Benches in Forged Steel and Glass Mosaic

December 05, 2025 by Johannah Willsey in Collaborations, Furniture

In addition to the forged steel and mosaic collaborative tabletop and wall sculptures we make together, we also love collaborating to create furniture and other functional pieces.

This first bench features a forged steel base, a stretcher with brightly colored mosaic inlay, and an ash seat.

Johannah also designed a mosaic mirror in similar colors to coordinate with this bench. We think they’d look great paired together in an entryway or bedroom, or any nook that could use a seat and a splash of color.

(And psst, these two pieces are available. Reach out for more information!)

The next two benches were created for a client who needed one bench to use at their dining table, and another to go outside.

For a commission like this, Kyle will often create a quick sheet of thumbnail ideas. Once the client narrows their preference down to two to four favorites, he’ll make more detailed drawings.

When it came time for Johannah to make the mosaics, we had to get creative in finding ways to support the benches so the steel pans Kyle creates for the mosaics would lay relatively flat.

The Sun and Moon Bench was designed to be installed and used outside, with a weather-resistant base of forged stainless steel and a cypress wood seat.

Forged Steel and Mosaic Wall Sculptures

November 21, 2025 by Johannah Willsey in Collaborations, Mosaic, Sculpture

Working as an artist, in any medium or genre, is always a journey and an evolutionary process. When we first started working collaboratively to create art objects, we focused on stand-alone sculptures. Once we had tried our hands at a few of those in varying sizes and styles, we were ready for the next challenge.

It was time to take our collaborative sculptures to the wall.

Our first work in this series happened to be a commission. The client requested a piece featuring a few of their favorite critters, the monarch butterfly and dragonflies, to fit a very specific alcove in their home

The fun and interesting challenge in designing a fairly realistic piece like this is navigating the line between absolute realism and expressive stylizing. Which details are essential? What can be exaggerated, reduced, or even eliminated to create the desired effect?

Forged steel and glass mosaic butterfly sculpture PH2024.JPEG

Dragonfly Wall forged steel and mosaic wall sculpture detail PH2024 (1).JPEG

Butterfly wall sculpture installed PH2024.JPEG

The next piece in this series was inspired by a fall walk through a gingko tree-lined neighborhood.

For Kyle this was a return to an earlier subject, an opportunity to bring new skills to the work while adding the dimension of color from Johannah’s mosaic.

For Johannah this piece was a chance to explore the beautiful shifts in color of the beloved gingko leaf, from the greens of spring and summer to the golds of autumn.

Gingko wall sculpture detail PH2024 (1).JPEG

Gingko wall sculpture detail PH2024 (3).JPEG

For the last two pieces in this particular run of work, we decided to return to familiar shapes while working a touch smaller and adding some geometric framing to the organic shapes.

Botanical Steel and Mosaic Sculptures

June 14, 2024 by Johannah Willsey in Sculpture, Collaborations, Mosaic

As we continued to brainstorm collaborative sculpture ideas, we decided our first batch of sculptures would include a variety of sizes and styles. Once we finished the tabletop abstract sculptures, we wanted to go bigger.

We settled on bamboo as a subject that provides opportunity for each of our mediums to shine. It also offered Kyle an opportunity to try something different with a theme he’s returned to a few times.

Kyle made a variety of forged textured leaves as well as the hollow shapes of leaves for Johannah to fill with mosaic. He finished the sculpture with a rust brown patina. Johannah chose bright yellowy-green for the mosaic leaves. We were really pleased with the way the monochrome green and the warm tones of the finished steel work together.

Forged steel bamboo sculpture with mosaic inlay

Forged steel and mosaic bamboo sculpture detail

The last piece in this first run of sculptural pieces is a pea plant. Kyle forged a beautiful pea plant complete with corkscrew tendrils as well as a hollow pea shape form. He finished it with the same rust brown patina. Johannah found flat green marbles in the perfect size and color to represent peas for this piece.