Hatching Big Ideas
Using locally sourced materials to hone their craft
Words by Taylor Dutch photos by Shelby Bella
On Tillery Street, in the heart of East Austin, sits a workshop where craftspeople create everything from furniture for the home to restaurant installations and even public benches for local trails. Hatch is tucked behind the Flitch Coffee trailer, where warm smells of native trees and sounds of various tools are being used to shape those tree trunks into works of art for the community to enjoy.
Hailing from Houston, Andrew Danziger started Hatch Workshop in 2010 after graduating from the University of Texas and working for various woodworkers in the area. Originally, Andrew came to Austin with the goal of becoming an architect, but he liked that woodworking allowed him to focus on the entire process of constructing something, which is what he truly enjoyed. It wasn’t until he took Mark Maček’s class on woodworking that he realized his true passion. In the class, he learned about each process—design, management, and fabrication—and gained an appreciation for the practice of building a piece of furniture from start to finish.
“I just think the process and satisfaction of taking something that is literally a tree, and then all of a sudden, it’s a table and seeing every step of the way is pretty interesting,” he enthuses.
When Andrew started the workshop, Austin was beginning to experience a growth period, which marked the perfect opportunity for the budding workshop. The goal was to create a place where clients could bring their ideas, and the craftspeople at the workshop would help make those ideas into reality, or “hatch” those concepts. Working with steel, wood, and locally sourced timber, the workshop has played a part in the fabrication of originally designed pieces here in Austin.
“People are coming to us with these crazy ideas, and this is the place where it hatches and becomes a thing,” says Andrew. Take East Cesar Chavez for example. Andrew can point to every business that Hatch has collaborated with. In fact, Paz Veterinary and Sock Club house some of their interior design projects.
One of Andrew’s most memorable projects involved constructing the benches along the boardwalk of Lady Bird Lake’s Hike and Bike Trail. The workshop built large benches using wood from local trees that fell during storms. Today, the public can enjoy the trees in a new way along the 10-mile path that connects the city. “It was cool to see that process, and the fact that these trees had been standing in the city for a 100 years. Now they’ll be sitting there for another 20 years,” he smiles.
Ultimately, Andrew wants to build products that connect the community to local craftspeople. He explains the passion that goes into constructing a unique project from design to fabrication in that, “It’s a treat. You can tell the difference with something feeling like it has a hand in it and it feels natural. It’s important.”
Did You Know?
Some of their more recent projects include a wall installation for the School of Architecture at the University of Texas as well as a welcome kiosk for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Contact:
(512) 200-7200
hatchworkshop.com
