Jordana Maisie takes a bifocal approach to design. The Los Angeles–based founder of Jordana Maisie Design Workshop (JMDW) employs a mix of time-honored architectural techniques and experimental methods when crafting her contemporary pieces. “We are interested in questioning accepted relationships, inspiring awe and intrigue, and keeping people engaged in [spite of] an increasingly numbing and saturated environment,” she tells Business of Home.
An artist from an early age, Maisie grew up in Sydney, playing classical and jazz trumpet. She studied photography, film, and video and sound engineering at the University of New South Wales, before moving to Berlin and experimenting with interactive software design. “My art practice [at that time] focused on using technology to reembody physical space at a time when screen-based technologies were just beginning to infiltrate our lives and interpersonal interactions,” she explains.
In 2015, she was awarded a residency and commission at Sydney-based arts nonprofit the Nelson Meers Foundation, which culminated in a large-scale public installation. Inspired, she moved to New York and enrolled in the Parsons School of Design, ultimately earning a double master’s in architecture and lighting design. Not long after graduating, Maisie landed a job as an architectural designer for Diller Scofidio + Renfro, where she began honing her skills in interior and product design. “‘Making’ has always been integral to my creative process, and for a discipline that ultimately produces a drawn contract [construction document (CD) set] for a contractor to build from, it is surprising to me that more architects and designers don’t have hands-on building experience.”
She launched her namesake design studio, JMDS, in 2018, and spent the next few years designing everything from architecture to interiors and furnishings for residential and commercial projects, including Manhattan restaurant Ánimo! and Wardrobe.NYC’s inaugural retail location. “We explore the unique exchange between each structure and its occupants—the interdependency of materials and surfaces, and the necessary role each element plays in [a building’s] structural integrity,” says Maisie.
This year, she unveiled JMDW, where she and her team design and handcraft an in-house line as well as bespoke pieces for clients. “The dual focus on design and fabrication ensures integrity in the creative process,” says Maisie. “We can fully realize visions without compromise, and push the boundaries between concept, material and craftsmanship.”
JMDW’s furniture designs are equal parts playful and practical, often concept-driven, like a piece of art. The newly released Reliance range, for instance, offers a selection of geometric dining tables with suspended seats that encourage a communal experience and user interaction, while the sculptural Inverse chair showcases a large center cutout to offset its weighty solid red oak composition. “The goal is to activate the senses beyond the ocularcentric,” says Maisie.
To produce JMDW’s artful pieces, she and lead fabricator Nicholas Haddad rely on innovative techniques and materials ranging from 3D-printed latex molds to hand-ground hardwood finishes. “My hope is that by prioritizing experimentation and making, there is an additional layer of authorship, autonomy and craft to inspire our team to think outside the box,” she says.
The brand’s latest line, Dimple, features an assortment of heavyweight wooden tableware showcasing crumpled plastic–like silhouettes. “Whether through space, furniture or objects, we’re looking to instigate shifts in the user’s perspective,” says Maisie.
