Tina Frey

TF Design is a creative product design studio and workshop based in San Francisco, California. Our timeless, functional objects are produced by hand from beginning to end and designed to bring joyful serenity to people and their spaces.

Since I was a child, my most fluent language was a visual one: colors, shapes, the details no one else notices. But because creating was so fun and came so easily to me, it never occurred to me that it could be my livelihood.

My career started out in finance. I worked with massive global corporations—from Ernst & Young to LVMH to The Gap—and then later found more satisfaction helping smaller companies succeed. But though I appreciated the financial stability my work offered, there was something tugging at my soul and calling me to make a change.

After 13 years, I got my chance to listen to that call. After an exit from a startup, I decided to use the break to think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. While art had always been there, waiting patiently in the background, it was initially hard for me to see. And I’ll be forever grateful to those around me for giving me the courage and support to follow my dreams, and back “home” to the world of creating.

I’ve now been a working artist for longer than I was in finance. And I have to pinch myself sometimes thinking about what I’ve been able to create with my company. Beautiful objects. Soulful relationships. In everything we do, we humbly strive to be a source of light and a vessel of joy, doing our small part to make the world a bit more delightful.

Inspiration

I’m passionate about travel, and my journeys to points near and far inform everything I create. Bright pink saris as they catch the wind while drying on the line in India. The rich, warm wood of a Japanese tea house. The quiet minimalism of a small Swedish kitchen. I also love the soft curves found in nature, whether it is a tree branch bent from the wind or rocks that have been carved by the elements.

Process

Though I design and sculpt every piece, our objects are definitely a joyful collaborative effort. After our master mold maker creates the molds for each design, we then cast the objects, usually in resin, in small batches by color. After that comes the hand sanding, which uncovers each item’s unique essential nature. You’ll find no heavy machinery in our workshop. It’s an entirely human, hands-on process that results in pieces with an organic wabi-sabi quality, one that just can’t be achieved by mass production.