We are focused on DESIGN, driven by PASSION, enabled by our ability to BUILD.
Duende is made up of people, and this group of people has personality, skills and ideas; in fact we’re probably a bit like you. We want to tell you a little bit about what drives us so that as you consider working with us you have a little better idea of team with which you will be partnering. Though, in the end you should just give us a call, we’d prefer to talk with you instead of staring at a computer screen.
Let us begin…..
Duende has it’s roots in design; we actually started as an art and fabrication studio focused on stained glass. This began in 2002 after Joseph Henseler received his degree in architecture and moved to San Diego from the east coast. Joseph came to the West Coast to apprentice in the studio of renowned artist James Hubbell and work in the architecture firm Hubbell and Hubbell.
We believe that every person and project is unique, thus deserving a unique and custom solution. So when you bring your ideas, dreams or projects to us we are going to approach it first from the perspective of a designer. For us that means looking at each project through the lens of new possibilities, asking “what could this be”, and coupling that with the wisdom wrought from years of experience designing and building.
As a company Duende is founded on passion. When Joseph moved to the California he did so in pursuit of his passion of art and making. He set his mind on training under someone he respected and made it happen.
As you see in the above definition, passion is in our name. We are not the only designers, builders, fabricators, or artists in the country or even San Diego. There are lots of people who will design you a house, or remodel your kitchen, or make you a custom piece of furniture. With Duende whether you hire us for design, construction, home remodeling, or fabrication we think what sets us apart is that we’d be hard pressed to do any of that without adding soul and passion, ultimately creating a more unique and significant product.
Though Joseph started this whole thing, it’s not all about him. Even Joseph will tell you that he didn’t name the company after himself for a reason.
We are a skilled collective of experienced imaginations – that’s a fluffy way of saying that we are a team of people with a lot of imagination coupled with the skill to make it happen. Collectively we have experience in everything from design and project documentation, construction trades, furniture fabrication, glass blowing, metal forging, stage lighting, copper working, branding and marketing, computer rendering and parametric modeling; the list goes on. So when you talk with Duende you are really accessing a vast network of skill, knowledge and capabilities to make happen whatever you can dream up.
We don’t operate out of our garage or the back of our van (though that is where Duende started). We live in a world of regulations, rules and challenges and it takes experience and expertise to navigate those. That’s why even though you can easily find a builder willing to fly under the radar, we are licensed, insured and bonded so you know we are committed to making things happen and getting them done right.
We hope you now have a better idea of who we are but we mean it when we say we’d like to meet you. If we’ve piqued even the slightest bit of interest please give us a call, drop by our office or meet us for a cup of coffee. We look forward to meeting you.
