Dear friends and colleagues,
7 MEDITATIONS ON A WRITING LIFE
Carl Phillips, 2022
"A steady drive, without expectation. An acceptance that to be an artist is to commit to a lifelong apprenticeship to mastery over what cannot truly be mastered, since the definition of art—as with the evaluation of excellence—is ever shifting and always subjective. Accepting the fact of this—indeed, even embracing it will return you to that most important form of ambition that I mentioned earlier, the ambition for the world.....This ambition will keep your mind on the work, what matters most; as much as possible, let the work be everything; for the work will save you."
Shop our selection of ambitious and available works.
Standard Materials: Linen, Alpaca and Viscose
Dimensions: 54"W x 144"H
Lead Time: (1) In Stock
Standard Materials: Whitewashed ash, Corduroy
Dimensions: 35"L x 17"W x 19"H
Lead Time: (1) In stock
Standard Materials: Solid Cork
Dimensions: 21.57"L x 14.5"W x 16"H
Lead Time: (1) In stock
END OF SUMMER
Stanley Kunitz, 1953
Nuts and bolts and specifications included below.
The kitchen island is a hardworking hub; one that functions as a home office, favorite spot for casual dinner, and the place where guests gather over a bottle of wine. With so much happening at the bar, the barstool has become a critical piece in the contemporary home, equally on display as it is in use. The Solid Leg Stool by Toronto-based Studio Paolo Ferrari is worthy of both descriptors, providing a comfortable, stylish seat further boosted by an upholstered low backrest. The foot bar is offered in a striking hammered metal and alternatively a Polished Nickel, Darkened Brushed Bronze, Brushed Bronze, and Matte Black finish.
Standard Materials: COM upholstery, Hammered metal
Dimensions: 16"W x 15.5"D x 30"H x 25"SH
Lead time: 22-24 weeks
When you're ready to step out from behind your home bar, try one of our favorites for refreshing Summer sips...
Since 2009, Pilar Cuban Eatery on Bedford Ave. in Bed Stuy has been stirring up the tastiest spicy margarita in town. Grace loves to pair it with their heavenly plantain nachos.
On a hot afternoon, Mads' loves a Cynar, soda and a splash of vermouth at Bar Laika in Clinton Hill.
Tommy, our new favorite intern, loves a whiskey ginger, and the price is just right at beloved Belle Reve, our neighbor on Church St.
Alternative energy is in high demand and we've always found the most enjoyable dilemma to have is too many options. Brooklyn-based design studio, Erickson Aesthetics, offers a plethora of finishes and one of a kind leather slings for their impeccable Lounge Chair. Perhaps you're a classic oak person, or a more unexpected Rosewood enthusiast. The medley of natural selections allows for an intensely customizable piece. Whichever way you want it.
Dimensions: 28"L x 31"W x 28"H
Materials: Wood, Brass, Leather, COL available
Finishes: Charred Oak, Cerused Oak, Oak, Walnut, Ash, Holly, Teak, Rosewood
Lead time: 16-20 weeks
Keep your options open with these ready to ship, in-stock pieces...
The definitive craftsmanship we’ve come to expect from the team at Allied Maker shines as they launch the instantly iconic Meridian Collection. A soft glow emanates from the distinctive bulbs of both the sleek and rectilinear Meridian Sconce and Meridian Flush Mount. We love the option to wall or ceiling mount allowing for a tailored and stylish distribution of light.
Ryden and Lanette Rizzo, principals at Allied Maker say: “The Meridian Collection introduces a new glass shape and features ribbed machined brass, culminating in fixtures that exude a modern yet traditional aesthetic.”
Meridian Flush Mount
Dimensions: 12.7"L x 12.7"W x 12.34"H
Brass and Glass in a range of available finishes.
Lead time: 22 weeks
Meridian Sconce
Dimensions: 13.8"L x 12.7"W x 12"H
Brass and Glass in a range of available finishes.
Lead time: 22 weeks
Let the light in with these noteworthy selections...
Choice is sanctified here at Colony; this stunning stained glass sconce doubles as a chic desk lamp.
Slanted Armchair No.1, A Space
Indian Onyx, fabricated by Edco Stone
41"L x 30"W x 27"H
Chrome Manifold I (after Terje Ekstrøm), Erickson Aesthetics
Sewer pipe, Chrome mirror enamel
31.5"W x 33.5"D x 34.5"H
Quilted Mirrors, Scheibe Design
Vintage quilts, Ash, Mirror
(2) 36"W x 36"H
The Knockoff Show tasked designers to identify a source of inspiration from the past (see below) and create an entirely new piece of work (see above)...
Inspired by the minimalist aesthetic of Donald Judd and the angular, interlocking planes of Hérve Baley’s architectural furniture, Slanted Armchair No. 1 is a study in simplicity and materiality. Cut from a single sheet of Indian onyx, the chair’s sharp angles accentuate the beauty of the natural material and its cool tones of gray and green. Though straightforward at first glance, the architectural form plays with asymmetry to give the chair a slightly off-kilter effect. In some instances, the subtle asymmetries create new ways of interacting with and using the chair.
Created as a parody of the neotenic FAT furniture trend, Chrome Manifold I (after Terje Ekstrøm) is a ‘luxury piece’ constructed from sewer pipe and finished in chrome mirror enamel. Erickson Aesthetics references the iconic Ekstremchair, designed in 1984 by Norwegian designer Terje Ekstrøm, which challenged the ideals of Scandinavian design at the time and is still in production today.
