(Excerpted from the Mihaylo College Blog)
Patrick Hayes ’14 began building his own furniture when he first moved out of his parent’s home at age 20. An aspiring artist, he did not have the money or resources to buy furniture, so he built functional, yet crude, desks and tables. He spent the first few years touring with his band and took classes at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa when he had the chance.
While on tour in Texas, the band came across an abandoned beer brewing factory. He and a friend decided to sneak in and take a few pictures, similar to the works of Rob Dobi, a photographer he admired in high school who documented old buildings.
“Despite the police showing up, I knew I had found another passion,” Hayes says.
Hayes quit touring with his band to focus his attention to schooling. He transferred to CSUF in Spring 2012 to complete his degree. Despite walking in May, he has one last class he plans to complete over summer intersession.
After his fiancé accepted a job in Tennessee, he packed his bags and joined her in January 2014. He decided to skip the Spring semester and finish his final class in the summer because he wanted to get accustomed to his new home. Upon arriving, he realized the region was rich with history and urban decay.
“Finally, I was in an environment that could foster my desire for more urban creativity,” Hayes says. “Despite a few more run-ins with the police, I have finally found a way to satisfy my creative calling with the most amazing medium in the world, urban decay.”
Hayes was first inspired to creatively build a coffee table for his apartment in Tennessee after scrolling on Instagram and seeing someone build a table using lath. He received overwhelming support from family, friends and followers on social media, prompting him to begin building furniture for other people. It was then that he put it all of his effort into developing his company, 1767 designs.
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