 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brooklyn Designs Review
The fourth annual Brooklyn Designs fair was held last May in the borough’s DUMBO neighborhood. - Diana Lind
|
 |
|
| Click
photos for a closer look. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Get hooked
Desu Design, a company originally based in Los Angeles but now located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, introduced seven new products at Brooklyn Designs. Minimalist and mainly manufactured in neutral colors, the products often walked the line between art and furniture. One standout from this year’s collection was Symbol, a coatrack. Symbol is the result of Desu Design’s quest to improve the prevailing aesthetic of ordinary coat hooks. When a coat needs to be hung, Symbol’s hooks slide out; when not needed, the hooks lay flat on the sleek base. Made of anodized aluminum, the piece is available in monochrome or customized colors. Desu Design, Brooklyn, N.Y. www.desudesign.com [Reader
Service September 2006 # 232 ] |
|
|
|
 |
|
Materials make a comeback
Environmentally friendly products, made of recycled materials that reflect a modern, urban aesthetic, stole the show. Palo Samko is a woodworker whose three-year-old company debuted two lines of ecofriendly furniture this year. His Walnut Line is composed of chairs, cabinets, and tables made of walnut wood. These forms allude to the sleek lines of mid-20th-century furniture but have a softer, less-industrial look to them. His Recycled Line is made from scraps found on construction sites. Using plywood, old construction beams, and railway beams, Samko renders these unsophisticated materials as polished desks, benches, and lamps that ironically convey both urban grit and refinement.
Palo Samko Woodworker, Brooklyn, N.Y. www.palosamko.com [ Reader
Service # September 2006 # 233 ] |
|
|
|
 |
|
Chirpy table
Like many of the exhibitors at Brooklyn Designs, Uhuru Design stresses its commitment to the environment in its products. Most of the pieces in its BK Collection are made with recycled or reclaimed materials, ranging from hardwood scraps used for a coatrack to a medical IV stand reconfigured for a lamp. The 48''-square Bird Table (right) exemplifies Uhuru’s funky aesthetic. The coffee table’s steel frame is blackened with a patina and sealed with a wax finish, while the top comes in either walnut or cerused white oak. A 1¼4'' reveal between the base and the top causes the top to appear to float. Screen-printed on the wood is a bird graphic (here, in robin’s-egg blue). Other graphic elements are also available. Uhuru Design, Brooklyn, N.Y. www.uhurudesign.com [ Reader
Service September 2006 # 234 ] |
| |
|
|
| For
more new products see this month's Product
Focus |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Video