Louisville is a progressive city with a long memory. Ask any native Louisvillian for directions, and his or her answer may include references to buildings that have changed names or no longer exist. Sometimes a family story goes along with these gone-but-not-forgotten institutions: Grandparents who worked at the old Fischer Meat Packing Plant or Ballard’s Mill; young daughters who attend ballet classes in the old Sears Building. Even the White Castles of our collective past hold a sacred memory.
As a city, we like to move forward—we pride ourselves on it—and we’re currently enjoying a creative renaissance in food, architecture and design. Part of that rebirth is about reinterpreting our past in new ways through traditional materials or ingredients (pork belly, anyone?). We love our modern city, but we’re a people who have always had a strong sense of history and place.
One group that seeks to promote original design while keeping that sense of place is the Louisville Area Furniture Society, or LA-FS. Craig Bayens, Group Founder, and colleague Peyton Hoge organize a like-minded collective comprising a dozen or so woodworkers, welders, architects and designers. These local craftsmen, who have individual businesses, come together on the first Tuesday of each month for meetings and educational sessions to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of others in the group. The location spot changes each month, as the group moves around to various members’ workshops so that the hosting member can share his current projects.
Bayens describes the group’s work as useful art. “It’s about getting our businesses to grow,” he says. “It’s about pushing the limits of design. Why don’t you buy something that you can pass down to your children? Why don’t you buy something that’s a little unique, maybe something taken from your community?”
It was an idea that came to Bayens during a stint on Framework, a reality television show on Spike TV, where he appeared in early 2015. Bayens applied just before the deadline, and was selected to travel to Burbank, Calif., to be on the show. He enjoyed the camaraderie he found with the show’s other contestants, and maintains contact with many friends he made there. He found that the designs of individuals improved with the input of a group of like-minded craftsmen.
“I came back and really felt the need to organize something, to promote original design,” Bayens says. “In this community we all kind of know each other, and I thought, ‘why not bring us all together so we could challenge each other to design differently?’”
Bull-Riding VS. Functional Design
As a college student at Murray State University, Bayens almost never discovered this passion for furniture making. When Bayens was a freshman, he was faced with a choice between enrolling in an elective rodeo bull-riding course or a course in functional design. He always wanted to learn how to ride rodeo bulls, but a friend had taken the design course and made some pieces Bayens found interesting. He chose the design course, a decision that would ultimately change the direction of his life. He studied under world-renowned artist and Professor Emeritus Paul Sasso, who became a lifelong friend and mentor. Bayens finished at Murray with an extensive portfolio and founded C. Bayens Furniture and Functional Design Co.
Hoge, who studied photography in the Fine Arts Department at the University of Louisville, came to woodworking organically. The son of a pilot for Central American Airways and an amateur pilot himself, he worked with local photographers as an assistant before working at a construction company. It was there that he learned the woodworking trade by making built-in cabinets and architectural features. He moved on to furniture, eventually opening his own business, Birdsquare Carpentry. His focus is still on built-in cabinetry and custom furniture, and he uses Sketchup, a CAD program, to draw and modify designs for his clients in real time.
Eco-conscious and Louisville-centric
Many members of the group share a focus on ecological sustainability. When possible, they use locally-sourced materials, often salvaging materials from historic buildings. Never one to waste good lumber, Bayens works with a tree company to salvage downed trees after storms come through the area, to avoid using felled lumber. Some materials are salvaged from historic buildings around town; Bayens believes customers appreciate feeling a connection to a piece’s history and to the history of this place.
“We’re eco-conscious. We’re very Louisville-centric. I started my career, and I know Peyton did too, using reclaimed material, and we all got it from the same place. It was a warehouse at 18th and Main. I think people get more invested in the piece of furniture when they are like ‘I remember going to this building as a child, and now this is made from the remnants of it.’ If they can have a connection to the piece, it means a lot more, and they’re not likely to replace it in five years.”
That building on 18th and Main was an old tobacco processing warehouse. Bayens credits the lumber and materials he was able to salvage from there for helping launch his career as a successful maker. He has also salvaged wood from the current 21c building, the old General Distillery building and the National Tobacco building. He has also restored many 19th century pipe organs.
Many of the materials may be salvaged, but the style of the furniture is sleek and contemporary. While members of the collective have diverse talents and areas of interest, they share a common desire to push the limits of functional design. Their group values craftsmanship and honest construction, and membership is gained through a juried process and an emphasis on what new members can contribute to the group. “We want freethinkers” Bayens says. “The creatives. You have to have that certain soul. That’s what we’re looking for.
“We’re starting to do monthly, technique-based workshops, and so it’s like what can you offer to the group? We go under the philosophy ‘each one, teach one.’ We’re all primarily woodworkers, so it’s expanding our horizons. That’s the purpose of the group. There are a lot of mediums out there. Let’s explore. Let’s work with each other to push the limits of functional design.”
Inaugural Functional Design 2015
The group will showcase their designs at their inaugural Functional Design 2015, an event that will happen in conjunction with Flea Off Market and Fresh Start Growers Supply on the weekend of Oct. 9-11, during the Flea Off hours. The opening reception will be Friday night, October 9 from 7:30-10:30 p.m., and will feature the Pollo food truck, cocktails, and a live set by DJ Sam Snead. It will take place inside Fresh Start Growers Supply at 1007 E. Jefferson Street.
The exhibition will be a series of vignettes showcasing the designs of Bayens and Hoge in a variety of interior spaces, and pieces by other LA-FS members including Carter Scott, David Metcalf, Ryan Goff, Billie Bradford, Ben Pegram, Dave Bibelhauser and Charlie Newman.
