That moment of release when I let go of control of what could be and open up to the possibilities in what is.

Parachute chair by Erica Huff Studios (2020)

Jumpsuit by Erica Huff Studios (2020)

Photography and editing by Lorena Caro Photography

I want to be curious - Come rain or come shine - In the green pastures or up the incline

I want to be curious - Cause there’s much more to you and there’s much more to me - Than could ever be gained from a quick passing read

I want to be curious - Cause there’s more breath to breathe - Than could ever be inhaled if at capacity

I want to be curious - It’s a discipline to stay - Engaged in awe and wonder in the everyday

I have a strong compulsion to “make”. I often ask myself if recovering chairs and reworking clothing patterns is a worthy use of my time when there is so much hurt, so much need and so much “message” surrounding us. But maybe the question is the same as the answer. Maybe we create BEcause there is so much hurt, so much need, and so much “message” surrounding us. We “sew” to stay sane; we “create” to comfort; and we “build” to broadcast hope. If so, may it grow!

“Adele” chair & dress (2020)

I’ve heard it say that “where there is anger, there is always pain underneath.” While I’m not about to say that anger is never an appropriate response, I do believe that anger can be a quick and easy default defense against the slow, hard work of grief.

In an attempt to “put away the harsh rhetoric, to lower the temperature, to see each other again,” I’ve created a chair that invites us to “sit down, cool down, and cry.” For all of us who need to address the pain before the anger, come, and sit.

“Sit down, cool down, and cry” Ice Chair (2021) Erica Huff Studios

Quote 1 by Eckhart Tolle

Quote 2 by President Biden, Inauguration Speech 2021

Click HERE for Video

One of my favorite traditions of old is the “morning sit.” A time of reflection and meditation before the bustle of the day begins. In this time of stationary sit, there is often a call to action. A draw to dream what could be different— what could be corrected. I honor that call alive in each of us. May our times of reflections and self-examination move us to action and change.

In the past few years I’ve been reflecting on the ways we attempt to insulate ourselves from injury or attack. Like the times we’re silent when we know we should speak up. Or the times we don’t truly share of ourselves— our hopes and dreams, our happenings and hurts— because it leaves us vulnerable to criticism. After all, it is far easier to tear down than it is to build. It is easier to critique than it is to construct. But if we don’t stand and speak up, all we’re left with is a chair of self-protection that can be deflated with the slightest prick.

As with most concept chairs, the Insulate Chair is my attempt at interpreting visually what often occurs internally. By externalizing our shared vulnerabilities, I hope to empower us all to unwrap from our defenses and to feel the gift of proximity with others.

This year, the weeks have seemed to roll by without the usual distinguishing markings found in the uniqueness of one from the next. Instead, the “sameness” of each week has left me confused as to if it was a new week, or last week, or which day of the week is it, anyway?

Despite this— or maybe because of this— I’ve had to begin the new discipline of sloooowing down the “same” train to mark the moments. A belly laugh shared with girls, a sunset shared with my love, or a new design discovered in my daydreams. All moments ready to be missed or marked. It’s a challenge; and one I hope to wrestle with the rest of my life.

“Lentement” chair (2020) by Erica Huff Studios

There is honor in work. There is glory in a job. And there is character gained in showing up in the menial tasks of the day. In our prestige obsessed culture, I can often find myself esteeming the hypothetical placement over the honorable laboring. If I’m not careful, instead of being present in the mundane work of the day, I can find the tangible has been eclipsed by the theoretical.

For this reason, I’m drawn to Gustave Caillebotte’s “Les Raboteurs de Parquet” (translated “Floor Scrapers”). The painting’s raw depiction of laborers hard at work gives honor to a job being completed in the midst of real life. There’s dirt and grit all about the building and body, there’s conversation being enjoyed in the midst of working, and there’s wine waiting to be shared together after one’s labor is completed.

And isn’t that a darn good representation of a good day’s work? A little grit, a little fellowship, and a celebration to wrap it all up.

May we all show up well in the glorious and the inglorious jobs of the day. May we all find honor in hard work.

“Floor Scrapers” by Erica Huff Studios (2021)

At a table that has been re-purposed to incorporate the design elements from eight chairs; each re-purposed and dedicated to a family member.

Each chair was re-upholstered with fabric from old vintage dresses. The salvaged dresses were then altered to provide coordinating dress/ chair combos.

At this table, in these dresses, on these chairs, we sit together, each bringing our uniquely crafted self.

And in bringing our colorful self to the table, we change the landscape of home.