Brendon Farrell

Born in Southern Oregon, Brendon Farrell received his professional architecture degree from the University of Oregon and initial architecture license in the state of New York. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon.

His professional experience in design and built work includes all stages of project development. A craftsman and an architect, he has personally built and managed production on a wide range of furniture, casework, accessories and lighting, as well as guided architectural projects of all scales from concept through completion.

With a hands-on ability to jump between concept and the reality of a project, Brendon Farrell provides an honest and direct approach to the creation of products and environments.

"With architecture you're bringing another person's vision to life, in a way, even if it's your own. There are always so many people involved. With furniture, the designs are all my own." Farrell designs based on material and on what he considers to be the essentials of a piece. "Unlike in modernism, where you really strip a piece down to its functional essence, I like to let nature define what those essentials are. Every part of my design has a purpose. But that purpose isn't always function. Sometimes it's power. Or beauty."

This is an idea that's been part of Scandinavian Modernism for a long time. The Nordics understood that people need clean and functional, but also warm. "The Pacific Northwest in USA is on the edge of western civilisation and it's more eclectic and individualistic. So there's no manifesto, here—it's more of a feel." says Farrell.

“I have a problem… I tend to love all scales of work.” It’s a simple, but telling confession from architect, designer and craftsmen Brendon Farrell.

Over the past two decades his love of varying scales has lead to designing, creating and problem solving across numerous mediums, vastly different sizes and with a myriad of materials. In Farrell’s mind, “designing a wall piece is not that different from a high rise if approached correctly.”

When Farrell approaches a new design – a building, a home, a light fixture or a system of graphics – no matter the size, he experiences the same thrill of discovery when landing on a beautiful and essential solution.

What you get with a Brendon Farrell design is attention to detail, purity of thought and most importantly, his unique perspective on pairing materials. It’s one of the first things you notice about his work. An elegant leather wall mirror suspends curved glass, a minimal Finnish sauna of polished concrete and raw wood, a jewellery maker’s studio built with clean surfaces and stark white canvas – it’s these fresh combinations that define Farrell’s aesthetic.

Working with Farrell is a collaboration, informed not just by location and materials, but also personal relationships and shared goals.

“I ask for a client to allow me to understand them and develop what they really want. As an architect, I try and guide the design to support the client, to create an environment the client owns instead of me, the designer.”