Founder's Story
Travis Palmer Dean
Founder & Lead Designer at Chunky Walrus Pillows
“Every great design begins with an inspired idea,” Travis often muses. This philosophy became his creative anchor early in his career while transforming precious metals into exquisite jewelry and now designing luxurious yet functional pillows for a yacht’s deck, the inspired idea always comes first.
As a seasoned boater on the often breezy Long Island Sound, Travis found himself regularly retrieving cushions blown overboard. Frustrated by these now soggy and soon to be smelly chunks of cloth, inspiration led to the creation of the innovative Chunky Walrus Pillows. These elegant and cozy deck pillows boast a proprietary built-in weight system to keep them, and you, comfortably resting on deck, even in the windiest conditions.
Travis’s artistic flair was nurtured at Cushing Academy, leading to his induction into the Society of American Silversmiths and a prestigious gallery debut in Santa Fe at just 16. His talent was further recognized with an exhibition at Oxford University. His expertise deepened at North Bennet Street School, America’s oldest trade school, where he mastered goldsmithing. An apprenticeship in Aspen followed, after which he returned East to work with Russ Hollander, Master Goldsmith in Stamford, CT. Travis continues to refine his craft there, balancing his time between the bench and his entrepreneurial ventures.
Travis’s artistic flair was nurtured at Cushing Academy, leading to his induction into the Society of American Silversmiths and a prestigious gallery debut in Santa Fe at just 16. His talent was further recognized with an exhibition at Oxford University. His expertise deepened at North Bennet Street School, America’s oldest trade school, where he mastered goldsmithing. An apprenticeship in Aspen followed, after which he returned East to work with Russ Hollander, Master Goldsmith in Stamford, CT. Travis continues to refine his craft there, balancing his time between the bench and his entrepreneurial ventures.
