In each issue, Gulfshore Life invites a Southwest Florida design professional to share the global pieces currently shaping their creative point of view. This month, Bonita Springs–based designer Alex Thies of Adelyn Charles Interiors curates a trio of sculptural finds that explore duality through texture, materiality and craft—objects where contrast is intentional and workmanship takes center stage.
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alex thies favorite things Terra Tall Floating Cabinet
Terra Tall Floating Cabinet by Casey Johnson Studio
From his workshop in Black Mountain, North Carolina, woodworker Casey Johnson crafts made-to-order pieces that are grounded in material expression. His 6-foot Terra cabinet, which is carved in light cherry over nearly 100 hours, shows how he coaxes form out of solid wood. “I’m just a wood geek,” Alex says. “I love seeing the different ways that it can be manipulated.” Using an angle grinder, Casey cuts clusters of small, overlapping facets that build into deeper channels. Up close, the texture reads like weathered terrain: ridges, pockets and softened valleys that shift in color and sheen as the grain turns. The clean-lined cabinet keeps the attention on the carved sweeps, while a nearly 3-foot cantilevered side shelf offers a practical perch for display. caseyjohnsonstudio.com
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alex thies favorite things Seed Cloud by Ochre
Seed Cloud by Ochre
Contemporary lighting brand Ochre blends traditional craft with a modern sensibility in its Seed Cloud series. Using the lost-wax casting technique, the studio’s artisans sculpt bronze ‘buds’ that cradle hand-shaped glass droplets. The glass forms—a mix of spheres and elongated teardrops—catch the LED glow in subtly different ways, giving the fixture its depth and shimmer. Alex gravitates toward the piece’s adaptability. Offered in four configurations, from a small table lamp to a dramatic 188-bud chandelier, each fixture is installed bud by bud, allowing designers to fine-tune the exact spread and silhouette on-site. “You could use this piece in three different [spaces], and it would look completely different,” Alex says. ochre.net
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alex thies favorite things Wire Lounge Sofa by Overgaard Dyrman
Wire Lounge Sofa by Overgaard & Dyrman
Metal and leather take on an unexpectedly nuanced character in the Wire Lounge Sofa. Its curved arms and taut wire frame reflect the founders’ dual backgrounds in furniture design and saddlery, two disciplines that meet in exacting joinery and meticulous finishing. Makers in the brand’s Denmark studio form the steel frame as a continuous line, with every bend, weld and curve left visible, then counter it with a saddle-stitched leather seat shaped using traditional saddlery methods. “When we think of metal, it’s usually something rugged and industrial, but this piece is so refined and delicate,” Alex says. Part of the brand’s inaugural collection in 2013, the sofa endures for its architectural proportions and visible craft. oandd.com