New Collar Goods is two-person woodworking studio in Denver, Colorado. We like to keep our designs minimal but functional, allowing for the natural beauty of the wood and the lines of the piece to bring the personality and interest.
What is the story behind your latest designs/collection?
Right now, we are predominately creating one off pieces, that are inspired by the new homes they will go in.
When we have some time to work on new pieces for our collection, we will be looking to blur the lines of sophistication and playfulness. Life can be all too serious at times and we believe a home should be a respite and an escape. We want to infuse things that provoke child like wonder, even if it’s only for adults. The words”playfulness” and “warmth” keep circulating in our minds.
When designing who is the person you have in mind?
George Nakishima’s designs have been floating around in our heads a bit. We love the way he played with proportions and mixed organic forms with geometric shapes.
What has been the most challenging thing when starting your own brand?
Getting to the point where we can design custom pieces that are within our own style profile. When we started out, we didn’t want to turn any jobs down, so we often found ourselves working on designs that we couldn’t really sink our hearts in to. Those jobs definitely taught us a few things as makers and pushed us further, which was awesome. However, over time we’ve been so lucky to earn the support of local customers who we are in line with, stylistically. This allows us to share more of what we are making so that we can present ourselves with a more defined aesthetic.
What is the most important thing you have learned about design and yourself since then?
That process allowed us to solidify our style and become a bit more confident, now that we know that people appreciate it. There’s a lot of self doubt and internal negative dialogue that can happen as creatives and as entrepreneurs, so we think it is important to recognize when something is working and to celebrate that.
Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
We try to surround ourselves with people who are makers and entrepreneurs. When we see the people around us (who experience similar challenges and burdens) succeed and remain resilient, it gives us a lot of energy and reason for continuing to stay dedicated and keep pushing through.
What would be your one piece of advice to anyone embarking into the design business?
Seek community within the industry and celebrate one another. It helps you to recharge and heal that feeling of isolation that inevitably occurs.
Any Shoutouts?
We want to say thank you to all of the designers, retailers and homeowners who continue to look to us. We feel really lucky to be surrounded by people who value design, craft and quality.