Tools for Living

Rethinking the instruments of our everyday, Thomas Yang handcrafts objects with something to say

- HANNAH MARTIN

THOMAS YANG AT HIS BROOKLYN STUDIO SURROUNDED BY TOOLS AND WORKS IN PROGRESS

At his studio in Brooklyn, Thomas Yang displays tools like works of art. Hung from his Shaker-inspired rail system are woodworking planes, hammers, knives, brooms—even the odd kitchen strainer. “There’s something celebratory about the care it takes to mount something on the wall,” the designer reflects on the array of instruments, some of them inherited from his grandfather. “But there’s a utilitarian aspect, too.” These are the implements that, at arm’s reach, he grabs to turn rocks into stools or salvaged wood into seating.