Michael Oguns

Michael Oguns began cultivating his talent for design and craftsmanship while still a teenager in his native Nigeria. Precocious and exhibiting and outstanding gift with mixed mediums, his childhood designs included wooden bird cages, jewelry, and bicycles, which he sold to friends. Michael O, as he is known throughout the trade, continued to pursue his artistic and design interests, earning degrees in Architectural Engineering and building at Nigerian Polytechnic.

His dream was to continue his architectural studies abroad in America. With that end in mind, he broadened his studies, adding a degree in architectural technology. After arriving stateside in 1972, an relocating to Miami a year later, Michael O quickly established himself by designing, engineering, manufacturing, and distributing interior furnishings and accessories. In Miami, Michael O constructed a state-of-the-art workshop and began creating original designs.

“All of my designs have a sculpted look, even though I draw from an architectural background “ says Michael Oguns, pausing to consider his presentation. Apt to take a pencil in hand and draw a picture to elaborate a point, Michael O is strictly a hands-on-designer. His creative process is to sketch out ideas, build models at 1/3 to 1/5 the final scale, and then develop his design to full scale.

“Essentially I am a sculptor” he says.

After establishing his own Workshop and immersing himself in design projects for nearly five years, the National Home Fashions League awarded Michael O a best product award for a Lucite/acrylic cocktail table base fabrication. This award was followed by a special distinction status bestowed upon him by the American Society of Interior Designers and the Institute of Business Designers.

Michael O’s quest to turn his inspirations into custom creations led him to develop a hands-on=knowledge of each piece of machinery necessary to craft his distinctive futuristic designs for which he has become world renowned. Moving from acrylic to METAL to WOOD, Michael O, not only purchased the machinery necessary to fabricate his work, he taught himself how to weld and polish metal. With his shift to metal, Michael O, also relocated his showroom from downtown Miami’s design district to the highly acclaimed Design Center of the Americas (DCOTA) in Dania, Florida. And now, Michael O’s highly exotic veneer finish wood designs are fast becoming his stylistic trademark.

“I have been experimenting and trying to perfect my skill in woodworking for nearly four years” says Michael O. “I feel that I’ve just started. There’s a whole level I want to take it to, and I still have a lot of material to experiment with”.

Today, Michael O’s highly individual and artistic designs are featured in his 2,500 square foot DCOTA Showroom, one of the few designers in the entire industry to show his own work.

 

Michael O, name of distinction for optimum quality creations.

 

Exhibitions:

 

2010 SculptMiami, Contemporary Sculpture Art fair

Red Dot, Art Fair, KAVACHNINA CONTEMPORARY Gallery, Miami Fl