Welcome Alena + Morgan!

With two new interns starting today, it officially feels like fall here at Grain. Alena Adler is a recent Pratt graduate who just relocated to Seattle and Morgan Conley is starting his senior year at Cornish. To get to know each other better, below is an interview they conducted of one another this afternoon.

Alena's questions for Morgan:

AA: If you were stranded on a deserted island and allowed one Grain product in an attempt to survive, what would it be? Why?

MC: I’d take the Spool modular building kit so I can build myself a raft to escape on.

AA: What is the one thing that has most influenced you?

MC: Japanese animation has definitely influenced me a lot, but I’ve been getting into American comic books a lot more lately.

AA: What is your most prized possession?

MC: I’d have to say that it’s this little roughly carved monk statue that I got from a temple tucked away in the mountain’s of Japan. It reminds me of how calm and mystical the atmosphere felt.

AA: What do you hope to gain/leave behind at Grain?

MC: I’m hoping to gain new skills and basic structure of how a business works and leave behind ideas and better understanding of how to structure their work.

AA: So who are you? (in your words, and as described by another)

MC: I’m that dork who dresses funny, likes Japanese animation, and is stubborn about any project I set my mind to. For better or worse.

Morgan's questions for Alena:

MC: At what school did you study and what was your focus?

AA: I studied Urban Design at Pratt. I guess you could call the focus experimental. There is a lot of theory, and the anticipation of what life could be, or should be like.

MC: What was it about Grain that caught your attention and made you take their internship program? Any specific skills you wanted to learn?

AA: The products. I just get a good feeling about them. They have an element of being clean and relaxed at the same time. They are comfortable. I want to learn more about how things are put together---objects by themselves, but also in relation to something else. Is that a skill?

MC: What do you do in your free time when you’re not designing/being an architect?

AA: I really like spending time with my family and friends. Who doesn’t have a crazy family? It is always an adventure.

MC: What are some of the things that inspire your work?

AA: I try to have an open mind when it comes to inspiration. Pretty much anything can inspire if you have the eyes to see it in a new light.

MC: If you could transform into any mythical creature at any given moment what would you be and in what situation?

AA: Ok I might have to google this one; my knowledge of mythical creatures is not that extensive. Probably something that can time travel. I am probably trying to escape something, like Micheal J. Fox in Back to the Future---where he is in the JCPenney Parking lot trying to escape some terrorists.

Welcome Nina + Robyn!

We are super excited to have two new interns with us for the summer. Nina and Robyn (pictured above left to right) are both Seattle-area natives, friends and sophomores at the Rhode Island School of Design. They will be working on a number of projects while they are with us, but they can't seem to get enough of making, so we are keeping them busy with lots of Electric Love ring production as well as Bound mirror wrapping starting next week.

Here are short bios that Nina and Robyn put together for us with links to their work:

Nina Raizel: "I am a rising sophomore at RISD, majoring in jewelry. When not making jewelry, I love beading, knitting, sewing, working with wood and metal, doing taekwondo, and baking cupcakes. I enjoy interning for Grain because of their innovative designs and their dedication to using sustainable materials. You can see my work on Etsy here."

Robyn Luk: "Having discovered an interest in woodworking and furniture design over wintersession, I will be studying Furniture Design when I return to RISD in the fall. My curiosities include the workings of sustainable design and business in this field, hence my enthusiasm about interning at Grain. During my spare time, I enjoys wildlife photography, woodworking, baking, and reading. Feel free to check out some of my work here."

Here's to a fun summer on Bainbridge!

Looking for summer intern...

Our beloved intern Claire is leaving us in June after a year of amazing work. It is going to be difficult to fill her shoes, but we are on the hunt for a new intern (or two) to start in late June. Here is what we are looking for:

As our summer intern, you will have an opportunity to contribute to all aspects of our design consultancy and studio from research, to design process, to production assistance, to a variety of administrative projects. Knowledge of Adobe software and confidence in design drawing and model making is ideal.

This position would be a great fit for an Industrial Design or Furniture student, though we can tailor the position for a Graphic Design, Textiles or Architecture student as well.

Our focus this summer will be working on the growth of our in-house product and furniture line, which we show annually at the New York International Gift Fair and International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

Our home studio is on Bainbridge Island, a 35 min ferry commute from downtown Seattle. The position is unpaid, but we do cover ferry costs, lunch and coffee.

We are looking for someone who could start around June 27th and work through the summer. Full-time would be ideal, but we would be open to part-time as well. We could accommodate two interns.

To apply, please send portfolios and resumes to Chelsea chelsea [at] graindesign.com.

UPDATE 04/25/11: Huge thanks to everyone who applied. We are happy to report that the position has been filled. We will be looking for more interns in the fall so please continue to email info to Chelsea if interested in future postions.