Fritz Muegenburg | Founder

FOUNDER

With a solid foundation in architectural and product design, Fritz Muegenburg has long held a passion for minimal design and clean lines.   It was from this passion that studio | 4480 emerged as an independent design studio driven by the interplay between proportion and materials.  Fritz is a native Californian and studio | 4480 is currently based in Oakland, California.

 

ETHOS

"Innovating on the shoulders of tradition."

Tradition exists for a reason and we respect it.  We adhere to lessons learned from generations of traditional craft and encorporate them into our designs.  We believe in testing the boundaries by pushing on them a bit to see if they break.  This ethos is exemplified in the minimal, traditional joinery on the BVL One table.  There is no fat left to trim from this table, yet the exposed end grain and visually delicate bridle joint give a nod to traditional woodworking.  It is minimal, honest and exposed.  Or, essential.

 

MAKERS & COLLABORATORS

We partner with an amazingly talented group of makers to realize our designs.  Although we love to tinker, make & prototype and believe that process brings more honesty to our designs, we realize there are people immensely more qualified than ourselves to execute our vision.  Below is a list of talented folks we are honored to call collaborators and friends.  We will expand this list as we launch new products.

Wood furniture:  Fap Vo  |  www.fvvwoodworks.com

Photography:  Tiago Russo  |  www.tiagorussophotos.com

 

PROCESS:

Our fascination with the way things are made is a driving force behind why and how we design.  The process of making is messy.  It requires a deep understanding of materials and their limits.  When done thoughtfully, with skill and care, a finished piece exudes something intangible, something more than the sum of its parts.  Something wonderful.