Functional Art
![A finely crafted chair is held on two legs.](https://cdn.rit.edu/spotlight/2020-06/main.jpg)
A sample of the capstone work of Nathan DeFreest ’20 (Furniture Design).
“It has been my desire to create art that is functional, which is why I chose furniture as a medium,” DeFreest said. “Substance furniture was the idea that all things in the universe have meaning, value, some form of being, that is its substance. I wanted to develop work that has meaning in people’s lives, that can be used every day and that would potentially increase a user’s experience. Many times this experience is achieved by taking something regular that others or I find discomfort or problematic and solving that problem. It is a main driver for a lot of my work, though not all. The other aspect of my work is playfulness and experimentation, which is derived from my always curious mind."
![A hanging table that serves as functional art.](https://cdn.rit.edu/images/inline-images/NathanDeFreest02.jpg)
![An irregularly-shaped shelf.](https://cdn.rit.edu/images/inline-images/NathanDeFreest03.jpg)
![A detailed photo of an irregularly-shaped shelf.](https://cdn.rit.edu/images/inline-images/NathanDeFreest04.jpg)