Yield balances minimal and earthen materials in homeware collection
Florida design studio Yield has launched a broad set of furniture and household goods, many of which are made in the US.
Based in St Augustine, Yield founders Andrew Deming and Rachel Gant aim to produce their products locally wherever possible.
The duo's latest range includes the Duotone tables, made from precision-machined solid brass. The tables have two tiers of shelves and come in rectangle, square and round shapes.
All of Yield's tables are manufactured in Saint Augustine, including a variety of coffee and side models. These pieces have brass or wood frames, alongside glass and leather components.
Another table design, Aurora, is made from recycled materials that form a cross-like, intersecting curved base.
The piece is then topped with an oval of clear, smoked or bronze glass, custom-machined in the United States.
"When we have a new product idea, we typically start by inquiring if we can produce it locally," said Deming. "If not, we have no problem producing overseas, when we can vet our partners appropriately."
The items fabricated abroad are done so as to achieve specific design details that are not as easily attainable in the US.
For example, Yield's double-walled, heat-resistant glass cup is produced in China, as the borosilicate glass is not as common domestically, according to Deming.
A pour-over coffee maker also uses this strong material, as does a glass French press with a copper pull stem.
The French press also comes in ceramic, and is produced in a fair-trade factory in Vietnam. "This is our ideal kind of production partner, and was the only factory that was able to produce our French presses with the reliable precision needed," said Deming.
Aside from furniture and glassware, the collection includes wood totems, planters and stand, candles and cardholders.
The planters are made from a single piece of hand-spun metal, either aluminium or copper, which is polished to finish. Pale grey, peach and black colours are powder-coated aluminium.
Available in two sizes, the planters also have a reservoir at the base to keep standing water separate from the soil and prevent root rot.
Deming and Gant first started Yield in San Francisco in 2012, when they decided to make their own designs instead of pursuing consulting work.
"Rachel and I started the business just a few months after we finished school at California College of the Arts," said Deming. "I was in a design-oriented MBA program and Rachel got a degree in Industrial Design after a three-year stint studying architecture. At the time, I was working as a strategist at Fuseproject and she was freelancing."
First making bags and other soft products, the couple has since turned to furniture and glassware to form a substantial collection of new product designs.