Thomas Welch on creating

WHO: Thomas Welch, photographer and designer
LOCATION: Los Angeles, US
COLLECTION: SHAKER

Thomas Welch moves fluidly between photography and design, shaping objects as instinctively as he captures images. Drawn to overlooked materials and everyday surroundings, his work is rooted in a desire to transform the familiar into something intentional. From his home in Los Angeles, he builds a practice that moves between making and documenting—where space, color, and material are in constant dialogue.

Text by Ditlev Fejerskov

Thomas Welch had just leased a photo studio when COVID hit. As the world shut down, he suddenly found himself with both the time and the space to experiment with design. What had long been a quiet fascination with furniture and art objects began to feel like something he needed to explore for himself. He started with vases, but the process quickly expanded, snowballing into larger pieces, including chairs and tables. “I’m very sensitive to my surroundings, so my environment plays a huge role in how I think and what I make. I’ve always had the urge to shape the world around me,” Thomas Welch says. That sensitivity carries directly into his approach to design. He’s drawn to unconventional materials—not wood or metal, but insulation foam, broken glass, silicone, and industrial coatings. Materials that are typically hidden or overlooked. For Welch, the process is about recontextualizing them—transforming something misunderstood into something refined and intentional. “I like the idea of taking materials people don’t usually see as beautiful and making them feel that way,” he explains.

Before photography and design, Thomas Welch had planned a different path. He wanted to be a music producer, spending his early years making hip-hop beats. He was especially inspired by Pharrell Williams and the way he moved fluidly between music and fashion. That influence led Welch to start a clothing brand, and through that world, documenting what he was making, being around artists, and engaging with blogs and culture, he picked up a camera. At first, he photographed the people around him and the clothes he was designing. Over time, it grew into something more serious. He eventually joined Highsnobiety in New York as their first hire, where he worked as a photographer and Image Director, shooting some of the most influential figures in fashion and culture, including A$AP Rocky, Kanye West, and Young Thug, as well as for brands like Nike and Gucci. “In a lot of ways, photography happened organically—it wasn’t planned, but it became the clearest path forward,” he says.

Læs mere

Læs mindre

“My sensitivity to color in photography directly informs my design work, and vice versa, there’s an ongoing dialogue—how something is painted affects how I want to photograph it, and how I photograph it influences future design decisions.”

— Thomas Welch, photographer and designer

Color is another thread that runs through both disciplines. Increasingly, he draws inspiration from everyday materials like butter, beeswax, milk – translating those tones into finishes that feel both familiar and unexpected. Most of his designs have been painted with automotive paints like “Mercedes Astral Silver” or “Ferrari White. Thomas Welch lives in Los Angeles, in a house perched on a hill with a clear view of the Hollywood sign. The structure itself is relatively neutral, mid-century in style, but inside, he’s shaped it into something more personal. The space functions like a living archive: a growing collection of books, objects, and references tied to photography, design, and material exploration. “I’m thinking about using my home as a community space, maybe hosting a creative book club,” he says, half-joking. “I might as well announce it here.”

“There’s a deliberate juxtaposition, the kitchen feels calm and familiar, while the furniture introduces something unexpected.”

— Thomas Welch, photographer and designer

In the kitchen, he’s built a small nook—a bench with storage underneath—that has become a kind of informal research space. Books are stacked within reach, ready to be revisited. “Space has a big impact on how I think and create,” he says. “And with views like this, it’s hard not to feel inspired.” When designing the kitchen, Welch leaned toward a more restrained approach. Because the house itself doesn’t have a strong architectural identity, he wanted the space to feel grounded and timeless. He chose SHAKER painted veneer in white, a style that’s one of the most enduring expressions of American design. “It has just enough ornamentation to feel considered, but it’s still minimal,” he explains. “It strikes a balance between character and restraint.” That restraint contrasts with the furniture he created for the space. His pieces are more expressive—playful in color, often bold and slightly exaggerated in form. They appear heavy, almost dense, yet are surprisingly lightweight. In many ways, his home mirrors his broader practice. Now that he owns a home, Welch feels both a responsibility and an opportunity: to create objects that last, and to shape a space that evolves alongside his work. “I’m gradually building everything around me,” he says. “It becomes a direct extension of what I do.”