KATRINA VONNEGUT / VONNEGUT KRAFT
Katrina Vonnegut is partner and designer of studio Vonnegut/Kraft. After receiving her B.F.A in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2009 she moved to New York City and began working with Brian Kraft in 2012. Founded on the principle that good design elevates our collective human experience, the duo creates furniture, lighting, objects and spaces with an astute attention to detail, materiality, and sculptural form.
Utilizing local and regional resources, the studio is dedicated to maintaining a balance between technological manufacturing techniques and hand-made craftsmanship. All pieces are either small editions or made to order and embrace the maker’s hand as well as the intrinsic qualities of the materials used. Katrina, Brian and their son Clemens have recently moved their home and studio to Ghent, NY.
Bow Chair, 2021
32”H x 33 1/4”D x 35 1/2”W
Oak, Green Velvet
“I think that craft…is about understanding our materials, which is what gives us control and allows us to have new ideas. If you don’t have that understanding and you don’t know how to construct things, you’re going to be limited in your design concepts.”
— Katrina Vonnegut
“I think we just became more comfortable, like how any relationship develops, we became more open about sharing ideas or moving a project forward. Just learning better editing skills. That’s what good design is, having the essence of a concept and then being able to pare it down and develop it further.”
— Katrina Vonnegut
“RISD has a really good woodworking program… but I’ve really been surrounded by it my whole life. My mother is an antiques dealer and would refinish furniture, so there was always an emphasis on the importance of well-made, beautiful furniture pieces and objects and understanding the history and craftsmanship behind objects. And my dad’s an architect.”
— Katrina Vonnegut
Katrina Vonnegut: Thoughts on Motherhood and Creativity
Katrina Vonnegut: Thoughts on Motherhood and Creativity
Katrina Vonnegut: Thoughts on Motherhood and Creativity