THE HOURGLASS

Stephen Schermeyer had been collecting mid-century wrought iron tables for a while when, in the early 1980s, he decided to design one himself. He showed the table to the proprietors of Ad Hoc, a popular dealer of industrial-style homewares in SoHo, to see if they might like to carry the table in their store. Despite the unpopularity of wrought iron at that time, Schermeyer, undeterred, designed a second piece–a small tea table made of steel–and convinced one of the store’s owners to display it near the door. Not long after, one of Ad Hoc’s most important customers came in and ordered six of Schermeyer’s tables.

So began 15 years as one of Ad Hoc’s largest vendors—and the start of a dominant trend in furniture design. Instead of using wrought iron alone, as was the tradition, Schermeyer used steel, often in its raw condition, unembellished, and in a spare, industrial style. Schermeyer designed steel furniture of all shapes and sizes, including custom pieces for Calvin Klein Industries. “I was very fortunate,” Schermeyer says of the success he found with Ad Hoc. “The first store I walked into launched my career. I rode that magic carpet straight through.” Schermeyer also had the extraordinary honor of collaborating with the minimalist artist Sol LeWitt. Together they made a series of coffee tables and other pieces using the artist’s vast treasure of classic motifs, such as “Lines in Four Directions.”

For Whisper Editions, Schermeyer has designed a minimalist steel bench for two. The handmade piece exemplifies Schermeyer’s signature aesthetic: simple planes of heavy steel, welded together. “Almost everything I do is minimalist,” Schermeyer says. “The least amount of materials needed for a specific function.”