“Heirloom Modern” refers to my goal of creating heirloom quality goods designed with a modern aesthetic. The products are manufactured to outlive the primary customer and be passed on for generations as 21st century heirlooms. I strive for modern, yet timeless design that will be cherished long into the future, which is why I gravitate towards durable materials such as steel, brass, and bronze, as well as fine wood products. It’s also why I source renewable materials when at all possible to do all that’s within my power to work towards sustainable manufacturing.

Heirloom Modern is primarily me, Brady Pisha. I live above my shop here in lovely Richmond, California in the San Francisco Bay Area with my amazing wife Betaya who has a huge hand in all my design decisions, as well as our French Bulldog Ume, who is not allowed in the shop lest she get metal splinters in her little feet. To make ends meet while in school I started working in a custom engineering and fabrication shop specializing in engine conversion. There I learned the basics of fabrication, design, and engineering. After graduating from The Art Institute of Boston with a BFA in graphic design in 2004 I quickly found that I didn’t like full time computer work and much preferred more time working with my hands and doing more physical problem solving. I’ve been doing metalwork of some kind for nearly 20 years now.

I enjoy such activities as tracking through the forest with my dog looking for culinary mushrooms as an amateur mycologist, cultivation of carnivorous plants and orchids, and of course working on art and design. I’m constantly researching new techniques from watchmakers to materials scientists as well as learning from friendly blacksmiths, jewelers, and designers in an effort to more fully understand and expand my craft.

As a result of my small-shop operation, every piece produced here gets my full attention. As of yet I’ve managed to avoid bringing in apprentice labor, which enables me to produce a really high quality product.

I believe that quality work shines even if the observer can’t identify the specific details that make the difference. 1/32 of an inch off may not read as such, but it can be enough to make the viewer think “something is a little off”. Look at the back, bottom, or inside of any piece I’ve worked on and you’ll see what I’m talking about. As an old blacksmith once told me “It’s either right, or it idn’t”.

I love my work and I believe that shows in my products.

See what I’m up to lately on instagram: Heirloom_Modern