Beyond Atomic Designs’ modern planters sprouted from a passion for plants and woodworking.
Jon Stroud grew up watching his father make beautiful furniture in his basement shop. His great-grandfather made decorative furniture, providing Jon with plenty of ideas to fuel his own creativity and imagination. It was only natural that woodworking became an integral part of his life from a young age.
“I still have special pieces of furniture that were crafted by them, and I am especially thrilled to also have the original tools they used,” Jon says.
Jon’s passions are obvious in his handmade Mid Century Modern-inspired wooden plant stands. Although Jon builds other home décor products—which is why his wife and co-founder, Jen, aptly named their business Beyond Atomic Designs—Jon’s masterful craftsmanship is especially evident in his uniquely designed tripod plant stands.
Apart from watching his father and great-grandfather work when he was a child, Jon also pored over books on architectural design, especially those of cathedrals. As he got older, he found inspiration in everything from classic cars to the geometrical patterns of Mid Century Modern art and illustration. “I used to love the design elements of my childhood home near Niagara Falls, especially those found in my mother’s kitchen,” he says. Over the years, he has refined his taste from a fascination with the architectural motifs of the Middle Ages to the clean lines and simplicity of Mid Century Modern design.
With a background in engineering, Jon brings his own take to the plant stands that he designs and creates. His process is simple: He sometimes roughly sketches his designs but mostly uses cardboard to create a model. Then, he makes the adjustments to the model until he is satisfied with his creation before applying the results to the wood itself. “The design is created in a way that you can’t get it wrong when you assemble it,” he says. The three legs of the tripod are held together with two bolts, which makes it super easy for his customers to assemble the plant stands themselves.
For more on Beyond Atomic Designs, visit etsy.com/shop/beyondatomicdesigns.
If you love to shop the work of modern makers in the MCM heritage, read on for Modern Makers: Kate Schroeder’s Ceramic Works of Heart, Modern Makers: Mercury Mosaics and Modern Makers: Blackwell Woodworks. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube for more Atomic Ranch articles, house tours, and ideas!
