Design Within Reach // Mobiles

PROJECT/

I’ve always loved mobiles.  Back in 2005 I started playing with the idea of floating, patterned floating planes that sit perfectly level.  A mix of order and chaos.  So I started developing some interesting patterns and precisely balancing them in CAD.  The result was laser cut from white acrylic or mahogany plywood.

I managed to get a meeting with the (then) buyer at Design Within Reach.  He was thrilled with the work and told me that even though they have a policy against accepting pieces based on a prototype, they would carry my mobiles.  All I had to do was deliver a first run.

How hard could it be?  What I thought would take a month, ended up taking 4, between developing final prototypes, setting up a supply chain, designing and manufacturing packaging, building a pricing structure, logistics, etc.  But we did it.

I went back to Design Within Reach, and the buyer I had talked with had been fired.  And they were not interested in any product submissions. The mobiles were sold in a few Bay Area boutiques and briefly online.  Ultimately the project was an aesthetic success, but not a profitable one.

RESULT/

Thing Tank Mobiles have been featured in Dwell Magazine, Core 77, The Wall Street Journal Magazine and California Home and Design.