By Rachel Gallaher
Updated: Feb 1, 2021
Launching in early October, Pinch is a collaboration between Nest Studio’s Founder and Creative Director Jessica Davis and Brooklyn-based plaster artist Stephen Antonson.
Comprising six functional, cast-brass knobs, pulls, and handles in four finish options (matte white, blackened bronzed, polished nickel, and polished unlacquered brass), Pinch came about from Antonson’s desire to experiment with form. “There’s a lot of great hardware, but most of it is serious,” he says. “I decided to relax and make something that is playful but sophisticated. I started by cutting up shapes—thinking of Matisse and his scissors: He just cuts into the paper and finds the shape. I tried paper. I tried aluminum foil. I tried tin. I tried plaster gauze. I made a variety of organic shapes, molding the plaster to an intuitive form. After making dozens of iterations, I chose the few that felt the most ‘right.’” The Pinch collection is named for the final gesture Antonson makes with his hands when molding materials—the motion that gives each piece its organic, undulating form, transforming it into a miniature work of hand-sculpted art.