Designer to Know: O/D\O Lab

Years before joining forces, architect Paul Lee and furniture maker Anthony Abbate often found themselves working on the same projects, at opposite ends of the process. For both, the chasm between the two fields was an unnecessary hurdle. 

"We realized the whole design from conceptualization to execution could better serve the designers and fabricators if there was much tighter integration between the two," Lee says. In 2019 the duo started O/D\O Lab with the goal of closing that gap.

Together, Lee and Abbate build humble, timeless furniture that makes the most of available materials. "We had a desire to create a design language out of real world limitations," Lee says. Working primarily with species of wood readily accessible in the Northeast like white oak, walnut, and ash, the designers craft elegantly sturdy chairs, stools, and tables that look like modern heirlooms.