Meet the Maker: Horsemen Co.
Meet Ben & Faith, the founders of Horsemen Co.
Horsemen Co. combines art and function to create one-of-a-kind, wooden home decor that marries sustainability and whimsy. Each piece is handmade in Bastrop County, Texas.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PRACTICING YOUR CRAFT?
Ben started dabbling in woodwork in 2014 after retiring from being a touring drummer and buying our first home in Austin, TX.
WHAT DREW YOU TO YOUR MEDIUM ORIGINALLY?
Both of us love making something from nothing. We live in a small, old farm house (since moving out of Austin, to our property in Bastrop County, Texas) and so form and function is very important. Faith inherited a deep love for plants via her grandmother and has always had a jungle full at home. Ben started playing with wood bending and so the birth of our whimsical plant / home decor designs quickly came to life. With the visions of minimal, sustainable and functional designs birthed our series of wave planters and our popular teardrop planters.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU MOST & HOW IS THAT REFLECTED IN YOUR WORK?
Each of us is highly influenced by nature and each other. We are inspired by simple lines in design; those are always classic and never go out of style. Our goal is to create items that harbor joy; something you enjoy looking at and love having in your home. And, in the forefront of every item we design and make, sustainability and waste is paramount. In woodworking, there is potential for a lot of waste. Our goal is little-to-zero waste and so find great inspiration in the planning of board use. (For example, our sail hangers were created by using leftover ends from our teardrop hangers!)
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ITEM TO MAKE? WHY IS IT YOUR FAVORITE?
Our teardrop series (available in the Folia brick and mortar shop) is our favorite! It is such a focused, delicate process in creating a balanced form, so it is almost an active meditation since the form is only functional when it is balanced (our life motto). And it always makes us smile for every one that we finish and package!
WHAT DO YOU WISH CUSTOMERS UNDERSTOOD BETTER ABOUT HANDMADE ITEMS?
There are no shortcuts! Everything from shop to box (and everything in between) is handled by our own hands. From designing, to making, to finishing, to photographing, to labeling, to packaging, all care is made and done by Ben's hands and Faith's hands, allowing us to offer a real intimacy to our products.
