Music & Arts: Lessons

Music and art has always been fundamental to us. It's shaped what we make, who we've met along the way and, more often than not, what's playing in the studio. So it felt right to go and spend time with the people making the things we love, in the places they make them.

Music & Arts is a new series where we spend time with artists and makers in the places where their work actually happens: studios, workshops, kitchens, listening rooms.

To kick things off, we headed just down the road to Ouseburn to visit Jacob Goff and Joe Franc of Lessons, a design studio and object shop where clothing, objects and furniture meet.

Lessons rarely start from a blank sheet, more often from whatever's left over. Surplus bus seat fabric becomes pencil cases and caravan interior offcuts become bags, while reclaimed wood and recycled steel turn into candle holders, bottle openers and, more recently, a dining table for Spotify's listening room. It's a way of working we recognise: let the material lead, choose care over speed, and make things that are built to stick around.

We talked recent projects, finding new life in what other people throw away, and what's keeping the guys inspired in and out of the studio, all of which you can read below.

Hi Jacob and Joe, thanks so much for taking the time to be part of our new Music & Arts Series. To start us off, could you tell us a little about yourselves, who you are and what you do, for those who might not yet be familiar with Lessons?

Jacob: We’re Jacob Goff and Joe Franc and we co-run Lessons, which is a design studio and object shop based in Newcastle. The idea came about when we first met and were individually looking for a space to experiment with new ideas within our respective disciplines. We recognised that although we worked in different mediums (me through menswear and textiles and Joe through furniture and objects), our practices have some definite similarities, so it kind of just made sense to collaborate.

You come at design from two different disciplines, Jacob through garments and clothing, Joe through furniture and objects, and somehow that's become one shared practice rather than two separate ones. How did you find the overlap between what you each do, and at what point did it feel like it had become something you were building together?

Jacob: We had both recently completed projects in which we had explored ‘reuse’ or ‘repurposed’ design principles through explorations of surplus materials. We were interested in reinterpreting the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” through an experimental design research lens, highlighting the idea of urban locality as a designer’s material depot. We are not a design studio that strictly ‘upcycles’ materials, partly because that word comes with its own aesthetic baggage. We’re more interested in projects being led by compelling and challenging materials, whatever they may be.

You describe Lessons as a space for research, contemplation and experimentation as much as a studio or a shop. What does a day of "research through making" actually look like for the two of you, and how do you know when an experiment has become a finished piece?

Joe: Most of the time we will be making independently then bring what we have together at the end of day to discuss/ critique/ make changes. There are some things that don’t go beyond being an experiment, and others that we know immediately whether it's got legs. That's kinda why we are doing it, we are more interested in seeing what happens as opposed to it needing to be a fully resolved idea everytime. That's not to say what we sell in the shop is unfinished, we spend a lot of time making sure the things we sell work well.

Found materials run through everything you make, caravan interior offcuts becoming bags, reclaimed wood and recycled steel becoming objects for the home. There's something we relate to in that as a brand, letting the material lead rather than starting from a fixed idea of the end result. What draws you to working this way, starting from what already exists rather than a blank sheet?

Jacob: From a fashion point of view I think you really have to consider the fact that the creation and disposal of textiles are unbelievably damaging to the planet. I almost wince if I’m ever buying virgin fabrics just from the guilt that comes with knowing the facts. I work in fashion because I enjoy the craft of creating clothes and I think a good designer should be able to make something beautiful from almost anything.

You move fluidly between smaller objects like candle holders, bottle openers, bags, and larger pieces for brands, galleries and private commissions. Is there a recent project or small-run piece that's felt like it captured what Lessons is really about?

Joe: The pencil cases we make from the end of the roll bus seat fabric are one of our most popular pieces and they do a pretty good job of showing what we are about.

We were commissioned to make a dining table for Spotify’s listening room at the start of this year. It was fun to make a big piece of furniture and we would love to make more things like this.

What does a proper day off in Newcastle look like for the two of you? The kind where the workshop stays closed and the phone stays face down.

Jacob: I think it's hard to truly take a day off as a creative person. The only time I really feel switched off is when I’m out of the country, or zoning out making clothes. I guess hanging out with friends is the best way to unwind. Having a good night to look forward to is always good, I rarely miss Bend and Shake as their parties there never miss.

Joe: A proper day off for me would be getting away in the van, there are loads of lush spots further North, I recently went biking with some friends who live in Glasgow and there are some great trails out in the Trossachs.

A lot of what we make at Café Mountain is built around the small, everyday rituals, the morning coffee, the slow weekend, the long walk. Are there particular things outside of the studio that quietly form part of your daily rituals?

Jacob: The one thing I can say I reliably do everyday is taking the dog for a walk. I’m lucky enough to live super close to both Jesmond Dene and the Ouseburn. It's a really easy way to clear the mind.

Joe: I cycle most days and the sun rises especially at this time of year are worth getting up for. I’d be lying if I said I was getting in the sea daily but when that does happen it's pretty hard to beat.

And to close us off, what's currently keeping you inspired, in or outside the workshop?

Jacob: I’ve been finally getting through some of the books I should have read a long time ago. James Baldwin’s catalogue has been a particular highlight. I’ve also been playing Marla Kether’s newest EP, ‘Luso’ in the studio a lot recently.

Joe: Tools magazine, best design publication in my opinion, also, our friends at Design Everything, doing amazing stuff, always!