The Orbit Ceiling Pendant uses intersecting metal forms and a central light source to create a balanced halo effect, giving the piece a precise sculptural read from every angle.
Andrew Joseph: What inspired you to become a designer?
Martin Espinosa: I knew I wanted to do something with art, but it never felt like a real option. I didn’t believe I could make a living at it, so I went to study business, entrepreneurship and management at Johnson and Wales, a culinary school in Rhode Island. Being around people who were so passionate about their craft, in the kitchens and at RISD nearby, changed something.
One summer back home in Ecuador, a friend told me about SCAD. That got me to apply, and I earned the scholarship I needed to go. I transferred in as an advertising major, the soft landing my dad could accept. A friend there said that if he weren’t studying architecture, he would be doing industrial design. I didn’t even know what that was, so he walked me through the industrial design building. I was obsessed. It was the thing I had always wanted, and I hadn’t known it existed as a career. I switched my major quietly that week. I spent the next years exploring leather goods, eyewear, footwear and furniture, and finished with a BFA in industrial design and a minor in furniture design.
The Contour Wall Sconce turns a heavily veined stone face into a focal point, with carved concentric ridges pushing warm light into a radial wash across the wall.
AJ: How do you stay creative and inspired?
ME: Morning walks with my dog and traveling as much as I can.
AJ: Most challenging project and how you overcame it?
ME: My debut. Getting the first 12 pieces from prototype to production across brass, stone and wood, all speaking the same language in a year and a half. The hardest part was getting a finish to read the same, no matter which workshop made it. The fix was patience, persistence, and a lot of back and forth until the standard held.
AJ: Style or design icon, and why?
ME: Gabriel Hendifar. Both an icon and the person I learned the most from in my professional career. Working under him is where I learned to trust the process and let the work take the time it takes.
The Nina Incense Burner treats a functional object like a small sculpture, pairing a honed stone vessel with a polished basin and brass incense holder.
AJ: Dream project or dream client right now?
ME: Bad Bunny, or any recording studio. A room built around sound would be a great place to put light.
AJ: If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
ME: A dropout entrepreneur, probably. I like starting businesses, making something out of almost anything.
AJ: Favorite cocktail?
ME: Negroni or an ice-cold Hazy IPA.
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