Zina Bench

San Francisco product and interior designer Rick Lee finds inspiration for his work everywhere-from a gnarled oak tree to a sleek pocketknife. Building a reputation as an innovator at the vanguard of modern design, Lee combines rational thinking with radical influences to create striking pieces ranging from whimsical to minimal in aesthetic.

Of Chinese descent, Rick was born in Korea and came to the U.S. as a teenager. After earning a degree in Industrial Design, Lee jumpstarted his career creating pieces for notable furniture manufacturers and design studios in Chicago.

However, it wasn’t until he moved to Milan, Italy in his mid-twenties that he began to craft the distinctive artistic style seen in his work today. In Europe, he incorporated the minimal principles of Bauhaus with experience he gained working at the irreverent design firm of Studio Alchimia to forge a unique style that is both vibrant and charismatic.