Meet Steve Coonick, founder of KOOS Furniture

I’m Steve Coonick and I founded KOOS Furniture in the spring of 2017 after training as a master cabinet maker with David Savage and Darren Milman at the internationally renowned Rowden Woodworking School of Fine Furniture. This blog post describes my ‘typical’ day. Typically I start my day by making a tea and going over emails, social media feeds and general admin tasks. I follow some great makers and designers on Instagram. Some make furniture and others make anything from bespoke suits to yachts. Inspiration can come from everywhere and anywhere. It’s really important to know about the history of furniture but it’s equally important to look at what trends are just over the horizon, social media allows me to be aware of what’s happening across the entire globe. We truly live in an exciting era where distance is no longer a barrier. After this I like to spend at least 30 mins sketching, drawing or painting; this creative period is essential to allow new ideas to develop. I may sketch furniture or I may decide to draw a flower, person or paint a landscape, all have value. After this period of contemplation I then work on current projects. Projects may be in any one of several phases: Conceptual design Final design Build In the concept phase I will spend time sketching and working on aesthetic ideas and looking at material choices, talking to clients and exchanging ideas. In the final design stage I will narrow down ideas to one distinct design and I will work on the mechanical integrity and finalise aesthetics, I may also build scale models and test materials. The build stage sees me leaving the workshop, I go to timber yards to hand select wood. I will go to suppliers to pick other materials such as fabrics and accessories . I then return to the workshop and use a combination of machines and hand-tools to make the end product. I also drink at least 8 cups of tea a day which is an essential part of the making and design process. I’m currently working on some really interesting and diverse projects. A desk which raises up, to allow the architect who commissioned it, to either stand or sit at the touch of a button. A bespoke set of fitted drawers for a private client, made in beautiful Cornish olive ash. I have also just delivered an eight seat bench to the magnificent Jackson Foundation gallery, Cornwall.