It’s been a busy few months for Willard Ford and Andrea Ching. The duo launched Ford + Ching, their joint-venture furniture and design company, in June at Dwell on Design. They debuted their LA showroom earlier in the summer and now they've set up shop up north with a new sales office and sample warehouse in Oakland.
While the Bay Area space will focus primarily on assisting the A&D community and business-to-business sales, it’s open by appointment if you aren’t able to make it down to the SoCal location to browse. The pair will soon be rolling out an interactive website featuring new designs and designers monthly. In the meantime, they debuted their new digs in style with a showroom-warming party last weekend.
Check out the slideshow for pics from the Ford + Ching collection, featuring work from Andrew Riiska, PAD Outdoor, Semigood Design, Skram and Samuel Moyer Furniture.
Comments
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I'm really impressed with what these guys have been able to pull together. Everyone in business needs something that makes them distinct from the masses, it can't be another "me too" business which in the end never works. I think this is an especially important point in the marketplace today. I really want to see furniture that is less flash & styling & much more substance & honesty because they become items that have long term usefulness & respect. The Eames are legendary & timeless which is why people want their work-we all know this, it'd be nice to see furniture that uses some of the dna they left behind and make American furniture that could possibly incorporate some of the traditional furniture practices of our American past. For example I've examined a bed DWR sells called a "Modern American Bed". It's made from solid hardwood, is functional, looks like it'll last a 100 years easily & can be passed down as an heirloom & seems to lift some design dna from George Nelson, and maybe a Shaker, Amish vibe?? I think both DWR and these guys are on to something. Like Jasper Morrison says, make it useful & serve a purpose, but don't make the mistake of making it too special. There's some ridiculous stuff out there. Good luck. Oakland needs folks like these, I can't wait to pay them a visit.
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Thank you for the kind words of encouragement. We're doing our best to bring new and useful design to the market. Please come down and check out the Oakland sample warehouse or if in LA our full-scale showroom.
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