5 Under 40 Awards 2015: Adam Rogers

New England Home is thrilled to present the sixth annual “5 Under 40” awards, celebrating our region’s finest emerging talent in residential design. The honorees—all of whom are under the age of forty—were nominated by their peers and then selected by a committee of local design leaders. The judges for this year’s “5 Under 40” awards were Joseph Kennard of Joseph Kennard Architects, Liz Caan of Liz Caan Interiors, Greg Bilowz of Bilowz Associates, Natalie van Dijk Carpenter of Lekker, and Kyle Hoepner, editor-in-chief of New England Home.

Over the next few weeks leading up to the September 10 party celebrating the award winners, we will be featuring all the talented winners on our blog. First up is furniture designer Adam Rogers.

Rogers with the rug he designed for the “5 Under 40” auction

Photograph by Bruce Rogovin

As the director of design and product development at Thos. Moser, Adam Rogers knows that his greatest challenge is also his greatest opportunity: to remain true to the company’s values while continually striving for the best vision of those values. “The challenge is to evolve, not to change,” says Rogers. “That’s a fine line to tiptoe down.”

Thos. Moser is known for its commitment to craftsmanship, and the definition of “craft” and its parameters provide ongoing inspiration for Rogers. “Woodworking techniques and traditions are what they are, and materials have properties that don’t change,” he says. “It’s a continued understanding and learning of materials, and of what is possible as technology is evolving, that will redefine what is possible with craft.”

Furniture photography by Trent Bell

The Element Collection—Rogers’s first for Thos. Moser, as well as the first collection designed outside of the Moser family—feels modern and fresh while still honoring the company’s classic principles of clean design and honest construction.

Rogers influence reaches beyond Thos. Moser. He is a regular guest lecturer at his alma mater, Rochester Institute of Technology, a frequent host to school groups studying design, and a teacher at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine.

There will be a large awards gala at the Landry & Arcari Rugs & Carpeting Boston showroom on September 10 to celebrate the honorees. A highlight of the event will be the auctioning of custom hand-woven rugs designed by each of the “5 Under 40” winners. The rug that Rogers designed pays homage to the material he works with every day—wood. “Whether in its first life as a tree or its next as a medium, whether wandering through North American forests, or having the privilege to be the first to make a cut and discover the beauty that lies within, I feel a true connection to wood. Though typically employed as a material, here it serves as a reference. An homage to the material that inspires me, the resource I count as a collaborator in my design and craft process, here I’ve abstracted its image—intending to simply depict its beauty through capturing its essence” says Rogers about his creation. 

Boston’s own Jenny Johnson and Billy Costa return as the celebrity auctioneers at the event—so a fun evening is in store!  Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Cambridge-based charity, Barakat. Barakat works in South and Central Asia to strengthen the fundamental human right to education—particularly for women and children—by providing exemplary basic education, increasing access to higher education, and advancing literacy.

The event is open to the public. Join us by purchasing your tickets here.