Rhode Island School of Design

Furniture Design Department

White oak, vinyl siding, OBS, acrylic paint

30 x 30 x 30"

The 60 E Transit chair takes inspiration from the architectural elements found in New England-style houses common in Providence. Drawing from Malla's personal experience working for a historical renovation company in Baltimore, the design hints at the contrast between the meticulous attention to quality and detail in the interior juxtaposed with the swift construction of the exterior. This intentional blend of low and high craft aims to capture the essence and spirit of a house.

Handmade paper, muslin, cornstarch, lighting assembly

24 x 24 x 36”

This work looks at the inherent environmental benefits of paper-making craft to inform the means and methods of developing three dimensional objects. The fabrication is rooted in traditional paper-making materials and methods and has served as a point of departure to explore novel techniques for structure, mark making and surface treatment.

The Pulp Lamp is made of natural materials, will last as long as you’d like indoors and compost in less than one year at end of life.

Glazed terra-cotta

16 x 17 x 17"

The Baked Stool is an exploration of the intricate technique of coiling clay and maximalism-inspred glaze textures. Originally inspired by the layered composition of cakes, the stool evolves organically, each tier taking on the form as the coiling process unfolds, while the surface textures offer tactile and visual engagement with the stool. The making process draws a balance between intuition and control, fragility and stability informed by the physical and aesthetic properties of terra-cotta.

Black birch

15 x 15 x 18"

Stick Stool 60 is a take on Alvar Aalto’s iconic Stool 60, which has become the archetypal image of a mass-produced wooden stool. Stick Stool 60 is an attempt to dissolve our perceived distinction between the natural and built worlds, and it serves as a reminder that all wooden objects, no matter how processed and bent and alienated from their original form, come from something alive. It is made from black birch, both gleaned and purchased as offcuts from local arborists.

Denim, foam, plywood

26 x 30 x 31"

We give lateral surfaces meanings. Inspired by monolithic structures, Step-Stool XL represents an investigation of scale and surfaces. Scale, an abstract notion relating to its surroundings, is central. The piece embodies a monumental presence, retaining an air of simplicity. Transcending conventional scale of furniture, Step-Stool XL encourages engagement with its sculptural quality and exploration between its form and the environment. 

Red oak and vegetable-tanned leather

24 x 24 x 24"

Lounge Chair in oak with vegetable-tanned leather. Simple, contemporary geometry paired with classic materiality. Designed with the casual guitar player in mind.

Aircraft-grade aluminum, mild steel

16 x 18 x 30"

Inspired by a love for aircraft and their construction, Walsh designed the volume of the Crumple Chair using airframe construction techniques and visual rhythms. An element of chaos is introduced by folding the back, torquing the spars and formers upward to make a seating surface and rest. The undercarriage is tube steel and draws inspiration from RAF seats from the ’40s.

Birch bark, birch plywood, birch heartwood

18 x 18 x 35"

This chair displays a dichotomy of standardized and processed plywood with the natural skin of the tree. It is the same tree in three forms: the first is foraged, the second is harvested and milled, and the third is industrially processed. In undergoing these processes, the chair becomes an inverted natural. Reapplying the bark renders the usefulness of the plywood futile. It's in a way taxidermy, reanimating the corpse of the tree. 

Cheer, walnut, flat top coat

22 x 26 x 30"

Drawing inspiration from outdoor architectural structures, this chair design utilizes bent lamination to capture the organic curves and explore the intricate relationship between domesticity and the expansive outdoor environment. With a low seat that almost touches the ground, it evokes a relaxed and informal atmosphere reminiscent of outdoor gatherings, patio lounging or the tranquility of a sunroom. By seamlessly integrating outdoor design elements, the chair blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces, inviting individuals to utilize both the furniture and their surrounding spaces.

Birch plywood, birds-eye maple veneer, latex paint

20 x 22 x 18"

Exploring the friction between maker and material through the medium of bent lamination

Maple, indigo, steel

42 x 17 x 15"

Composed of an indigo-dyed cotton quilt and interconnected maple blocks united by patinated steel hardware, the bench from the Indigo as Language collection showcases the dynamic application of dye on designed surfaces. Each wooden block shares a unique dye pattern, which is infused into the fabric of the quilt. Delve deeper to witness the mesmerizing interplay of blue dye merging seamlessly with wood grains and fabric fibers, evoking a timeless river-like journey of texture and hue.

Aluminum, Rubber

19 x 22 x 36"

I Thought You Would Like It is a chair attempting to serve our being. It observes our impetus to filter and sanitize nature in our built environment and then regurgitates this impetus, with a white log back and sterile support structure making up the response. In the misalignment between the unprecedented natural abstractions that the chair provides us and the conventional ones we are accustomed to in our day to day, there exists a space to consider our lineage of anthropocentrism and view its trail of abstractions plainly, as surreal.