Coffee with Andrew Gooding and Brandi Dunkel

We headed down to Chicago's South side to visit Andy Gooding and Brandi Dunkel (and their dog Winston) of Vault Furniture at their 3000 square foot workshop.  This is where the couple does their magic creating contemporary functional furniture and accessories from salvaged material.

Andy and Brandi's process starts with going out and salvaging all of their own materials. This could be a day trip to find antenna towers, looking at websites like Craigslist to see what's getting thrown out, reclaiming 100 year old lumber from demolition sites or finding "diamonds in the rough" at salvage yards.

After bringing the rough materials back to their workshop, Andy and Brandi conceptualize the design and begin construction.  Focused on functionality, they like to keep their designs simple in order to accentuate and nurture the authentic beauty that comes with age and use.

Triple floating flower stand made from Pine 2 x 4 that Brandi and Andy salvaged from 100 year old demolition homes around Chicago, IL. Each stand tells the story of where it came from through surface details like nail holes and plaster lines.

Andy and Brandi love that each of their pieces reflects Chicago history in some way.

This bench is made out of a 5 foot long century old beam.

Vault Furniture is one of 40 artists in our new Emerging Market area on the show floor dedicated to up and coming artists, designers and makers.

Check out additional artists in our Emerging Market section.