains of Oregon. It included our Lands Rug, Vale Sconce, Snake Screen, Duo Rug, Saddle Stools, Drift Side Table, and an updated custom composition of our Strung Chandelier.

Below are a few of our favorite booths from the show. All photos are thanks to Charlie Schuck. Check out the full tour on Sight Unseen.

The Jennings Hotel Residency

11/16/2016



Last month we had the incredible experience of traveling to Joseph, Oregon to attend an artist residency at The Jennings Hotel. We hiked through mountains, along rivers, and through prairies and later used the inspiration from our outings on a series of watercolors. Check out our photos above and below. Huge thanks to Greg Hennes for the invitation!  

2016/17 Collection

8/18/2016



We're thrilled to finally share these new photos of our recent collection shot by our friend Charlie Schuck in his new Seattle studio. The collection includes our Drift table and lighting series made in collaboration with local glass artist John Hogan (see hot shop process photos here). The collection also includes our Pool rug series made in partnership with Colonial Mills in Rhode Island. We have been blown away by the response to the rugs and promise to have more photos of the extended series soon! 

Also included in this collection is our new Reflect bottle opener shown with our Plank trays. We have a shiny new copper sconce that we are calling the Ripple Sconce available in a natural oil/wax or black oxide finish. Last but not least, we introduced a new bench shape to our popular Dish table series. Shown in a black stain finish here, it is available in natural ash or custom stain colors. See everything new here now.  

Totem Candles for Areaware

8/15/2016



We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Areaware, the Brooklyn-based producer of everyday objects, who will be producing our Totem Candles from here on out.

When Lisa Smith of Areaware first approached us about working together, we were excited about the partnership. Areaware represents many small independent designers like us as well as a few of our design heroes. They create work that is playful and inventive. We live with several of their products in our own home - such as Jonas Damon’s Torch Flashlight (we lose power a lot at our house in the woods) and Pat Kim’s Alphabet Blocks (our daughter Ada’s favorite) - and want to see our candles take on a new life by reaching a larger audience than we have the capability to serve through our in-house production.

Above and below are photos of the new candles, now available in three colors (Forest, Terracotta and Sand), taken by Carson Fisk-Vittori at The Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, an experimental green architecture lab located just outside of Austin, TX. The new Areaware Totem Candles are available for purchase on their website here now. 

Summer Intern: Soren Ferguson

8/4/2016



Summer is almost over, but we've had some great help in the studio with Bainbridge Island-native and Rhode Island School of Design student, Soren Ferguson, as our intern. He is back to Providence at the end of the month, but before he goes, below is a quick interview to get to know him better. 

3 Rooms at King Street Station

8/2/2016



Come check out 3 Rooms at King Street Station in Seattle this weekend, August 4 -7, 2016. We'll be one of the 20 featured local designers in the JOIN market sponsored by Civilization. Designers include: Apartment on Belmont, Blk Pine Workshop, Bremelo Press, Brian Beck, Delgado House, Faris, Five Ply Design, Fruitsuper Design, Gabriel Stromberg, Grain, Jennifer Ament, Mavro/Tawny, Meg Callahan, Piano Nobile, Pine & Boon, Rachel Illingworth, Rachel Ravitch, Small Craft, Turnco Wood Goods and Urbancase. More info here. 

Grain Studio Bainbridge Island

7/28/2016



It's been almost a year since we moved out of our home-based shop into our new studio space off Day Road on Bainbridge Island. We're so happy to have made the move to an industrial space better suited to our needs: design studio, fabrication shop and packing and shipping.

Our neighbors include businesses such as Fstopcafe, Iggy's, Bainbridge Yoga House and we are meeting more each month. Above and below are a few photos taken in early May. If you are local and curious to see more, email us to set up a visit!

Hot Shop With John Hogan

7/7/2016



Above and below is a look into the glass fabrication process of our new Drift lighting and furniture series recently launched at ICFF. For this series, we worked with Seattle glass artist John Hogan (who also makes the diffusers for our Circlet lighting series). 

John helped us develop a series of graphite molds to cast our solid glass shapes. As the shapes cool, you are left with these amazing chill marks, making each piece completely unique. All of our new work can be found on our site now. See more from a previous hot shop visit with John here.

