The Team

  • Christian

      Christian Dunbar joined 24e in 2009 following a nearly two decade modeling career. During that time, he traveled and lived on six continents, taking in cultural styles from all around the world. His earliest inspiration came from the natural materials and minimalist design he saw in Japan.  Following an extended period living in continental Europe and Asia, he landed in New York City.  It was there, at the age of 30, he decided to study interior design.

      Four years later, after laboring countless nights and weekends in front of his drafting table, he graduated from New York School of Interior Design, and began work as a freelance designer based in Brooklyn's trendy Williamsburg neighborhood.  It was there that he got a taste for the city's distinctive metropolitan style.  One of his first projects was the conversion of a 3500-sf raw factory space into a four-bedroom loft. The highlight of the project was working firsthand with steel, glass, concrete, and wood to create a space that was as much gallery as it was residential.

      Eventually, Dunbar made his way to the south to begin graduate degree work at the Savannah College of Art & Design. One day, while walking his doberman Cassius, he happened to stop into a furniture store at 24 East Broughton Street. A place called 24e.

      “When I first entered 24e, it felt like a little slice of New York that had been transplanted to the South,” recalling the unique “Lowcountry Modern” style that 24e owner Ruel Joyner had carefully cultivated.  “When I saw the diversity of materials, and styles I knew I was in the right place.”

      Throughout his life, Christian has lived in a wide array of cultures, and in a multitude of different residential situations.  From New York lofts, to tiny Japanese apartments, to lavish Italian homes, he has experienced diversity like no other.  During that time, he developed a traveler's sensibility, finding inspiration from the best elements of each stop.  He values well-planned spaces without clutter, and clean-lined furniture.  He is obsessed with materiality.  “I am fixated with the idea of using natural materials in ways that show off their inherent opulence,” he says. Christian is as much a furniture designer as he is an interior designer.  During his time in Savannah, he has designed and built several custom pieces, working with both commercial and residential clients. His most recent works have consisted of steel, various hardwoods, and polished concrete.

      “In my furniture and sculpture, I like to meld a sense of permanence with a sense of contemporary luxury,” he says. “I like creating spaces using natural elements in a way that brings the outdoors in, but in a modern, beautiful, smart way.”

  • ← Previous Post