Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren Hackett. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lauren, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

My parents have always believed in me and encouraged me to pursue what fulfills me. Due to financial and social barriers, neither of my parents were able to pursue the career they truly desired, so it was important to them that my sister and I could. Growing up, I was super interested in interior decorating. My mom and I would design rooms in the house together and have fun setting the table for dinner in lots of creative ways. Over time my interest evolved into architecture, which is what I ended up pursuing. While working as an architect, I began designing and building furniture on my own and realized it is my true passion. If it wasn’t for my parents nurturing my childhood creative interest, I never would have found my calling. It’s special to me that they encouraged me in this way, having no knowledge of or connection to the industry, but they knew it brought me joy. Even today they remain my biggest moral support for my creative work.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I came into furniture design and making by way of architecture, starting with getting my degree at Syracuse University in 2009. In my first semester I learned about the long tradition of architects designing furniture, and I was instantly enamored with the idea. I started teaching myself very rudimentary woodworking skills using my parents’ tools during summer breaks. After college I knew I wanted to work somewhere multi-disciplinary rather than a traditional architecture firm. I landed at a small studio in Portland, OR, called Rhiza A+D. They do architecture, public art and furniture making, giving me the chance to learn design and fabrication in a hands-on way. I learned how to weld, how to collaborate with manufacturers, and further developed my woodworking skills by using the shop after hours.

After about six years of experimentation, I started my first business, Bosque Design, in 2016, still on the side of architecture jobs. My first design for Bosque was the Cusp Coffee Table, which remains the anchor point of my design aesthetic today. In 2022 I rebranded and launched a full collection of furniture under my current business, CAVU. People often say that my designs are like nothing they’ve seen before, but somehow still feel familiar. That observation feels very right to me. I now borrow the phrase ‘Strangely Familiar’ from the architect Marlon Blackwell to describe my design aesthetic. I spent 14 years working in the architecture and interior design profession before pivoting to CAVU, so my intimate knowledge of what designers need sets me apart in this industry. My current collection, consisting of a coffee table, lounge chair and side table was designed with contemporary architects and designers in mind. Oftentimes, architectural furniture can feel cold and uninviting. My designs break that mold with a contemporary aesthetic that feels warm and welcoming.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

While working at Rhiza A+D, I spent the first two years collaborating on a large public art commission consisting of thirteen large-scale sculptures at the Oregon State Hospital. Through that and subsequent projects, I learned to work with larger manufacturers to fabricate parts that were too complex for our own shop. That’s the manufacturing model I still use today for my own furniture designs. Certain products like my stools and accessories I produce entirely in house, while more sophisticated designs like the Eileen Chair and Cusp Coffee table, I rely on larger manufacturers to produce certain parts. Many of the shops I collaborate with today are the same ones I worked with years ago while doing public art at Rhiza.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Currently I am a solo-entrepreneur, but I hope to have a team of people at CAVU one day. The book that has most influenced my thinking on running a business is the E Myth Revisited but Michael E. Gerber. My biggest frustration as a former employee at various small businesses was the lack of systems. Many small businesses think they don’t need systems because of their size, but this leads to unnecessary stress and a chaotic work environment. Even though I currently work on my own , I am constantly developing and improving systems so that my future team members will have clarity on their role and expectations. Having a clear vision and well defined systems are essential to an equitable workplace, in my opinion.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cavu-home.com
• Instagram: @cavu.collections
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cavu-home/

Image Credits
Ellie Baygulov, Lauren Hackett