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.