Wise Up to the Whimsical World of Designer Judson Beaumont
Updated: Feb. 10, 2023Welcome to whimsical world of designer Judson Beaumont. His creations harken back to childhood and continue to show the power of imagination. Check out some of his coolest creations through the years.
Vern
Artist Judson Beaumont started Straight Line Designs Inc. back in 1985 after completed art school at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. He was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and studied art in Vancouver, where he makes his home. Beaumont wanted to make art that was functional as well.
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Photo: Courtesy of Straight Line Designs
Melting
The name Straight Line Designs is a play on what Beaumont started doing when he began making furniture. As he grew tired of straight line furniture he saw the film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” which set him down a path of exploring his imagination to create function furniture that had cartoonish qualities. The images of “Toontown” stood out to Beaumont, who said he must have gone to see the 1988 film 10-15 times.
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Boom
Beaumont started to get his name out by placing his furniture in shop windows. The furniture grabbed people’s attention and Beaumont acclimated to the attention, despite being too shy to even put his name on his studio.
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Lil Walter
Beaumont drew inspiration for his work from Wendell Castle, one of the furniture designers who broke barriers by becoming the father of the American studio furniture movement. Phillippe Starck is another designer who Beaumont enjoys and has drawn inspiration from him. Beaumont also cites architecture and Frank Gehry as influences.
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Oops
Beaumont’s creations are different because that what his imagination creates but there’s another reason. He didn’t want competition. By making unique pieces it meant no one else could compete with him. It took time to master the function part of the design work.
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Chester
Much of Beaumont’s work tends to appear for children but really, it’s for any age. Beaumont relies on a chop saw, hand routers, table saws and belt sanders to produce his furniture pieces. He recently started using a CNC machine to produce pieces quicker but he said he doesn’t plan to buy one. He says he tends to buy tools as he needs them.
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Photo: Courtesy of Straight Line Designs
Jack in the Box
Beaumont often gets calls for commissioned pieces and his work has included installations for airports, hospitals and libraries.
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Black Dress
In Beaumont’s early work he began to deconstruct geometric shapes to reveal the inside or the layers of a shape. It formed the basis of his later work, like the hallow chair and the Beaver cabinet to reveal different looks at common objects.
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Cindy
A slight deviation from a straight line makes Beaumont’s furniture graceful and more interesting to view.
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Wooden Rock
With some pieces Beaumont has asked himself what would a piece look like if it melted or if a cannonball got shot through it. Either one is a bit of a cartoonish scenario but the sight of them created with a piece of furniture is something to behold.
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Photo: Courtesy of Straight Line Designs