Thomas Hayes Studio offers striking modern furniture that is unique in its fidelity to the best elements of mid-century design. Pieces are conceived in the distinctive vision of Thomas Hayes and are the expert, elegant synthesis of the Californian Craftsman revolution and Brazilian design from that period. For the most part, designs are inspired by the exotic woods and joie-de-vivre culture of the modern era (and of today) in Brazil.
Hayes first fell for Modernism in the 90’s, when he drove past a pair of Eames lounge chairs sitting on a porch in the Bay area. Drawn immediately to the clean lines and sleek simplicity, Hayes set out to remake Modern marketable, to a growing minority. For over a decade now, he has been hand-picking vintage furniture and picking up the Portuguese language while curating what has become the extensive inventory populating his 6,500 sq ft gallery space and the warehouse next door on Santa Monica Blvd., in the heart of Hollywood. Businesses and homes the world over, each a beloved client and friend, now house these restored treasures that have made the journey from Brazil on ocean liners, planes, and trains, to be reborn in California.
When vintage pieces were beyond faithful restoration, or when he or a client saw an improvement that could be made to a vintage piece with fresh new design elements, Hayes’s personal creativity was put to use. Before long, it became apparent that Hayes’s talent as a designer was no less than his eye for collecting and his hand at refurbishment. Beginning in 2005, constructions entirely of his own devising, highly informed by his experience and familiarity with Modern masters, developed at the vintage gallery alongside work-as-normal.
According to Hayes:
"Furniture is just sexy. Through a great appreciation of the California design craft furniture movement and the work of such greats as JB Blunk, Art Espenet, and Sam Malouf that started when I was just a kid, I developed an early sensitivity to and love of beautiful woods and highly figural, naturally occurring grains. This led me to start exploring and then restoring vintage Brazilian design, which existed in a parallel universe but shared origins with the Modernist movement occurring simultaneously in the US. It is also the sexy, curvaceous Mid-Century Italian influence that pervades my most beloved vintage examples of American and Brazilian design, and these have largely influenced my own aesthetic, too."
Thus was born a new endeavor: Thomas Hayes STUDIO, and the formal launch of Hayes's signature Spring 2013 Collection on April 18. The pieces included in this collection represent a tightly curated group of designs from the last several years, while also hinting at the work that should be expected of the designer in years to come. Each design is produced meticulously and with only the highest-quality materials, and most pieces are available for custom order in various sizes and materials. Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions and other custom requests.
