design: Thunderbolt. photo: Sarah Henderson
Don’t miss show2006, currently on view at PNCA. It’s a great survey of some of the high-powered furniture and object design talent working in Portland today. This showcase of “innovative and functional furniture design” by Portland-based designers opened with a standing-room-only reception at the Pearl District showroom of Design Within Reach then moved lock-stock-and-end-table to PNCA for the duration of the month.
How’s this for serendipity: we’d just made our way through the capacity crowd of design-lovers, noting Kari Merkl’s cool slatted bench “Camber Seat,” Material Furniture’s “BOXER,” mod room divider/shelves, and coming to a rest beneath Esque’s devastating mirrored drop lamps. motel gallery’s Jenn Armbrust introduced us to Thunderbolt designer Ryan Thomson, and he was explaining that when his killer “res table” (that we wanted to cart home then and there) went into production would be made in resin and a Baltic birch.
At that moment, fix studio’s Chris Bleiler somehow managed to silence the room to announce the judges’ selections for Best in Show and runners up. Bleiler noted that ShowPDX had received 70 submissions of which the jurors selected 43.
design: Kari Merkl. photo: Sarah Henderson
designer Kari Merkl. photo: Sarah Henderson
Honorable mentions were given to Kari Merkl for her “Camber Seat” and Artisan Metalwork’s “TABLE table.” Ben Ediger was third runner up with his “O.U. No. 2.” Esque’s “Silvered Pendant lamps” took 2nd and Study Hall was 1st runner up with “a simple planar table.” When Bleiler finally got to Best in Show, it was awarded to none other than Ryan Thomson/Thunderbolt for the “res table.”
Ryan Thomson and Chris Bleiler. photo: Sarah Henderson
design: Tomita design.build. photo: Sarah Henderson
Kudos to Bleiler and Jen Jako of fix studio (with commissions including clarklewis, Gotham Tavern, and the Doug Fir) for pulling the Show together year after year. As Bleiler noted, it�s a much-needed chance for designers to get out of their studios and connect, as well as an introduction for these designers to a broader audience.
– Lisa Radon�
photos: Sarah Henderson