Renovations are artist Eric Kaster's canvas. He's bought one old house after another, using them as laboratories to experiment with ideas for handcrafted architectural accents. "I love to pull hardware or a light fixture off the wall and rework it," Eric says. And if the design shines, he's happy to share, adding it to one of the collections offered by Eleek, Inc.
Eric launched the Portland, Oregon company in 2000 after an onerous internal struggle. "It took me two years to get up the courage to leave the family business," says Eric, who grew up around Willamette Pattern Works - owned by his grandfather since 1962. He treasures a childhood of learning from masters in the arts of metalwork, fabrication, and woodwork. "It was a dream for someone who wanted to make things," Eric says. "But the shop was purely industrial; my heart was not there."
So he broke away, following his creative muse to launch Eleek, where his focus is on design - and limiting his impact on the natural environment. "Sustainability is so much at our core," Eric says. "When we started the business, the processes we put in motion revolved around using recycled materials. There's so much out there that can be reused to make beautiful things."
