Eric Trine

Eric Trine believes that furniture should be forgettable, though not in the way one might assume. “You’re not supposed to be paying attention to it,” he says. “It shouldn’t be shouting, ‘Hey, I’m here!’ when you should be focused on your dinner, or your cup of coffee, or your book instead.”

Trine, a furniture and product designer known for his energetic take on a style he calls California modern, launched his Long Beach studio in 2013. Since then,he’s turned out a color-splashed line of steel tables, woven leather chairs, wall-mounted planters, and more, producing everything within a close-knit 30 miles. Despite a commitment to high quality, Trine’s creations remain low-cost (only the leather chairs exceed $1,000). What’s more, they’re playful, but never pointless, even the phallic curiosity dubbed “Wall Willy” functions as a bathroom hook. Above all, each piece is made to be used, and used with joyful abandon, before it’s promptly forgotten, of course.

“A family came by to see my work once and the two kids immediately hopped in the chairs,” Trine recalls. “The parents told them, ‘No, no, no!’ And I said, ‘It’s okay. They can sit in the chairs. That’s what they’re for.’ If a kid looks at a piece and immediately knows how to use it, you know you’re doing something right.”