Behind the Design:
Bend Goods
Let us count the ways in which we love Bend Goods: Inviting shapes. Punchy colors.
Function that works as well indoors as it does out. This collection of quirky metal furniture
and furnishings brings a Palm Springs vibe in all the right ways.
Written by Kelsey Kittle
Immersed in the artistic community of Los Angeles, Bend Goods came on the scene in 2010 with a background in industrial design and a penchant for personal expression. Designer and founder Gaurav Nanda took inspiration from summers spent with his family in Palm Springs, fostering an affinity for mid-century modern architecture and design, and a lifestyle of appreciation for design elements. After a stint building vehicle interior models for General Motors, the Michigan-born sculptor and designer struck out to make his mark on the mid-century movement in the modern day.
We had a chance to catch up with Nanda to find out more about what makes Bend Goods so special.
Please give us an overview of the Bend Goods philosophy.
Now with Bend entering its seventh year, the business model has grown, but the ideals are still the same. We look at how things are made and figure out how to make them better. The quality of our products is in the details: the inviting shapes, the sparks of color, the ease of assembly and even the packaging. Each element embodies Bend’s drive for making iconic and sustainable products.
You were originally inspired by Palm Springs’ mid-century modern design; what else inspires you?
There are many things that inspire me both personally and in the design process. I have been a huge fan of music for as long as I can remember. I love everything from indie rock to electronic dance music. It's always been interesting to me how the lyrics in a song’s chorus or even a bass line can really shape your perspective and draw emotions out of you. Stage shows today are really inspiring as well. The production value and graphic design that goes into most EDM shows coupled with the music can really drive creativity.
I'm also a big architecture fan and draw a lot of inspiration from buildings from all over the world. One of the greatest things about what we do is getting to work with designers on big scale commercial projects. It's awesome to get to watch projects come together and then have a piece of Bend incorporated into them. It's a very proud moment seeing hard work come to a conclusion in that way.
Can you take us through the design process?
My team and I spend a lot of time thinking about the holes and needs in the market and also needs in our own lives. As our line grows and rounds out, we try and fill in those gaps. Once we find a need or a product that we want to try and tackle, we spend some time brainstorming how we can up the design quality of the product but also keep the functionality. We then take the idea and bring it to life in one of a few different 3D programs that we use. Once we get an iteration that we are happy with, we will often times build a cardboard scale model. It's important to understand the scope and scale of products and how they will live in and fill up a space. Once we are happy with the pre-production we make a wire sample. Sometimes that sample can be perfect and others it can take multiple more before we get it right. Product design is a really great process and something that we have a lot of fun with!
Your products contribute to LEED certification—can you expand on your efforts toward sustainability?
We try and minimize our impact on the environment a lot. We use iron as the base material for our products because not only is it plentiful on the planet but it is also highly recyclable. Most of our products can also be shipped two per box so that we can minimize our carbon footprint as much as we can. We also design products to be as durable as they can be so that they will last for generations and not just end up in a landfill.
What is the impression you’d like people to have when they hear “Bend Goods”?
We want people to be inspired by our creativity. We work really hard to keep everything that we do as original, innovative and as playful as we can make it. We take our designs and quality seriously but we try not to take ourselves as seriously. It's important to me and my team that we are putting Bend out there as something to aspire to and a lifestyle that motivates you to be the best person and live the best life that you can.
The team at Bend Goods
What makes us different from other furniture brands is our focus. We live the brand that we are creating. We design for ourselves as much as we design for all of the design lovers and admirers out there. I think that makes our point of view authentic and unique. Bend and its story are not concepts that we come up with in a board room to sell furniture; Bend is a quality of life that we all strive for internally. We lead by example because we love what we do and what we make. I want to impact people’s lives in the most positive ways possible, even if that's as simple as putting a beautiful photo on Instagram that makes someone smile or inspires them to realize the perfect color chair they need for their dining room. We are here to help make your space and your life more beautiful.
