January 3, 2019 | People
“I learned what I know about furniture making from a young age, tinkering around with tools and scrap material in my parent’s garage. Everything else evolved from there,” says Mikey Kendrick, a native Houstonian and former oil-and-gas man, who forayed into furniture making in 2016 and has never looked back. Here, the maker tells us about his sustainable, minimalist-chic furniture line, Year of None.
Why the jump to a creative profession?
I’ve always been a predominantly right-brained individual, so I knew I wanted to do creative work, something that was socially and environmentally regenerative. Furniture making just so happened to be an enjoyable skills-based module that I already had in my repertoire. So, I ran with it.
Your work has a Brooklyn-minimalist vibe.
The similarity in aesthetic, I think, is representative of a collective design industry effort to return to our postwar modern functionalist roots.
Is all your work done locally?
Absolutely. I design, prototype, build, sell, promote and so on all Year of None work out of my East End studio. I fully intend to keep it that way as long as possible.
What’s next for Year of None?
I’m focusing my efforts on expanding the furniture line, streamlining my small-batch manufacturing processes and developing new marketing strategies. The main short-term goal is to continue to meet other like-minded Houstonians who want to see the city reach its full potential.
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