MICHAEL ARAM BRONZE “TWIG” FLATWARE

Michael Aram is an Armenian American metalware designer who creates home furnishings, tableware and jewelry. He has stores in New York City and Hollywood.

Born in 1963 in Providence, Rhode Island, Aram grew up in a tight knit Armenian American family in Scarsdale, New York. After graduating from Bates College with a degree in art history, he studied fine arts in Florence, Italy and, later, at the Art Students League in New York City. He then took a job designing books and posters for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

At the age of 25 he took a trip to India and in Delhi discovered the exquisite, hand crafted metalwork produced by families using the same methods of sand casting and hand forging that had been traditional for centuries. He walked the streets of Delhi searching for the sounds of metal being beaten, or the smell of molasses, which indicated that sand casting was underway. These artisans were making ordinary objects like buckets, shovels or scissors, but their technique and craftsmanship were extraordinary.

His first collection, in 1989, followed his experience in India. Inspired by nature, his design used organic forms and the hand working tradition which, he notes, reflect the “perfectly imperfect” beauty of nature. He has maintained a second home and studio in Delhi for more than 30 years, and now lives between New Delhi and New York City.

You might think that the Twig pattern would not be versatile, but look how well it integrates into these diverse table settings:

	CHRISTMAS
	EASTER
	HALLOWEEN
	MIDSUMMER
	OKTOBERFEST
	THANKSGIVING