Michael Aram Black Orchid Bowl

Known for his intricate metal furniture, jewelry and housewares, Michael Aram is something of a throwback in the world of design: a hands-on maker, both artist and artisan. Aram’s idiosyncratic style and the inherent authenticity of each of his handmade designs have made him a favorite of contemporary collectors.

Aram — full name: Michael Aram Wolohojian — was born in Providence, Rhode Island, to a tight-knit Armenian family and grew up in Scarsdale, New York. He studied art in Florence, Italy, and at the Art Students League in New York.

While on a 1989 trip to India, Aram was exposed to metalworking traditions such as sand-casting and hand-forging, and he became entranced with these techniques. He stayed in the country to study metalsmithing and collaborated with local craftsmen on his own designs, and still maintains a workshop in New Delhi.

A few of Aram’s lines are based on simple geometric shapes, but the majority are inspired by nature, in particular trees, flowers and other plant life. Rendered in materials that range from silvered bronze to patinated brass to nickel-plated steel, Aram’s forms for such lines as Sleepy Hollow and Black Orchid are drawn directly from botanical sources. He is likely unusual among contemporary designers for sometimes using the same decorative motif for both furniture and tableware pieces but his works are warm, witty, well-made and unlike any you’ve seen before.

Find Michael Aram serveware, vases and other decorative objects and furniture on 1stDibs.

Roman Erlikh is a professional woodworker with over 20 years’ experience. Roman Erlikh Studio creates bespoke and limited edition contemporary furniture and art objects. His first furniture collections were inspired by traditional Art Deco and Biedermeier styles interpreted through a modern lifestyle demands. Stepping away from merely utilitarian view of everyday objects, his recent collections are filled with meaningful textual context while incorporating traditional and modern woodworking techniques. Roman is using practical function as a common denominator to create emotionally charged art objects, blurring the boundary between art and function. While appreciating possibilities of ordinary materials, Roman is developing new mixed media multilayered composite varnishes and utilizes decorative gilding and mica veneer to actively engage ambient light, giving an additional aspect to relation of his objects to their environment. The decision to work in custom format was based on environmental concerns and opposition to culture of mass production and pure consumerism. The choice of materials was heavily influenced by sustainability and environmental concerns. All objects are made locally in the Brooklyn Navy Yard workshop. Elimination of storage and transportation needs for mass-produced furniture in lieu of creating a custom made objects on demand allows us to reduce waste of materials and energy.