Spring 2016 Launch

6/1/2016



Drift Bump Sconce 

Efficient LED lighting components are neatly hidden behind a thick cast glass diffuser to illuminate without a visible bulb. Precision cut aluminum frame can be custom plated or powder coated, and custom colored glass is also possible.

REFLECT

5/27/2016



During NYCxDESIGN we also had the chance to show at Sight Unseen's OFFSITE with 15 other studios from across the United States in REFLECT curated by JOIN Design. The designs centered around the common theme of reflection and were restricted by size and a single material.

Our contribution was our new Reflect bottle opener cast in solid bronze. Its overall shape is reflected on two planes. Its materiality shimmers warmly with reflected light. And its use as a bar tool aids in the often art of reflective drinking.

The amazing photos above and below were taken by Amanda Ringstad. Read more about the show at Fast Company, Design Milk and Core77 or by checking out the hashtag #reflect_SUO. Huge thanks to JOIN curators fruitsuper and Melanie Abrantes as well as Civilization who created all the graphic design.

International Contemporary Furniture Fair 2016

5/10/2016



We are proud to debut our latest collection of furniture, lighting and rugs at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, Booth 803, May 14 - 17, at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York as part of NYCxDESIGN.

Our new collection includes a series of furniture and lighting utilizing large graphite cast glass elements (seen above) made with Seattle artist John Hogan and biomorphic braided wool rugs made in partnership with Colonial Mills in Rhode Island. In addition, we will be showing new lighting that explores layered texture, as well as new shapes and finishes of our popular Dish table series.

Along with ICFF, Grain is also showing a new piece in the REFLECT show curated by JOIN at Sight Unseen's OFFSITE at The Grace Building, May 13 - 16.

For more info on any of our work, please email Chelsea Minola at chelsea (at) graindesign.com. Hope to see you in New York!

Island Headquarters

12/9/2015



We're up and running in our new space! Above and below is a little tour around. We are so happy to be settling in here and have been having so much fun getting to know our new neighbors. Huge thanks to everyone who came out last weekend to celebrate with us! Follow us on Instagram for more scenes from the studio.

Grain Holiday Wish Lists

11/30/2015



We've put together our annual holiday wish list just in time! Above and below are wishes from everyone in the studio. For more info on these and even more items, check out our Pinterest. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed!

Chelsea's wishes (from left to right): Cos Rib-neck Wool Coat $275.00, Portland Apothecary Ritual Mister Set $36.00, Zanbunni Moon Juice Bar $3.00, INNA Shrub Gift Set $30.00, Grain Stitch Round Mirror $1,185.00, See Sun Matter Top $140.00, Alessi La Cintura di Orione Stockpot $275.00, Black Crane Cocoon Dress $156.00 and The Arcs Yours, Dreamily $11.00. 

Grain Open Studio and Holiday Sale

11/18/2015



After seven years of operation from our home-based studio, we are thrilled to announce that Grain has moved into its very own headquarters. Our new studio finally has the room it needs in a three story space within the Island Craft community on Bainbridge Island. To celebrate, we're hosting an open studio and holiday sale on December 5, 10:00 - 4:00 pm, at our new address: 12935 Islandcraft Lane NE, Studio A3, on Bainbridge Island. 

Directions: To get to Islandcraft Lane from the ferry, drive north on Highway 305. Turn left at Day Road. Islandcraft Lane is just past Miller Road on the right. If you enter "7800 Day Road" in your GPS/Google Maps, it will get you pretty close.

Please stop by and celebrate with us! More info here. 

Maison de Luxe

11/7/2015



If you are in Los Angeles, don't miss the Maison de Luxe Designer Showcase at the Doheny Greystone Estate in Beverly Hills November 7 - 22, 2015. We were thrilled to be asked to participate in our dear friend Brit Kleinman's amazing kitchen redesign with our ceramics, candles, textiles, hooks and candle holders. Brit is the founder of AVO and she totally transformed the kitchen with her hand painted leather tiles. Also included in the space is work from Uhuru, Brendan Ravenhill and Heath Ceramics. Get tickets here and see images of the whole mansion in the Los Angeles Times here. 
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