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A Day in the Life of Bernard Brucha of MASHstudios

This month’s Designer Dailies follows Bernard Brucha, founder of the multidisciplinary, Los Angeles-based firm, MASHstudios. The Chicago native graduated with a degree in industrial design and went on to focus on furniture design and manufacturing, pushing the creative boundaries since 2002 when MASHstudios got its start. Whether it’s designing a line of furniture or envisioning a new office or retail space for a client, Bernard Brucha and his team continue to hone their unique process of design, all while working with clients such as Kidrobot, Crate and Barrel (CB2), AOL, Microsoft, Alexis Bittar, and 7 For All Mankind. Let’s see how this busy designer spends one of his days.

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AM – Rise
A morning ritual; a little breakfast; a little game of fetch; the day is ready to begin. Taking in the morning air, a little tranquil moment to myself.

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AM – Walk
A brief three-block stroll to the office gives time to prepare my mind for the day.

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AM – Work
Can’t complain that I get to come here everyday. A second home if you will… Our signature logo crowns the tops of the windows, catching the eyes of those from the busy street of Venice Blvd. The building itself holds as much character as our designs, making our space very much complimentary. The block is a mini hub of design talents, holding inspiring minds within its walls.

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AM – Start
Door officially unlocked, time to get things started.

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AM – Desk
First things first, emails and correspondence. I bunker down to my desk, fueled with a little earl grey, and address what has come in overnight.

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AM – Kickstart Meeting
First meeting of the day brings things up to speed. Design Director, Ben Hopkins, and I go over production and status of current projects.

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AM – Inspect
Some new samples came in for an upcoming project. The large front windows of the showroom let in vibrant natural light, helping to see the product in its most true form.

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Afternoon – Office
The day hums along. Our work environment is calm and tranquil. A cool palette with a loft-like setting makes for a fun, yet productive atmosphere. Mellow beats play in the foreground as the design team steadily works.

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Afternoon – Review
The showroom doubles as a second work space. Time for some redlining.

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Afternoon – Rue
Even though she’s not supposed to…

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Afternoon – Lunch
Decided to order Mediterranean today. Taking a break to share a few laughs and catch up from the weekend.

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PM – Sketch
Round two.

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PM – Break
Tired of being in that glass box all day, so I decided to change venues for the last meeting of the day. We drove over to Deus, our neighborhood coffee shop. Earl Grey again…

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PM – Atmosphere Change
Finally outside and developing our new upholstered line with recently hired Alana Rietdyk. Did I mention this place not only makes coffee it’s also a Motorcycle/Surf/Clothing Shop? Only in LA.

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PM – Textiles
Trying to find a textile that’s bold and mellow at the same time.

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PM – Play
Meetings over and it’s time to check out some surfboards before going back to the office.

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PM – Leave
Just had to pick up Rue and time to walk home.

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PM – Play
Getting back to my mid-century home. Luckily not completely in the dark.

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PM – Play
Time to enjoy a beer with the girlfriend. Finally a little relaxation…

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.