Boat design, nautical engineering, water shapes, shore birds, shells, driftwood; the influence of being in and around boats and near water has been profound for PHLOEM Studio. My dad-PHLOEM collaborator, prototyper, and designer and boat builder in his free time-Ron Klebba has been a part of the restoration of the Harbor Beach Lighthouse in my hometown on Lake Huron in Michigan. On a summer visit, I became super interested in the porthole windows that literally dot the lighthouse and all the boats on the water. Portholes are a constant in nautical design and coastal architecture; originally designed to fit canon turrets, round windows are easier to seal against water, and more structurally sound than squares or rectangles. I began to ruminate on the use of circles and arcs in many forms and styles both in the natural and created world. In creating a repetitive pattern to form a circular void, the Porthole collection recalls Brutalist architecture, religious temples and bridge structures, playing with light and shadow. 

See the Porthole Collection here