O&G Studio | Open Studio

Windsor chairs are a British invention, likely named for the market town of Windsor in the county of Berkshire—or, possibly, for Windsor Castle, where they were a popular fixture. (As with many famous names, its origins are up for debate.) The chairs became so ubiquitous in 18th-century America that many depictions of the Founding Fathers show a Windsor chair somewhere in the frame, and most New Englanders probably consider them a native species. The style is still characterized by its solid seat, spindle back, and socketed legs, but a visit to one Rhode Island studio will find Windsors with ultra-sleek or dramatically oversized profiles, and painted in hues such as persimmon and magenta. Sara Ossana and Jonathan Glatt, the O and G, respectively, of O&G Studio, aren’t afraid to play with what’s traditional. (What they’re making is hardly trendy or disposable, however. Its quality is world-class, and these pieces–which aren’t cheap—are meant to last a lifetime, or several.) They design and handcraft their bold version of Windsor-inspired furniture in Warren, Rhode Island—which, they point out, is “the smallest town in the smallest county in the smallest state in the country.” And yet they’re making a big splash on the national design scene.

Made in Rhode Island Ossana and Glatt met as students at the Rhode Island School of Design. “Jon is from New Jersey, and I’m from Arizona,” Ossana says, “but we’ve both lived here since 2002, and it feels like home.” They especially love the state’s vibrant design community. “Rhode Island is such a rich little world,” Ossana explains. “Our work responds to local design traditions, playing with form, scale, proportion, and color.” Another bonus of living and working in the Ocean State? “The great food doesn’t hurt. We like to eat.” She cites Matunuck Oyster Bar and Eli’s Kitchen as favorites; Eli’s is within walking distance of their studio, and O&G designed and crafted its tables, barstools, and waiting-area settee.

Workspace Ossana, Glatt, and their small team work on the first floor of a 19th-century mill, which houses the design studio, office, showroom, woodshop, metal shop, and finishing and packaging departments. There’s also space for informal gatherings. “At lunch,” Glatt says, “we all sit together and chat at our buck table on a collection of O&G chairs and stools to talk shop and joke.” The studio has a relaxed atmosphere, but when a new design is in the works–the latest additions are their “Tiverton” and “Point Judith” lamps—the team’s methods are rigorous. “Once we home in on an idea, we make a prototype to express the inspiration,” Glatt explains. “From there, the piece is refined through several physical iterations, or ‘sketches,’ as we like to call them. We make the piece, sit in it, adjust an angle here, a splay there, to reach our final design.”

Inspirations New England’s natural beauty (especially Hanging Rock, Sachuest Beach, the Norman Bird Sanctuary, and Purgatory Chasm, all in Middletown), its history, and its ethic of practicality all inform Ossana and Glatt’s work. “We draw inspiration from so much around here—everything from Narragansett Bay to the architecture of Providence and Newport,” Ossana notes. They love visiting the American furniture collection in the Pendleton House at the RISD Museum, and stopping at furniture consignment shops and local auctions. Ossana and Glatt have a mutual affinity for old things–and giving new life to the ideas behind those old things. “Our work embodies a pragmatic approach,” Ossana says, “a true New England value ingrained in the culture here.” Just as any New England-made modern heirloom should. O&G Studio.30 Cutler St., Suite 130, Warren, Rhode Island. 520-247-1820; OandGstudio.com