I had a chance to talk with Ben Klebba, founder of Portland, Oregon's Phloem Studio, ahead of his first time showing at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York. ICFF, which starts Saturday and continues through Tuesday, is one of the major events in the furniture world and also a cornerstone of the NYCxDesign celebration.

How'd you get into making furniture?
My dad taught construction trades at an industrial arts center growing up. He built the houses I grew up in as well as furniture, cabinets, and then really got into building wooden sailboats. It was definitely around growing up. I moved to Chicago after college, apprenticed with a luthier building acoustic guitars for about 2 years, then worked for Seth Deysach of Lagomorph Design. There it really sunk in: how to build, how to design with intention, and how to run a small business. Phloem Studio has been around for about 3 or 4 years, but I've been a woodworker for about 8 years now.

Can you tell me a little about your aesthetic?
Reductionism vs minimalism. A piece of furniture should be simple, understated, but functional and beautiful. It should go with many styles and since we're building things that will outlast the original owner, they really should be timeless and contemporary. I feel that it's important to respect your influences, but be an designer/artist/craftsperson from now. Aren't we all realistically designing for the future? I predominately use wood, but love working with other collaborators using materials like leather, fabric, and metal.

It looks like you're part of a good community of builders and makers in Portland.
Portland is pretty amazing. There are some great people here doing great work. I like collaborating because most people do better work with outside influence - you really can't deny that. It is an essential part of the creative process. Just being able to be open to criticism and bounce ideas off of someone else helps your brain open up and think in different ways. But, collaboration is not always the answer. It can be just as nice to get further inside your own craft/art/design and really understand what the sound of your own voice is. That's just as important as collaboration. I like working with other people and alone - each practice seems to compliment the other.     

There's been a bigger focus on the handmade, sustainable, local, etc. in the past few years. How does your work reflect that?
I was raised to appreciate the time and care that goes into making something by hand. All of that is just now starting to come into the general public's peripheral vision. The recession had a lot to do with it - I think more people are thinking about where things come from and what it takes to make them. People are more educated and concerned with process now - they want to know how it was made, where it was made, and who made it. And they genuinely appreciate that story. That's great. I really hope it's not a trend, and I worry sometimes that we're starting to get into a phase of "faux authenticity" unfortunately. Hopefully the buying public will understand when they truly are supporting a small business. At Phloem, all of our furniture is made to order, and each piece will outlast it's original owner. That's true sustainability.

Was there something that made you take the leap to ICFF this year?
We design and build handcrafted heirloom quality furniture that focuses on traditional joinery and an honest use of materials. It's very important to me that we build furniture that looks like it was designed for now. I'm proud of what we do, and I want to share that with more people.

What are you looking forward to? What are you excited about? 
I am excited about a few new designs that will come to fruition over the next year. We keep moving, designing and building. I'm hoping I can finish my canoe this year. And I'm excited about going on vacation.