Greg Mitchell shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Greg, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
Honestly probably not; I have very strong opinions regarding design and how things should be made and am mostly immune to suggestions. Plus I tend to ditch work when the waves are good.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Greg Mitchell, I’ve been a woodworker for 25 years, however the road to furniture making has a been a long, circuitous one. During college and through my 20s I worked as a finish carpenter running moldings, hanging doors, installing built in shelvers, that sort of thing. My true passion, however, was architecture. Once the housing market crashed in 2008 and work dried up, I migrated west to attend SCI ARC in downtown Los Angeles. That is, until I truly began to reckon with just how much debt I’d be in upon graduating; then I decided I could just have my own studio making miniature architecture, in other words furniture.
So, I began building pieces out of a garage in Echo Park. After a couple of years building what I could with the skills I’d acquired in construction, I decided to go and work for a “real” furniture maker to broaden my design vocabulary. I went to work for Kresse NYC in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and found myself studio space at West and Noble streets-hence the name West of Noble. It was there, mostly in the dark, cold winter months that I developed my first full line of furniture designs.
The designs are guided by the woodworking skills that I’ve developed, and the pieces I’ve seen that are so compelling in their beauty that I have no choice but to produce my own take on them. Those influences being the designs of the Shaker tradition, George Nakashima, and Welsh stick chairs, among others.
Every piece is designed and built by hand in my studio in downtown Los Angeles with locally sourced timber, mostly black walnut. Production is small, but quality is high.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
My dad. He’s the hardest working person I know, but somehow managed to still be present with his four kids when I was growing up. It wasn’t until my 30s that I began to fully appreciate his work ethic and ability to sacrifice for his family. He’d work 10-12 hour days all week, but every weekend we were at the beach fishing, surfing, building memories.
He also ran his own business, which made an impression on me. I realized early on that I wanted to do whatever it takes to work for myself, on my own terms.
I suppose if there’s one value that he instilled in me regarding work, though, it’s “work hard, play hard.”
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has taught me how to appreciate what I’ve got; the people around me and the work that I have. It’s easy to slip into a frame of mind where you only see what you’re striving for and don’t have. It’s good to have dreams and goals, but I’ve come to realize that true happiness directly related to how grateful you are.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Creating independently. Be it music, art, furniture, food; whatever it is I place a premium on making things ourselves. I think especially in the US we could solve a lot of our culture wars by just spending less time reading the news on our phones, and more time growing food, making items for our homes, even making our own homes! Creating things from your heart and soul is the fountain from which all culture springs.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When do you feel most at peace?
When I’m in the ocean.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.westofnoble.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westofnoble?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WestofNobleFurniture
