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G A R Z A M A R FA
Creating Marfa-inspired
furniture
B Y K AY P L AV I D A L
Saddle Leather Oval Chair
Garza Marfa owners Jamey Garza and
Constance Holt-Garza. Photo by Rob Howard.
Low-Back Saddle Leather Dining Chairs and Cafe
Table.
Jamey Garza puts the finishing touches on a saddle
leather dining chair
A few blocks off Marfa’s main street, in an old
metal building that once was a West Texas Utilities
storage facility, Jamey Garza and Constance HoltGarza are creating a unique style of furniture that is
gaining national recognition.
Garza Marfa’s handmade chairs, tables, benches
and stools have been described as natural, durable
and honest, functional and decorative. Crafted
using rich saddle leather, native Texas pecan, oak
and walnut, coated steel and canvas, each piece
evokes a sense of rural Texas with elements of
Donald Judd’s minimalism. These essential pieces
are perfectly complemented by Constance’s vividly
colored hand-sewn napkins, placemats and pillows
made from vintage fabrics.
Both Jamey and Constance have backgrounds in
art, design and fabrication. A San Francisco native,
Constance studied art history and photography
before designing a clothing line for Salon de The, a
boutique clothing store which she owned and
operated for several years. Jamey left his hometown
of Austin to earn a Master of Fine Arts from the
San Francisco Art Institute. After graduating, he
supported his painting studio by designing and
Constance Holt-Garza works with vintage textiles
building custom furniture and display fixtures for
art galleries and commercial clients. Jamey met
Constance when her boutique became one of his
clients.
In 1998, hotelier Liz Lambert employed Jamey
to design and build furniture for her renovation of
Hotel San Jose in Austin. Five years later, she
requested his help renovating Marfa’s Thunderbird
Hotel.
The couple decided to call Marfa home, and
upon completion of the Thunderbird, they
considered their next step. Constance recalls that
“After having done mostly commissioned projects
for 15 of the past 23 years, we decided that we
wanted more control over what we were making.”
Inspired by the beauty of the vast Marfa Plateau
and the simplicity of Judd’s furniture designs, the
husband-and-wife team began designing the first
Garza Marfa prototypes. In 2012, they officially
launched their Garza Marfa line.
“We are really happy with the way our designs
have been received… and the fact that Garza Marfa
pieces have been shipped all across the country,”
says Constance. “We just knew that we wanted to
create a comprehensive group of furniture and
textiles that reflected our aesthetic…and hoped
there’d be people out there that would want them.”
To view the entire Garza Marfa line, visit them
online at www.garzamarfa.com or call for an
appointment. But don’t wait too long to place your
order. Due to high demand for the handmade
pieces, there’s a three-month lead time.
Saddle Leather Cot with Vintage Hand-Sewn Pillows
BIG BEND GALLERIES AND ARTISTS / 2016 9