Hunter Craighill Makes Affordable Design Products That Solve Everyday Problems

The third time’s the charm for Hunter Craighill, founder of the Brooklyn-based objects brand Craighill. Before launching his namesake company in 2015, Craighill had two other "semi-failed efforts starting my own studio and design projects," he says, after leaving a job at Best Made where he got the opportunity developing products and "making a lot of mistakes on their dime and learning a ton." Shortly after founding Craighill, a business partner offered his expertise with sales and marketing and the company has stuck around to release an array of practical, playful, and design-forward lifestyle products. "We have soft goods and mechanical puzzles and folding knives and lamps… I feel like it may be a little confusing to first-time visitors at our site but hopefully there's a commonality with customers’ approach design and our approach to color and materials," says Craighill. "I feel very lucky I get to design things that excite me."

A category of home decor that Craighill is increasingly known for are its lineup of metal puzzles that take final form as geometric or ornamental shapes. Designing them also requires problem-solving from a manufacturing standpoint. Craighill, who grew up with a collection of Japanese wooden burr puzzles as a child, was inspired to make his own puzzle shortly after launching his brand—the first puzzle release was the Jack, made with rounded and smoothed-out metal bars. "Surprisingly, it sold well and we started playing with other puzzle designs but it was hard to get those complex metal forms produced at low volumes at reasonable prices," says Craighill, who ended up launching the second puzzle on Kickstarter because of the high tooling and high production run costs. "I didn’t think there'd be a ton of people that would pay a hundred bucks for a mechanical puzzle but there‘s surprisingly a huge audience for it," he says of like-minded puzzle solvers like himself. 

Although much of the brand’s lineup consists of small objects made from a limited color and materials palette, the Clinton Hill, Brooklyn home that Craighill shares with his wife is outfitted with more colorful, offbeat finds. His latest acquisition is a "pretty wild, bright blue chair that's basically a shag carpet with an upholstered skirt" that he found on a furniture auction site. "It's a little insane but I increasingly find myself gravitating towards bolder selections." The couple also loves collecting items that are meaningful to them, whether it’s furnishings that design friends have made or art that belonged to and had been passed down from their respective grandparents. "Ultimately, I am a sucker for any object that I can talk, like, ‘This is my grandmother’s, or this we accidentally bought at an auction, or whatever.’ This may be a universal feeling but I love objects that have a story."

Brass Match Striker

"We’ve had the black steel for a long time but we've had a lot of requests for one in brass. A match striker feels celebratory and cozy, such a simple and antiquated kind of thing but it makes a place feel like home."

Twemco Flip Clock

"I’m going through a yellow phase and I bought this clock for my office. My understanding of this old Hong Kong company is that they’ve been making these flip clocks for 70 years or something, and it’s been unchanged and timeless."

Bestcase Task Chair

"Bestcase is doing cool things with simple technology and materials. It feels very approachable with the colors and construction. This type of design makes me envious. I wish I could design these things."

Teenage Engineering OB-4 Portable Speaker

"Teenage Engineering are my industrial design heroes. Their approach to form, color, and interface is inspiring. We try not to reference their design too heavily because we don’t want to copy their work but they’re always on our inspiration board."

Seki Magoroku Bottle Sealer

"This is one of those products that’s been unchanged for 60 or 75 years, and it solves a common problem in an efficient and elegantly engineered way. Small product, too. I like a good small treasure."

​​Marble Facet Bowls

"We spent a lot of time iterating on the edge profile. We landed on this faceted bevel that runs around the perimeter that gives it a sharp, crisp profile and transitions into this very smooth, soft sculpted interior. It’s the first stone product we’ve ever made."

Veark Bread Knife

"I love this bread knife. The blade is a little cartoonish with a super blunt nose and big, scalloped teeth, but the handle is so clean with a bevel detail and a blue rivet that’s easy to identify and grab in my knife drawer."

The Cloudspotter’s Guide

"I went through a tree-spotting phase, then I went through a bird-watching phase, so getting into clouds felt like a natural progression of me getting older. I think it keeps me curious. It feels like a nice pastime or trick to be able to identify clouds and then talk about why they are that way."

Workaday Handmade Terra Cotta Mug

"Honestly, the handle is just so fricking nice. There’s something both very childish about it and well considered and comfortable. It’s also an excellent gift."

Illu Mirror

"The illuminated edge with the squiggle shape is a beautiful, fun detail to look at. I have a fear of ornamentation but a geometric pattern as ornamentation feels very justifiable."

Kimura Crumple Glass

"Finding the beauty in crumpled paper and its irregularity and then turning it into permanent glass as a luxury high-end item is a satisfying concept."

Snow Peak Takibi Blower

"My dad had a fire poker tool like this when I was growing up, a long pole that you could blow through to stoke the fire or rearrange logs. I came across this one a while back and it makes engaging with fire safer and more elevated."

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