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Friday Five with Quentin Kelley

Born in western Massachusetts in 1974, Quentin Kelley has been a hands-on designer and builder from a very early age. In 1996 he completed an engineering degree at Cornell University. His interest in architecture and furniture developed while a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic, where he furnished his own small house with basic hand tools. Upon returning to the US in 2000, he began building furniture with renowned Rhode Island furniture maker Hank Gilpin. In Gilpin’s studio, he learned fundamentals of furniture design, construction, and history, and began to develop his own pieces. Since 2005 Quentin has run the Boston workshop, Infusion Furniture, producing high quality, innovative modern furniture for commercial and residential projects. In 2010 he was voted top “5Under40,” an award which recognizes emerging talent in architecture, interior and furniture design, by New England Home Magazine.

Quentin is sharing five of his favorite pieces of furniture.

1. Gerrit Rietveld buffet
I love the constructed look of this piece and how it adds depth, shadow, and contrast to the piece.

2. Greek Klismos chair
The Greeks were ahead of their time with these dynamic, sweeping curves which are clearly tied to the source of inspiration, the natural world.

3. Biedermeier Secretary
This secretary is a monumental and mind-boggling work, and a feat of German engineering. With 23 compartments, 8 of which are hidden, it’s no wonder Griffin Trading wants $32k for it!

4. Chinese Side Table
I think this table contains the perfect balance of simplicity of form with detail. Originally this would have been made without glue so the entire piece could be taken apart.

5. Hans Wegner’s Peacock Chair
Beautiful, functional and meticulously crafted. It doesn’t get any better for me!

Jaime Derringer, Founder + Executive Editor of Design Milk, is a Jersey girl living in SoCal. She dreams about funky, artistic jewelry + having enough free time to enjoy some of her favorite things—running, reading, making music, and drawing.