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Open up

Inspired by Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip4 and Z Fold4, designed to foster new ways of thinking, we kick off  a series profiling game-changing creatives from around the world. First up, we meet Los Angeles-based fashion designer-turned-furniture-maker Sam Klemick.

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1.

How Klemick discovered a love of creating furniture almost by accident.

Expect the unexpected 

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Monocle: How did you end up in  Los Angeles?

Sam Klemick: I’m from Miami and came  here for fashion school. Once I graduated,  I started working as an assistant designer  on the East Coast. Four years ago I moved back to Los Angeles and into an empty warehouse; my friends and I started building a loft for me to sleep in. That’s when I  realised that I wanted to make all of my furniture. I took woodworking classes and after a while I started to get commissions from interior designers.

M: What are the similarities and  differences between fashion  and furniture design?

SK: There’s so much mass consumption in fashion. I was craving using my hands again and wanted to play a small part in fighting mass production. I began by finding old furniture on the side of the road and rebuilding it. I was exclusively using recycled materials. I wanted to see if I could make  a business out of it. These days, I source  my wood mostly from a salvage lumberyard from demolition sites around Los Angeles.

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Colour and the shape: Klemick’s work is characterised by a playful curiosity
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Precision craft: The devil is in the detai
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Chips off the old block: Messy work
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Chipping away: Klemick’s sculptural furniture is hand-crafted and made to order

2.

We meet a designer and woodworker whose practice demonstrates why  innovation often begins with an ability to put your trust in instinct and chance.

Flipping  the script

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Forever innovating, Samsung created Galaxy mobile products to allow people to break down barriers and forget their limitations with the help of cutting-edge technology. Its foldable line-up – the Galaxy Z Series, with its pioneering flip and fold mechanisms – is designed to open users up to new ways of working, connecting and capturing the world.

We launch a new series that profiles some of the world’s most exciting creative minds by dropping in on another relentless innovator: Sam Klemick, a Los Angeles-based fashion designer who discovered a passion for turning wood. Crafting furniture with her design practice Otherside Objects, her approach to design is rooted in strong communication.

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Intelligent design: Klemick’s intuitive, organic-looking pieces are subtly sophisticated
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Surface appeal: An awareness of materials and texture is key
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Instrumental change: Tools of the trade

3.

Inspiration can come from anywhere, as Klemick knows well. And the right technology can help you make the most of it.

When the  mood strikes

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M: Where do you find inspiration and  how do you record it?

SK: Lately I’ve been watching old movies  and grabbing inspiration from them.  Some ideas I just keep in my head but  I record a lot of images as well. I am  always writing things down in a million different places, whether that’s on a receipt,  on some scrap paper or on my phone. If  it’s something more visual, then I’ll create  a folder of images [on my computer]  and print them out so I can have a mood board in front of me.

M: What role does mobile technology  play in your working life?

SK: I am super-communicative and, depending on the client and my relationship with them, I’ll usually text them updates. Recently I was making a dining table for  a creative consulting and interior design studio called Wall for Apricots, and I would send them photos of different colours that I was playing with. Even if I’m communicating with clients via email, I have all of that on  my phone too so I can talk to them while  I’m multi-tasking at the shop.

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Building blocks: Klemick reimagines traditional forms, working with discarded  furniture and deadstock fabrics

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