Social Impact Heroes Helping Our Planet: Why & How Conor Coghlan Of Hoek Home Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Creating a good product does not mean it will automatically be successful!
What seems obvious to you will almost certainly not be obvious to the consumer.
Things get more complicated and difficult the more successful the business grows.
You will spend less and less time designing and more and more time managing the business.
It will most likely be necessary to raise money to properly scale a business of this nature.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Conor Coghlan.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Conor came to the US in 2012. Conor received the Peter Rice Scholarship to the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he received a Masters in Architecture before working for world-renowned Architect Toshiko Mori, and later founding the design-build firm A05 Studio. Conor was selected as a top emerging designer by ICFF in 2019 and has continued to innovate within the design industry, most recently with the development of Hoek Home.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
My name is Conor Coghlan, and I was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1985. I lived in a small beachside town on the north side of Dublin called Portmarnock. As a child and teenager, my family moved back and forth between Ireland and America for my father’s job. We lived in New Mexico for a period of time and also in Portland, Oregon. I studied Architecture at the Dublin Institute of Technology and then went on to do a master’s at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge Massachusetts.
You are currently leading a social impact organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
Hoek Home designs and builds modular, quick-assembly furniture that gives you the power to transform your space in seconds. Everything is designed and built in Brooklyn, NY with sustainable and recycled materials. We design with a circular design methodology making sure we consider the full lifecycle of the product. We do not use any glues so pieces can easily be replaced or recycled if necessary and all of our products are designed to be easily disassembled so they can be taken with you as opposed to thrown away when moving.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
My business partner Brian and I have always wanted to design a furniture line. We started another business, A05 Studio, about five years ago which specializes in custom digital fabrication. We design and build anything from retail store experiences to art installations. During the pandemic, work for A05 Studio really slowed down and we had to shift our focus to enable us to keep the lights on. As our friends and family were shifting to work from home, we heard the same complaints repeatedly that they did not have enough space and that furniture assembly was just too stressful and overly complex. We set ourselves a challenge to create a system that made it easy to assemble and disassemble your furniture without any tools or hardware. We also wanted to create something that allowed you to transform your space as you needed.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
We had made our first coffee table prototype and I asked my wife Amy to film me assembling it in our living room. I knew we had created something interesting but don’t think I really grasped how innovative it was. I sent the video to a friend and mentor of mine, Ben Uyeda, and he immediately texted back saying “Amazing! What do you need to get this going!?” I think I realized at that point that we had created something special.
Many people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
We began with a Kickstarter campaign to get some initial capital and grow brand awareness. It is an excellent way for a small company or anyone with an idea to get things off the ground. It gave us a relationship with the backer/customer and allowed us time to create and understand better what people were looking for in the market. Once we had fulfilled our orders — which took much longer than expected — we shifted our focus to creating an online store so we could begin to sell online.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
We recently launched a limited-edition collaboration with world-famous artist Shantell Martin. We had been fans of her work for years and we took a chance and DM’d her on Instagram. To our surprise, Shantell responded and loved what the brand was all about and decided it would be great to work together! We had the amazing opportunity to launch our line at the Museum of Arts and Design in Manhattan — a real pinch-yourself moment for everyone involved!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?
In the early stages of design, the aesthetic of the pieces was a lot more dynamic, and our first batch of prototypes had a very “Jetsons” vibe to them! We have since moved to a cleaner, more timeless aesthetic which I think was the right move.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
We had such an incredible group of supporters for our Kickstarter campaign. My friend Ben Uyeda was instrumental in helping us craft our campaign and my wife Amy was so helpful in rounding up all our friends and family to help support the campaign. We are very lucky to be surrounded by so many people who want to see us succeed.
Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
There are over 10 million tons of furniture thrown away each year. I think there needs to be legislation in place to stop this from happening. We need to stop manufacturers from producing cheaply made, one-use furniture as this type of product is not designed with longevity in mind and inevitably ends up getting thrown away all too frequently.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
The modern consumer is much more eco-conscious than previous generations. Using sustainable materials and manufacturing processes can act as a competitive advantage and a key differentiator. When we initially launched our Kickstarter campaign, a lot of the feedback from the backers revolved around the sustainable process and materials that we were using in our products.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why.
- Creating a good product does not mean it will automatically be successful!
- What seems obvious to you will almost certainly not be obvious to the consumer.
- Things get more complicated and difficult the more successful the business grows.
- You will spend less and less time designing and more and more time managing the business.
- It will most likely be necessary to raise money to properly scale a business of this nature.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in a position where you can make a positive impact at scale on our environment or society then it is your responsibility to do so and it will be one of the most fulfilling things that you can do with your life.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
There is a quote from the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw that has always stuck with me, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” We are constantly challenging ourselves to look at things from a different perspective and trying to find new ways to design the things around us. Hoek is not about a certain aesthetic or style, instead, we focus on improving people’s lives through innovation in design.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
If they were still alive, I would love to have lunch with Charles and Rae Eames. Their innovative approach to design is so inspiring and has helped guide decisions we make daily. Their motto “the best, for the most, for the least” is a mantra that we try to live by at Hoek Home.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can learn more about our brand on our website www.hoekhome.com and through our social platforms: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc under the handle @hoekhome.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Heroes Helping Our Planet: Why & How Conor Coghlan Of Hoek Home Is Helping To Change… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.