Rick Lee

From a gnarled oak tree to a sleek pocket knife, San Francisco based designer Rick Lee finds inspiration for his work in everyday objects and experiences. An innovator at the vanguard of modern design, Lee combines rational thinking with radical influences to create minimalist pieces with deft whimsical touches.
Rick was born in South Korea and came to the U.S. as a teenager. Upon obtaining a degree in industrial design, Lee jumpstarted his career in Chicago with no- table furniture manufacturers and design firms. Relocating to Milan, he then honed his distinctive artistic style seen in his work today. Incorporating minimal principles of Bauhaus with experience he gained collaborating at the irreverent Studio Alchimia. Lee nurtured a unique aesthetic that is both vibrant and charis- matic.
Lee has explored many areas of design in his 30 years of experience, from furniture and lighting to interior and design exhibitions. Today Lee collaborates with major furniture manufacturers and independent clients including: Thayer Coggin, American Leather and Le Meridien to name a few. His work has appeared in mu- seums, movie sets and in celebrity homes like Bruce Willis, MTV and Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art. Lee’s designs also been widely exhibited interna- tionally and reviewed in publications such as the New York Times, Interni and Dwell.
Lee’s theoretical approach to design hinges on the tactics of an actor. Working with a wide range of materials and resources, he prefers not to work with any one particular material on a consistent basis. Lee considers “California cuisine” an apt metaphor for his work—a mix of seemingly incongruent ingredients carefully combined to create something new and fresh.