California native Jory Brigham grew up in Hawaii assisting his father on carpentry jobs. Brigham's homeschooling was paired with an education in hand tools, and the islands’ vulnerability to hurricanes kept business going.
‘I didn’t love it enough to make it a career,’ Brigham says of woodworking– that is, until he dived into design. The ability to create his own style imbued familiar tools and methods with new passion and potential.
In 2015, Brigham won the first season of Spike TV’s furniture building competition, Framework. ‘I never wanted to cheapen what I do,’ Brigham says of appearing on the reality show. But the competition's time constraints led to genuine insights about his creative process, including the realisation that his reliance on routine wasn't necessary.
Furthermore, Brigham’s line of gaming tables (ping pong and shuffleboard, pool to come) exists because of the show. One look at the orange-accented walnut tables and it's clear: Brigham is strongly influenced by the 70s– and its colour scheme.
‘I don’t know why I haven’t grown out of orange yet,’ he muses, adding, ‘Everybody that knows me is like you were born in the wrong era.’ As we talk, Brigham's staring out at the AMC Pacer he’s eventually planning on restoring.
In the workshops he teaches, Brigham cautions students not to merely emulate his aesthetic. ‘The only way to stay relevant in the world of design is to come up with your own style, that’s the only lasting, sustainable thing,’ he says. And crafting enduring furniture requires genuine joy.
Playfulness abounds within Jory Brigham’s brand. In a shoot by Cana Creative, cheerleaders and their short-shorted male companions frolic around his Boardroom Collection. In his Chromatic Collection, wooden bases shaped like jacks pieces support glass table tops. A metal brace at the center of each base provides a pop of colour in yellow, red, and– yes– orange.
Brigham acknowledges that people have trouble committing to colour, but to him it’s invigorating. ‘Who doesn’t want to feel more alive?’ he asks. In the end, Brigham can sell most everyone on an appeal to nostalgia, and fond memories of palettes past.
Brigham grew up in Hawaii assisting his father on carpentry jobs. ‘I didn’t love it enough to make it a career,’ Brigham says of woodworking– that is, until he dove into design. Pictured: Mackenrow; Photography: Ron Bez
Brigham, pictured, harbours a love for the 70s– especially the colour orange. Photography: Cana Creative
Pictured left: the Jax table; Pictured right: Hank seating
Brigham's friends tell him he was born in the wrong era. Pictured: Fast Freddie; Photography: Ron Bez
Pictured: the Mack credenza; Photography: Ron Bez
Playfulness abounds within Jory Brigham’s brand. Photography: Cana Creative
In a shoot by Cana Creative, cheerleaders and their short-shorted male companions frolic around his Boardroom Collection.
‘The only way to stay relevant in the world of design is to come up with your own style,’ Brigham cautions his students. Pictured: the Arka table; Photography: Ron Bez
Brigham acknowledges that people have trouble committing to colour, but to him it’s invigorating. ‘Who doesn’t want to feel more alive?’ he asks. Pictured: the Emerson bench; Photography: Ron Bez
INFORMATION
For more information visit Jory Brigham's website
-
Frieze London 2025: all the fashion moments to look out forThe best fashion happenings to add to your Frieze London 2025 schedule, from Dunhill’s curation of talks at Frieze Masters to an exhibition of furniture by Rick Owens
-
Artists reflect on Kate Bush lyrics for a War Child auctionPeter Doig and Maggi Hambling are among artists interpreting Kate Bush’s 1985 track ‘Running Up That Hill’ for War Child’s online auction
-
Explore Tom Kundig’s unusual houses, from studios on wheels to cabins slotted into bouldersThe American architect’s entire residential portfolio is the subject of a comprehensive new book, ‘Tom Kundig: Complete Houses’
-
With a secret members’ club, this Washington, DC barbershop is a ‘theatre of self-care’At Manifest 002, come for a haircut; stay for the boldly hued social spaces designed by INC Architecture & Design
-
A new exhibition puts Frank Lloyd Wright’s audacious chair designs in the hot seat‘Frank Lloyd Wright: Modern Chair Design’, opening this weekend at the Museum of Wisconsin Art, argues that Wright’s furniture designs were an integral, and sometimes controversial, part of his vision
-
Step inside a ‘dream desert sanctuary’ tucked into Moab's rust-red landscapeSusannah Holmberg designed this home to harmonise with the extreme climate and dramatic surroundings of Utah’s Moab desert. 'The landscape is everything'
-
Nicole Hollis launches a collection of home objects ‘rooted in mindfulness’The American interior designer worked with artists, makers and artisans to create objects for the home, emphasising materiality and visual simplicity
-
USM furniture turns shelter in a New York exhibition‘The Room You Carry’ by interior design studio Loveisenough examines the space between order and wilderness, indoors and outdoors
-
This designer’s Montecito home – once a modest wood cabin – has been transformed into a charming sanctuaryOriginally built by architect Lutah Maria Riggs, this compact family home has been reimagined by another influential female designer – Tamara Honey of House of Honey – who has imbued the space with her signature touch
-
The owner of this restored Spanish Colonial home turned it into a gallery – with no social media allowedCasa Francis in LA is a private residence, but recently opened its doors to one member of the public at a time for an exhibition centred around domesticity
-
This Manhattan apartment and studio is a shrine to artThis New York artist's home is both comfortable and flexible, acting as a studio and a showcase for his work and collected pieces. We take a tour for our interiors series, The Inside Story
