Melanie Abrantes

Melanie Abrantes is a Filipina and Portuguese-Brazilian designer and artist. She grew up in Houston, TX and moved to Los Angeles, CA in 2008 to study Product Design at Otis College of Art and Design where she learned how to turn on a lathe. After realizing there was a growing market for sustainable, handmade goods, she founded her company and moved to Oakland, CA to pursue her new business full-time.

Working with a variety of unique materials, Melanie creates high quality products that are equally beautiful and functional. Through the technique of lathing, she turns simple pieces of solid wood and cork into one-of-a-kind bowls, vases, planters and objects. Her passion for woodworking originates from the simple fact that every piece is unique as the material it is made from.

In addition to working on a lathe, Melanie is an experienced wood carver and educator. She is the author of “Carve: A Simple Guide to Whittling” and has taught carving workshops all over the world. She was named in Country Living Magazine as one of their 100 Most Creative People. Her work has been featured in Dwell Magazine and The New York Times, and she has been a featured panel speaker at the Forbes Power Women’s Summit.