Avoirdupois' Debut Furniture Collection Nº1/ Tripartite

Nº105 Couch.

Nº123 Stool.

Nº183 Grand Vitrine.

Nº177 Grand Cupboard.

Nº153 Surface Lamp.

Nº159 Wall Lamp.

Based out of a workshop in New York’s Soho, James Stumpf is the designer slash engineer behind the new brand Avoirdupois. He utilizes a deep understanding of material properties and a deeper desire to create original pieces unbound by mechanical or technical limitations. Singularly designed, engineered, hand-built and finished in Stumpf’s 37sqm SoHo workshop over a two-year period, his debut furniture collection Nº1/ Tripartite represents the visual division of three.

Every object in the 22-piece collection shares commonality with a single triplicating motif appearing in both discernible and ambiguous ways. Aluminium and silver tones were prominently featured over brass and gold. Stumpf explored a multitude of materials including veneers, lacquers, hardwoods, metals, plastics, bentwood, plywood, porcelain, upholstery and natural caning. The triplicating motif forms the basis of each, keeping objects unique but also unified within the range. All pieces are numbered to represent their inclusion in Collection Nº1, though rather than being sequential, each number is divisible by three.

Standouts pieces include the Nº105 Couch, featuring a natural cane back and face that allow air to pass through the seat and arms. A steam-bent ebonized ash trim wraps the front and back profile, with silk velvet upholstery and triplicating motif legs. The Nº183 Grand Vitrine is a velvet-lined lacquered display cabinet with trifocal viewing lenses mounted within each of the four centre-hinged domus doors. Constructed from a solid brass frame, the Nº153 Surface Lamp features porcelain slip cast lenses and a grand pull chain. The collection has an aura of old-world glamour, whilst also feeling innovative and unique.

Nº135 Supper Chair.

Nº141 Vestibule Bench.

Nº117 Lounge Seat.

Nº129 Profession Chair.

Nº189 Side Table.

As a former engineer, Stumpf’s path to design began by fixating on key furniture pieces in history, such as Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich’s Barcelona Chair, and researching what it was that gave them such longevity. With Avoirdupois, he seeks to build pieces with timeless benchmarks that will transcend time and maintain weight over years to come. Stumpf is self-proclaimed obsessed with historical references, and Avoirdupois is named for a historical system of weights and measures from the 16th and 17th century. Kings and Queens assigned inspectors to use this system for checking the weight and measures of various goods.

“In French, they can describe this word as ‘objects of weight’ or ‘having weight’,” says Stumpf. “The name is a metaphor for building pieces of weight that hopefully have historic weight in time as well– having weight in society, visually, and in the design world.”