Maker Highlight: Workstead

Teamwork makes the dream work.

The collaborative pair that is Stefanie Brechbuehler and Robert Andrew Highsmith, founders of Brooklyn-based Workstead Design Shop, is a marvel in and of itself. Well known for their signature aesthetic of re-use and re-invention, the two RISD grads incorporate their sustainable lifestyle from their apartment and studio to their design projects seamlessly. The result? Context-driven works rooted in history, architecture, and function.

Workstead’s use of materiality—handcrafted products using natural materials in a refined, simplistic form—is true artistry that we can really appreciate. Their designs are industrial without being bulky, strong without being hard, and refined without being pretentious. It’s all about the level of detail, and Workstead does it in a way that no one else can.

As designers and spatial planners, we often spend most of our time looking at the larger volume of a space or a product. But on those rare occasions when we can narrow our focus down to the smallest fastener or screw, and even that is perfect, it’s just brilliant. And that’s exactly what Workstead is all about.

Our Favorites

While Workstead produces the occasional sideboard and cabinet, the real stars of the studio are the light fixtures: table lamps, desk lights, chandeliers. Here are just a few of the ones that we love.

Bent Wall Lamp in Black. $1,150.00. Asher + Rye

Industrial Chandelier in Brass. $2,150.00. Asher + Rye

Lodge Chandelier Three in Oxidized Oak and Blackened Brass. $2,450.00. Asher + Rye