Studio89

Nondas Iacovou + Melissa Fuller are Studio89

Melissa

Originally from Hinesburg, Vermont, I grew up moving frequently.  My parents were nomads.  By the time I graduated from high school, I had moved 10 times, and gone to 10 different schools in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida.  As soon as I arrived at the University of Vermont in 1989, I met Nondas, and knew right away that I had met the love of my life.  After graduation, we moved to Cyprus so Nondas could fulfill his Fulbright scholarship requirements of working in his home country.  I was excited to live abroad.  I taught high school science at a British girls’ school and at the American International School.  When we returned to the States, we sought positions in New England and found Rockport, Maine, where we lived for 5 happy years. 

When the time came to pursue graduate studies, we moved out west and spent 11 years in Hawai’i, New Mexico, and Alaska, during which time I earned a Masters and Doctorate in audiology.  Nondas and I worked as a physical therapist and audiologist, respectively.  I am grateful for the experiences I had working as a clinician in a variety of locations, especially in Alaska, where we worked at Tribal clinics in the bush.  The majesty and authenticity of Alaska and its people will never leave me.

When we decided to leave Alaska, we looked at possible places for a homebase.  We came back to Maine because of its natural beauty, access to nature, the community spirit, and the respect for the creative process.  The seasons are very important; I know this now that I have lived in Hawaii where the seasons are very subtle, and in Alaska, where the seasons are extreme.  The seasons in Maine are just right, from the buzzy, busy summer when everyone is trying to make the most of warmth and light, to the deep stillness of winter, perfect for inward-focused goals.  My favorite season is spring:  greening-up time, the quickly extending days, the period before frenetic summer activity.  The miracle of baby green leaves on the trees. 

In Maine, we have an abundance of beautiful vistas and resources, making it impossible to articulate a single aspect that inspires my work; however, I have to say that I spend lots of time gazing at trees, and listening to the wind blow through the leaves.  From every window of our home and workshop, there are trees to gaze upon.  There is nothing more relaxing, yet inspiring for me.  “Soft fascination” is said to be the state within which you allow nature to engage and gently stimulate the brain without any directed focus.  For me, design ideas and solutions arise during this state.  A design pops into my head, I sketch it, then make edits until it feels right.  The piece should not ask anything of the observer.  Rather, it ought to add elegance to a space through its useful, simple, and authentic presence. 

Wherever I have lived, I have been inspired by local artists:  feather work and bark cloth in Hawai’i; bone carvings, willow baskets, and skin sewing in Alaska; pottery in New Mexico.  I am most inspired by art that is made from the resources at hand, which I have learned both from my travels, and from my grandmother who ran a dairy farm in Vermont.  Today, using local, naturally abundant materials is a high priority and constant inspiration.  Allowing the natural material to be itself without too much manipulation is one of our guiding principles of design.

Throughout my life, I have made things with my hands.  I began constructing cardboard houses for my guinea pig when I was 5 years old.  I have been drawing, painting, and sewing since I can remember.  When I was 5 years old, my grandmother taught me to handsew a quilt.  She and my mother taught me to make patterns from existing clothes and reproduce the garments.   I learned how to use the sewing machine when I was 6.  My mother and I now design and make the soft furnishings for STUDIO89. 

My woodworking skills have been acquired through working with Nondas and from my own research.  When Nondas began woodcarving and then moved on to making furniture, I studied finishing and design.  I have been steadily acquiring skills and am now involved with construction using power and hand tools.  One of my favorite tasks is turning legs on the lathe. We are lucky to have abundant resources accessible online and in other creative individuals who are willing to share their knowledge. 


Other than designing and making furniture, Nondas and I think a lot about balancing work with relaxation:  spending time outside, moving the body, quieting the mind to allow ideas to enter.  For me, playing the piano is a practice in attention, focus, patience, and discipline with the reward of being able to produce music with my hands.  The direct relationship between effort invested and results produced is a humbling and valuable experience which parallels that of making furniture.  Focus lost, for even a second, shows up in the result.  Being kind to myself when the outcome is not what I thought I wanted is an ongoing lesson in forgiveness.

The artists I admire the most are the ones who follow their creative Flow regardless of their circumstance or profession.  In the clinic, I worked with other providers who spend their free time composing songs, dying fabrics, building furniture, painting landscapes, crafting ice cream cakes.  When I observe an individual’s expression of creativity, I am inspired by the act.  Witnessing others’ creative bravery and remembering Howard Thurman’s quote helps me overcome my fears around the creative process: “Don’t ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive and go do it.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

The work evolves with my increasing ease with experimentation, not only in designing and making, but in collaboration with others.  I look forward to continuing to learn how to hone my process of staying in the Flow.  My vision for the future is to keep making beautiful things with Nondas and with other creatives we meet along the way.