“Tablescape No. 1.” • Hard rock maple, stainless steel • 58 x 90 x 32 inches. Now showing at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft – Texascraft 2018 • Winner of one of three Juror Merit Awards.
Meet Artist and Industrial Designer Brooke M Davis
We’ve been following Brooke M Davis’ work since 2012 after she purchased her full size ShopBot. Brooke has continued to design and fabricate beautiful, organic, functional furniture that can easily be categorized as art. In fact, Brooke’s work can be found at the CraftTexas 2018 show at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, September 29, 2018 — January 6, 2019.
“Pilo Side Table” • Wood Side Tables 2019 • Walnut, Swarovski Crystal, Steel
Brooke’s newest work includes the plush tufted walnut side table (above) that is both elegant and inviting. Not only will it be displayed in the Texas Furniture Makers Fair at Kerr Arts Cultural Center in November, she will be showing it in Milan at the Salone Del Mobile in April 2019.
Keep an eye on her website: brookemdavisdesign.com for more exciting work to come.
MakeShift, her design consulting service and production facility, continues to thrive and regularly sees a wide variety of work through the shop that keeps things interesting. Brooke and her team handle prototyping work, product development classes, design consultation, and more to the Austin, TX area—and beyond. This is a unique space where real product ideas come to life.
We are looking forward to seeing what’s next for Brooke.
Take a look back at the story about Brooke from 2012 below.
Originally written & published by: Michael Berliner
Websites: Brooke’s original furniture & objects: brookemdavisdesign.com, Design consulting services & production facilities: makeshiftatx.com
ShopBot Tool: PRSstandard 96 X 48
Brooke M Davis Design blurs the line between artisan and designer by combining artistic expression with design precision to produce luxury craftsmanship. The process involves coupling mass production techniques like computer aided design with hands on master craftsmanship to create new and exciting results. With individuality in mind, this process allows for ease of customization at the client’s request.
Brooke’s process of discovery and creation for Tablescape No. 1 is much like it is for all her original works. “It’s a fluid process, and it always involves my ShopBot CNC,” notes Brooke. “I always have in mind that CNC is going to be integrated into my process. I’ll often start by making a 2D pencil sketch, then build on the idea by doing quick modeling in wet clay, to see where this takes me. I’ll photograph the models, and bring them into computer and use CAD to hone and clean up the lines … It’s a fluid process. I’ll then go back to clay to continue to play with the work. Sometimes I’ll draw on top of the photographs and bring that into the computer to further develop the design.”
Brooke’s collections range from high-end one-of-a-kind pieces to limited run productions. With quality craftsmanship and attention to detail, every piece is made to order with quality in mind. She works with individual clients, interior designers, and architects to offer a variety of services to meet innovative project needs. Specialties include limited run CNC production, industrial design, furniture design, and custom architectural installations.
“I’d worked with ShopBots throughout my education and teaching positions, so I was very familiar with their tools and capabilities. CNC technology became ingrained into my creative processes from the start, and I always integrate it into my design and production process. I finally bought my own ShopBot in May of 2011 and it’s been everything I knew it would be.
One of the things I really like about ShopBot is the community that surrounds it. The people at ShopBot are great — very helpful if I ever have a question. And there’s a very supportive and active group of users on the forum, so you feel like you’re part of a larger group that’s very much into CNC and helping one another succeed.”
Brooke also founded the community hacker space, make+SHift in 2011. ” It’s the only Design on Demand Shop for product developers in Texas!” says Brooke. “We provide you with the necessary design resources to make your ideas a reality. We offer design consulting services, CNC prototyping, and classes to advance professional development, plus comfortable work-space all in one place.”
Brooke notes, “One of the things that’s been wonderful about opening make+SHift is that I learn something new all the time from my customers. They bring new projects and challenges to the table, and my team gets to think of new ways of solving problems. It energizes my own design thinking as well.”
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