Super Design

By Christian Barker

A marvel of craftsmanship. Super-human skills, developed in the dark of night. Remarkable moments of good fortune and bravado. Regular guys doing extraordinary things… The tale of Amercan-made furniture brand HELLMAN-CHANG is a great ‘origin story’, as the comic books call it. Friends since boyhood, as recent grads making their way in New York City, buddies Dan Hellman and ERIC CHANG indulge their passion for classic handcrafted woodwork at night and on weekends in a corner of a Brooklyn co-op. They sell the odd coffee table to recoup their rent and expenses. “When you’re a young guy in New York,” Chang says, “you don’t have much room for furniture in your apartment, so selling some of the things we made was kind of a necessity.”

CHRISTIAN BARKER sits down with Eric to discuss furniture design and fashion, two worlds that motivate him and how his unique approach to design encompases the best of both resulting in objects of timeless beauty. Find out how his unique approach to style in all its forms shapes his vision in the FALL 2021 issue of SARTO. Available in our newsstand.