Wilton firm taps into the simple and exotic

If you're looking for furniture that's unique and artistic, you might consider Artifact Design Group LLC of Wilton. Owner Greg Clark designs and manufactures wood furniture that also incorporates exotic materials such as stone, steel or glass.

"I don't think we've made an identical piece twice," said Clark, who co-owns the business with his wife, Elizabeth.
"With a manufacturing factory, we're able to create what I come up with over the weekend and test-market it in the showroom. I call the showroom my laboratory," said the Weston resident, who employs a staff of 10.

Clark operated the business out of his garage for nearly two years. Then he bought land, and, nearly six years ago, constructed a building at 66 Danbury Road where he occupies about 7,000 square feet.

He typically designs three or four new pieces of furniture a month. They run the gamut, from upholstered items to cabinets and tables and chairs. Pieces start in the $2,000 range.

"I classify my design style as formal contemporary. It represents elegant, clean lines and exotic, rich materials," Clark said.

Fifty percent of his business comes from interior designers and architects, who are liaisons between him and their clients. The other half of his business is selling directly to the consumer, with his designs attracting customers from Fairfield County, New York City and as far away as Miami.

In the beginning, Clark made all of the furniture, but now he has a team of seven involved in manufacturing.

Clark's works often require collaboration. To add finishing touches to a particular piece of furniture, he may call upon someone in a network of about 200 artists to add their personal touch - in glass or steel.

He has always had an inventive spirit. He grew up in a family antiques restoration environment. As a child, he made award-winning miniature furniture.

Clark previously served as director of product development at Simco in Weston and operated We Walk, a shoe manufacturing dot-com business that created high-end shoes.

Working with furniture, however, was still an overriding passion for Clark, so he decided to pursue it.

And the 42-year-old designer is happy that he made that decision. He is thoroughly pleased about the way his business has developed and looks forward to expanding. He hopes to open showrooms in the Hamptons and in the South Beach section of Miami within the next two years.

Ali Schwarz, an interior designer of AS Interior Design in Redding, has worked with Artifact Design Group on projects. She said that she enjoys the detail that Clark puts into his work.

"He's done a few projects for me, various functional pieces like a tet-a-tet, a bench that sat in the middle of a room. I had a fabric with customized embroidery that he worked around. His finishes are of a superior quality, and I prefer working with him because of the end result," she said.

One of Schwarz's projects called for a painted finish, and she called upon Clark to do the job. While painted finishes are not Clark's specialty, she said he went to "great lengths" to make sure the project "met all the requirements."

Though custom-designed furniture is expensive, Schwarz said that people are increasingly interested in enhancing their home decor with unique furniture.

"I've always worked on the higher end," she said. "But I do believe, in general, that the public is becoming more savvy and getting into the aesthetic of their home."