The sculptural furniture and lighting designer TJ O’Keefe’s work explores structure, material, space, light, and visceral effect with the aim of challenging preconceptions and creating moments of introspection. He is a designer of the negative: rather than using material to craft something, he uses it to craft nothing, and believes that this nothing is as important as the something that defines it.
In the classroom, O’Keefe focuses on broad perspective, experience, formal acuity, material exploration, and empathy, providing students space to define their own design identities. O’Keefe has exhibited in Chicago, New York, London, Berlin, Paris, and Basel, among other cities. In 2010, he launched his personal practice, TJOKEEFE. His furniture has been featured in numerous publications, including Frame, Wallpaper, Details, Elle Decor, and The New York Times.
