Photos courtesy Freeze Design Build
While recently reorganizing my home office, I ventured online in search of a new desk, which led me to a real beauty. Designed by Kiley Friese and Sam Busko at Freeze Design Build, Minneapolis, it was a custom piece ordered by a residential client. Solid wood with gentle curves, a raw edge, and drawers for storage, I marveled at the craft involved and the lovely wood grain. “We get a lot of our customers via word of mouth,” says Busko. “We’re open to being experimental, and taking on different types of projects.”
The duo started their custom furniture company in 2018 after graduating from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. “The company is really driven by our experiences in school, where we learned the design aspects of furniture and the building,” says Friese. “We both love combining the two processes, from design to complete build.” Busko adds, “It’s fun to see a project through, from design to finish. We enjoy the challenges and the problem-solving, how to make a project look great on paper then making it physically beautiful.”
Their skill sets also include metalworking, exploring the potentials of different composites, and playing with materials and designs. In addition to custom one-offs, the duo has an online shop with a selection of items, including an entry shelf, a bench with shoe storage, shelves, and plant stands. “We’ve been selling a lot of plant stands,” they say, which, like many of their products, are made from scrap wood. “The entryway pieces are made of wood left over from other projects and colored cork samples,” explains Friese.
The bench with shoe storage “combines the graphic elements of line and pattern in a modern piece,” adds Busko. “Having a line of products is fun because it’s a way to be creative and discover what people like, while also branding our aesthetic.”
Customers find Freeze Design Build, the duo says, “when they can’t find anyone else to work on a specific project for them. We’re fun people and our stuff is fun.”