LAUN Studio: Furniture for In and Out

The adventure of LAUN started in 2018 when friends Rachel Bullock and Molly Purnell—who both have woodworking backgrounds—decided to combine their skills to design beautiful and functional products.

By

Share

Combining Design, Glamour and Skilled Manufacturing, the Furniture Pieces Created by Los Angeles-based Firm LAUN Work for Both Inside and Out

One year later, LAUN Studio, led by Bullock and Meegan Beddoe, was launched dedicated to architecture and interiors. A sense of curiosity characterizes both branches of the business. When it comes to the furniture, it translates through the exploration of different finishes.

What makes these products original, however, is the fact they can be used both indoors and outdoors. Rachel Bullock and Molly Purnell were inspired by California—and more specifically Los Angeles—and its lifestyle, which entails enjoying the sunny and warm weather all year long. Taking this into consideration, the LAUN designers choose among a reduced selection of materials, which also fosters resourceful and creative thinking.

“We work with metal (primarily aluminum because it is weather-resistant), stone, and terrazzo as they are all usable both indoors and out,” say Rachel Bullock and Molly Purnell.

“Our pieces are fabricated in Los Angeles by independent producers. We have a huge network of manufacturers and we work to find those with the best quality.”

Drawing their inspiration from the city in which they are based and the California region—through its flora, fauna, light, and colors of the natural landscape—the founders want to create timeless heirloom-quality furniture. The eclecticism of Los Angeles in terms of architecture and design fascinates Rachel Bullock and Molly Purnell, nurturing their imagination endlessly.

“You can have an 1800s Queen Anne-style home next to a Tudor revival next to a postmodern white box,” they describe. “It makes for a feast for the eye.”

Among their creations are the Bobbin chair and bench made of a series of bolsters threaded between two aluminum rails that refer to the waves of the Pacific Ocean; the Ribbon chair, lounge chair, and stool with layered tubes stacked together, allowing for many different combinations of forms; the Chord daybed, which echoes the monumental architecture of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in a much smaller scale; the Muhly table, whose name comes from a native California grass present in the San Bernardino Mountains and the Huntington Library Botanical Gardens which Rachel Bullock and Molly Purnell visit frequently; the DeMille chair, lounge chair, and sofa, which are an ode to the LA’s Hollywood Regency era; the Confetti planter and table in terrazzo, which evoke the classic shapes of midcentury poolside furniture; and the Bacall chair, which was designed as a tribute to LA’s Victorian past.

Especially now (following the pandemic), having an alfresco space at home has become essential for many people, ensuring a bright future for LAUN. Case in point: The team will showcase a few objects inspired by the work of Octavia Butler during the 2021 edition of INTRO / LA at the end of October; additionally, several of the team’s larger projects will soon be completed.

“The majority of our upcoming architecture projects are on the east side of Los Angeles (Silverlake, Los Feliz, Pasadena),” Rachel Bullock and Molly Purnell say.

“They are primarily additions and remodels. We love working to enhance the distinct character of each home.”

LAUN Studio | launlosangeles.com
Rachel Bullock & Molly Purnell

Portraits: Ye Rin Mok, Images: SLH Studio and Little League Studio

RELATED TAGS

Richly Pigmented Spaces Show a Fresh Chromatic Confidence

With bold strokes and cool-to-hot hues, prismatic minds Olson Kundig, David Adjaye and Thiel Architecture + Design have produced distinctly vivacious designs in Seattle, Los Angeles and New York City, respectively, bringing a little more color to the urban cityscape.
  • September 18, 2024
  • Jenn Thornton

Jason Saft On How to Style for Luxury Rentals

When it comes to transforming a space in just a few hours, no one knows better than Jason Saft—founder of Staged to Sell Home—how to perform under pressure. He shares some of his design secrets with us to create the ‘wow’ effect.
  • March 20, 2024
  • Karine Monié

Studio Rick Joy’s Tubac House: Of the Heavens & Earth

Even by Studio Rick Joy's standards, Tubac House is of uncommon stature. Located south of Tucson, roughly 25 miles from the northern Mexico border, the project exploits and explores a relationship to worlds both immediate and distant.
  • September 4, 2024
  • Jenn Thornton

Vincent Van Duysen: Redefines Minimalist Design

Architect Vincent Van Duysen adds another honest intervention to his repertoire of understated designs with his tour to de force transformation of a 19th century convent into an urban hotel.
  • August 21, 2024
  • Jenn Thornton

Schenkar Luxury Homes: Cutting-edge Sustainability in Scenic Guatapé

Built by Schenkar Luxury Homes, this stunning house in Guatapé, Colombia, showcases innovative design harmonized with the natural landscape. Founder Alex Schenkar, with almost two decades of experience, created a sustainable, erosion-resistant home cantilevered over a 55-degree cliff.
  • May 29, 2024
  • Karine Monié

Clayton Korte: Going Underground

Wine, from its earliest days, required the storage of its age, with solutions both inelegant and sophisticated. The Egyptians had mud-bricked and limestone cellars, the Romans fumitories and catacombs, the Italian's damigiana.
  • May 15, 2024
  • Jenn Thornton
Sign Up for DIGS Newsletters