RAW Studios
Biography
Peet van Straaten’s passion for design was ignited during his early apprenticeship days, as he created a series of once-off “ art-furniture” pieces. It wasn’t long before he found himself immersed in the professional design arena, starting Solo Design Studio in the Netherlands. There, his intuition for intelligent, sustainable materials and processes was cultivated before it culminated in “green architecture” studies in the UK.
Returning to South Africa, Peet carried on designing and developing once-off pieces and producing these custom pieces on a micro scale, while all the time further developing and mastering his artistic skill. Peet’s current venture has seen the development of RAW Studios, that has led to his personal involvement in larger scale projects, including six auditoriums (mass-seating, acoustic paneling) for the University of Pretoria. An end-to-end CNC machining process contributed to his producing office furniture for the TriBeCa Coffee Company.
Peet is currently focused on exploring the ultimate potential of plywood and employing CNC machining processes in his own product ranges, as well as corporate and public projects.
1997 – Completed a two year cabinetmaking apprenticeship.
1999 – Spent five years running Solo Design Studio in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
2004 – Achieved a Diploma in Architecture: Advanced Environmental & Energy Studies in the UK.
2005 – Established RAW Studios, designing products and collaborating on public projects.
