Who is Jamie Wolfond?

I'm a designer of things. It's hard to be specific because the studio is not very specific. We have a way of designing And we use it to make all kinds of stuff.

What does inspire you?

Lately I've been preoccupied with the sheets that they use to cover buildings while they're under construction. It's cool how the built environment, however industrial, reflects the priorities of the humans who made it. 

We know you have a workshop in your studio, how important is it for you to be able to experiment and prototype what you design first hand ?

Very important. We have to make mistakes to design good objects. We don't really have the opportunity to make mistakes when we imagine something in our heads, or "build" it on the computer, but boy is it easy to make a mistake in the wood shop! The Woven Shelf started in this way. I was taking a break from designing for clients and instead working on a bookshelf for my wife. It was meant to be a simple project, mostly about executing something nice for our house. When I started cutting the joinery (the slotted connections used to assemble the panels), I cut a one backward, making an object that could not be assembled. I realized that if we could figure out a trick to help put it together it would be inherently locked without any glue or permanent connections, exactly like a woven basket. So that's what we did. So, yes, it's important. If we can't learn something by acting on an idea, by physically making it, then it's probably not worth making. 

What is your biggest passion, beside design? 

I really like being a dad. I'm pretty reliant on exercise for my emotional well being and I like it well enough too. 

Why did you choose to work with Vero?

Vero is a really exciting project. It's nice to be involved in something with a fresh point of view. It's even nicer to work with a company that is quick and meticulous- there is so much technical skill in Vero's factory.