Material Transitions

Seventeen years later, Ahearn now calls Copenhagen home. He and his wife, designer Camilla Dahl, run BACD Studio, a furniture design practice that, in his words, strives to "compose a narrative between Danish and American design through an evolving collection."

From his first visit to Denmark, Ahearn was struck by the culture of design. "Danes are very holistic and have a strong tradition of thinking about and designing every object they interact with on a daily basis," he says. "This cultural obsession ranges from the design of the Copenhagen Metro system and its signage, all the way down to the cutlery and candle holders in your drawers."

Just as powerful was the influence of Denmark's commitment to a balanced work culture.

Ahearn brought Danish design ideals back to HWS, where he completed an independent project on transportation in Geneva, N.Y., alongside Claire Leavengood-Boxer '11 and Associate Professor of American Studies Kirin Makker.

"We selected steel for its durability and hardness, critical components of an outdoor bike rack. Additionally, it was readily available, and we could work it ourselves with the tools provided by HWS," Ahearn says. "Claire and I set another constraint on the project by committing to use scrap steel, recycled from a local Geneva manufacturer, for both financial and sustainable reasons. Beyond that the 'design' of the object needed only to be functional for locking a bike to, which was largely an aesthetic exercise."

He graduated magna cum laude in architectural studies and was awarded the Joseph L. Morse Memorial Scholarship — recognition that affirmed his dedication to both craft and community-driven design.

During graduate school at the University of Washington, Ahearn met Dahl, an exchange student from the Royal Danish Academy. Their personal and creative partnership began there.

Before launching BACD studio full time, Ahearn worked on a luxury hotel in Tokyo as a project architect. The scale was enormous, but the lesson was universal: "From a design perspective, it's still all about materials and details. Whether it's a skyscraper or a chair, success depends on the quality of raw materials and the craft that transforms them."

The turning point came when he and Dahl returned to Copenhagen and started a family. Ahearn left corporate architecture, built a workshop and committed to designing furniture that was holistic, natural and without excess.

Running a business while raising two children has sharpened his focus. Splitting a workshop with British sculptor Nicholas Shurey has also been key. "As a young business, sharing a workshop has proven invaluable in many aspects from financial to psychological," Ahearn says. "We each have our strengths. With my more technically trained background, I often help Nicholas realize his ideas, and he lends his artistic eye to my designs."

A prime example of this is the Eva Dining Table, an 88-inch centerpiece created on commission for an historic Copenhagen apartment, now a signature piece in BACD's collection with a modified design that includes two smaller sizes.

At home, Ahearn surrounds himself with his own designs, using the imperfections as lessons. "I have built nearly all of the furniture, cabinetry and architectural millwork in our home, simply because I want to learn from the processes and failures. The process of refining one's craft is never truly finished."