About Our Studio

Who We Are

‘North Forty’ is a term we use in the Midwest to reference someplace way out there. We, at North Forty Design, thrive in that space. To us its a place full of open possibilities, free from convention and open to exploration. We create furniture, products, toys, spaces, and experiences that strive to honor that idea. Started in 2007 by husband and wife team Sandor and Jackelyn Pratt, North Forty has created award winning designs in natural materials with our unique balance of form and function, always made right here in the USA. Research, material exploration, experimentation, and a deep respect for craftsmanship of old and new guide us in our design process. Most of all, we live and work as a family - every day. We hope the joy and passion we get from working this way can finds its way into your home. 

Research Based Design

Our process is steeped in research and experimentation. We know that children learn through play, so we constantly try to develop new ways of combining the two. We also know that many toys and kids products available today can fall short in this way. All our kids products have been designed to be open-ended and encourage the child to discover, imagine, experiment, and have fun! 

Responsible Materials and Methods

We take great care in selecting the finest sustainable materials available to craft our products. All our wood is from FSC certified forests or locally sourced, we use recycled plastics, and our pieces are manufactured 100% in the United States in our own facilities. Further, we limit our waste by utilizing the limitations of our materials in the design process to maximize yield.

The custom look you want

We can customize most of the work we create.  Give us call with your ideas and we'll happily discuss your options.

Our Story

Founders, Sandor and Jackelyn Pratt are both from a small town in Northern Wisconsin, a place and childhood that continues to provide inspiration for our practice.

Prior to forming North Forty, Sandor studied Furniture Design at Savannah College of Art and Design.  He later received his B.S. in Environmental Design from Art Center College of Design.

Jackelyn received her B.S. from Cal State Northridge in Biotechnology and Chemistry. After graduating and finding a creative space in an old 1920’s industrial building in Los Angeles we pooled our talents to create North Forty Design.

N40 Design grew through the execution of complex custom projects for private homes.  From exquisitely detailed accessories, to one-of-a-kind heirloom furniture pieces, to entire interior architectural projects, N40 developed a distinctive approach to shaping the look, feel, and emotional response we get from the environments we inhabit. Working on custom projects allowed us to explore new and green materials in unusual ways - developing a unique relationship between material, method and maker.  N40 has become known for our distinctive approach to material, technique and craft, and for objects that are unique, livable and inviting to use rather than a fleeting interpretation of trend.

Our son was born in 2010 and and our daughter in 2011.  Becoming parents expanded our possibilities as designers and brought new challenges and diversity to the practice.  Our new Playforms line in 2013 highlights our exciting new approach to children’s products; focusing not only on safety, durability and sustainability, but also designing creative and imaginative play into these objects.

In 2015 our third child was born, and by the end of the year we had moved our family back to the Midwest and expanded into a new facility in rural Minnesota - not far from where our story began.

Awards

North Forty's award-winning designs include the Stria chair which was awarded Best in Show in the nationwide competition for IWF Design Emphasis. The Camber chair for Bernhardt Design won Best of the Year from Interior Design Magazine. The collaborative work produced from developing a unique manufacturing concept involving local labor in New Orleans and the material recovered from Hurricane Katrina was featured at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum.  The Playforms Framehouse was recently awarded Best New Product at Dwell on Design 2013, the nation’s largest design event.