Noted Furniture Designer Launches Masters & Mentors Series with Roger Thomas

May 30, 2018  by Jane Chero in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry   

Brand’s initial partner in the mentorship program is Roger Thomas, executive vice president of design and development Wynn Resorts. Together Thomas and Brand selected a design student to work across the entire process of design and manufacturing, spending time in Brand’s studio and workshops in the San Francisco Bay area and in Thomas’s offices at Wynn Design and Development headquarters in Las Vegas.

“The program offers an integral view of what designers and craftsmen can accomplish in close partnership,” Brand said. “That kind of collaboration has benefited my own career greatly, and I’m privileged to be able to share this approach with the rising generation of talent.”

The California luxury residential and hospitality furniture designer has become known for furnishings crafted from unusual, rare materials. For this program, a new line of four designs is exploring the aesthetic and functional qualities of selenite, a rare kind of crystal that Brand has worked to turn into materials practical enough to use for furnishings.

“I’m delighted that Roger agreed to take up the challenge and help me launch this program,” Brand said. “Roger brings a keen sense of history and how just the right materials creates just the right effect in a design, and I think the market will be enthusiastic about what he’s created.”

Thomas has been named to the Architectural Digest’s AD100 list five times and in 2015 was inducted into Interior Design magazine’s Hall of Fame. Best known for colorful, grandly opulent interiors of Wynn’s resorts in the U.S. and China, he also offers a range of furnishings made by leading manufacturers through The Roger Thomas Collection.

“Eric offered me the chance to do something really different, and I couldn’t resist,” said Thomas. It’s a privilege to work with him, and his vision for the mentorship program promises to be inspiring for the industry.”

Thomas’ designs for the Masters & Mentors Limited Edition Series will be made available to the design trade in coming weeks at the New York showroom of Walters.

Brand and Thomas selected the first mentee in the series in 2016, Marcus Ferreira, then a California College of Arts student. Born and raised on Maui, Hawaii, Ferreira says the mentorship opened his mind to the potential to create pieces that “change standard ideas of furniture.”

Profits from the program will fund future mentorships with Brand, the partnering designer, or both.

For more information visit http://www.mastersandmentor.com