Tuell & Reynolds

In 2003 Tuell + Reynolds introduced their own hand-crafted collection of lighting, furniture, fire screens and sculptural objects that feature elemental materials, exquisite textures and hand oxidized finishes. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, the line has evolved to include many one of a kind sculptural objects of bronze and iron which highlight gifts of nature such as petrified wood, fossils and agate. Supported by a small but dedicated and energetic team of employees working out of an old feed store in northern california, we give each piece individual attention and, because the work is made by hand and to order, each piece can be customized for a perfect fit.
Our company embraces both time honored and disappearing hand techniques and modern technology: A pitch pot and chasing tools occupy space next to the 3 d printer, hand drawn designs tinted with watercolor and computer modeled renderings are used in harmony, a digital scanner is used to enlarge a hand sculpted wax maquette.
Due to the exclusive and private nature of our custom work we can only show a tiny fraction of the projects on the web: The genesis of the company was the creation of commissioned projects for extraordinary private residences and this is still a major focus of the studio today. Tuell + Reynolds is an informed and sophisticated design studio, combined with a full-scale fabrication and finishing facility. The majority of the work can be viewed by appointment in portfolio format.

Partners Randy Tuell and Victoria Reynolds
We met in college where we both had the good fortune to have work study positions in the architectural slide library at UC Berkeley where we were pursuing architecture degrees. Victoria was challenged by the alphabet and Randy was memorizing every slide so the filing went very slowly. Now with a working relationship of 30 years, there is a highly productive partnership where our skills compliment each other. Victoria is more traditional and is extremely grounded into classic design such as french modernism of the 30 and 40s; Randy is more inventive. Randy thinks with the materials in his hands; Victoria does much of her thinking with drawings. We are very happy with where our friendship has taken us and we both love what we do.

“There some tension between us combined with complete trust and faith. We share a common aesthetic, along with an extensive library and a collection of antique scientific implements, surveying equipment, fossils, seed pods,and minerals. The one thing we always agree upon is that the object we are designing will at some point take on a life of it’s own and once we both see that we just go with it and the object takes the lead.”

Randy Tuell
I have always been a maker of objects. My introduction to the creative process came through my grandfather, a painter of western landscapes, and my father, an architect. Using my hands to manipulate color, tools, and materials, I learned early on to shape my environment. Much of my inspiration is found in the intrinsic beauty of nature and the ongoing study of natural science.
     In 1987 I completed a Liberal Arts education earning a BA in Architecture from UC Berkeley. After spending three years as a sculptor’s apprentice to Charles Eames’ son in law Aristides Demitrios, I co-founded Reification, a studio specializing in the fabrication and restoration of architectural metal work. Major restoration projects for SF City Hall and the SF Opera House were noteworthy projects from this time in my life and gave me the experience to handle large and complex projects. This was also the period during which my partnership with Victoria was cemented and in 1999 we founded our own company.
     As an artist, my evolving interests lead me to pursue a niche that lands somewhere between architecture and jewelry. Traditional metal working skills are becoming a lost art: By mentoring and educating the younger people I work with, learning from the older disappearing generation of skilled artisans, and collecting, maintaining, and using traditional tools which allow the hand of the maker full expression ,I try to fight this trend. However do not try to take my 3d printer away from me - I love new technology and tools as well.
     When asked what I do I say I am a sculptor, that I design and manufacture a line of furnishings and do custom metalwork with exquisite details. If I won the lottery I would still need to make these things.

Victoria Reynolds
I was artistic from an early age. Had I been braver, foolhardy, or well funded, I would have pursued a career as a fine arts painter and sculptor, or as an art historian. As this did not seem practical enough to me at the time, I majored in architecture transferring from UCLA to UC Berkeley to accomplish this. While working in architecture for about 10 years, I was slowly transforming into a designer/builder, due to the close proximity of sculptors in my life, the discovery of power tools, and the wondrous prospect of getting to have my hands on the project throughout every phase from concept to final finish.
I am greatly inspired by art and art history, the decorative arts, architecture, and anything made by the hands of humans. It is interesting to me that despite all my efforts to be practical and sensible I did indeed turn out to be a working artist after all, blessed with a powerhouse of a partner in Randy and a clientele who are educated, discerning and adventurous!

Elliot Reynolds
Partner, Director of Operations
Ever since I was a child, I've enjoyed making things. I like the feeling of creating something that is greater than the sum of its parts. In high school, I applied to a bulletin board posting for a part-time shop hand; I never left. After more than a decade of learning from and working alongside Randy and Victoria, I've come to know the ins and outs of the company and our craft. Becoming a partner in the company seemed to be the next step in our relationship. I really enjoy working with Randy and Victoria; we are three distinctly different people with varying, yet complimentary skill sets. Our synergy is greater than the sum of its parts.

studio

Nicole Reynolds

Nicole has been with Tuell + Reynolds since 2019. She enjoys the many facets of the job, finding each day holds a unique set of challenges and solutions. Outside of work, Nicole spends her time with her husband and three kids, or you can find her training for ultramarathons with her trusty trail dog Hugo.