The final form of Scheibe Design’s Quilted Mirrors was informed by multiple points of seemingly disparate inspiration. Both Donald Judd’s use of simple shapes and color combinations influenced the mirror’s composition as Judd remains a foundational inspiration for Nate Scheibe. It was Sanford Bigger’s exhibition “Codeswitch,” where the artist added layers of code to 1800’s quilts through mark-making, painting, cutting, collaging and reconstruction, where Scheibe was inspired by the medium of vintage quilts, a textile with roots in his own familial history.
“Quilts from aunts, grandmothers, and other family members are imprinted on my memory. These fabrics bring me a sense of safety and maternal love that is reminiscent of my childhood.”
- Nate Scheibe
River, Hiroko Takeda
Cotton, Linen, Monofilament, Mohair
(2) 49"L x 25.5"W x 2.25"D
Boe Bebop Lounge, Studio Paolo Ferrari x Hiroko Takeda
White washed white oak, Cotton
36"W x 36"H
To Disappear into the Trees, Sarah Sherman Samuel
Plaster, Oak, Pine
6"W x 6"H per piece
The Knockoff Show tasked designers to identify a source of inspiration from the past (see below) and create an entirely new piece of work (see above)...
Hiroko Takeda drew inspiration from the Japanese technique of boro, a practice of reworking and repairing textiles through piercing, patching and stitching for her diptych River. For this new work, Takeda improvised with various weave structures to create rhythm, movement and depth. A fine plaid pattern and line drawing in the textile’s ground morphs into irregular organic-shaped motifs of various dimensions and textures. Showing alongside River is the piece’s inspiration source, a collection of textiles gifted by Takeda’s friend Stephen Szczepanek at Sri Threads, a textile showroom specializing in antique Japanese folk textiles.
“I am inspired by the improvisational composition of boro, the layering and combinations of fragments, innocent stitching and patterns. And this beauty is born from necessity—the need to mend and reuse. Boro pulls me into its universe and fascinates me.”
-Hiroko Takeda
The Boe Bebop Lounge, Studio Paolo Ferrari’s newest collaboration with textile artist Hiroko Takeda, is an extension of the duo’s creative journey as collaborators. Studio Paolo Ferrari takes inspiration from the collaborations between architect Pierre Chareau and textile artist Jean Lucrat and the resulting body of unexpectedly lyrical and beautifully eccentric work that blurs the lines between functionalism and artistry. In early discussions between Ferrari and Takeda, the designers considered expressing textile as structure, with their concept evolving into an exploration of the painterly, inspired by the work of Milton Avery.
Sarah Sherman Samuel’s sculpture, To Disappear into the Trees, draws from Charlotte Perriand’s CP1 sconces. Inspired both by the modularity of these sconces and by how Perriand’s lighting is used as an architectural element in an interior space, Samuel worked with plaster and wood to address these themes in her own work of art. Each piece can be viewed singularly but is shown grouped together as a larger installation. Similar to a CP1 sconce disappearing into the hard architectural lines of its surrounding, Samuel’s pieces are meant to do the same, but with the backdrop being that of the natural world rather than Perriand’s industrial settings.
Lindsey Adams, Bec Brittain
Oil rubbed bronze, Hand-painted ivory globes
69"L x 46"W x 56"H
Off-Grid Credenza, Grain
FSC certified solid American ash
72"L x 20.5"W x 30"H
Bend/Arc Desk, KWH Furniture
White oak, Brass, Leather
60"L x 27"W x 30"H
The Knockoff Show tasked designers to identify a source of inspiration from the past (see below) and create an entirely new piece of work (see above)...
Lindsey Adams takes inspiration from Lindsey Adelman’s Branching Bubble, a ubiquitous design that has a personal link for Bec Brittain who left Adelman’s studio to form her solo practice twelve years ago. Named after Lindsey’s maiden name “Adams”, the piece exhibited is just as much a knockoff as it is an homage to Brittain’s past and early career in the lighting industry. Alongside Branching Bubble, Brittain also drew from a project she began back in 2013, where she created freeform shapes with lines of SHY bulbs.
“Both Lindsey and I rely heavily on "systems" of parts that can be put together in a countless number of ways. This knock off is substituting my kit of parts for hers, making analogies along the way. Her lines are tubes, my lines are the light bulbs. Her bulbs are globes, mine are the double diamond FKA Themis shapes.”
- Bec Brittain
The Bend/Arc Desk by KWH Furniture finds inspiration in an unlikely source, a trash can. Kai-wei Hsu came upon this particular trash can, made by Bottega Ghianda and designed by Emanuela Frattini Magnussion, back in 2016. Made up of multiple bent laminate verticals joined together at the corners for strength, each spoke of the Bend/Arc Desk is a singular component in its complex form.
Grain’s Off Grid Credenza takes inspiration from the distinctive checkerboard pattern and functional pivot hinge of a Door for an Inner Room made in the late 19th century by an unnamed Baule artist in what is now the Ivory Coast. Found within the pages of African Art in the Barnes Foundation, it was not the beautifully carved bird, crocodile and mask motifs on the front of the door that drew designers Chelsea and James Minola in, but instead the tactility of the imperfect check pattern on the door’s rear. With the check pattern originating as far back as 10,000 BC as a by-product of the textile weaving process, the Off-Grid Credenza shows reverence for its rich history and inspiration while still creating a functional piece of furniture for contemporary interiors.
“We know that the work that we make is never just ours. We know this first and foremost because we have always worked in partnership with each other, our employees and even the expertise of our vendors. We know this because we often can’t remember where something started or whose idea initiated the conversation. It is always a result of our collective lived experience and often it is hard to pull apart where inspiration stops and origination begins.”
- Chelsea Minola
For this year's group exhibit, we tasked our designers to identify a source of inspiration and create something original in its wake. In anticipation of The Knockoff Show, we will share artists's whose work has reverberated for generations in beautifully unexpected ways. RSVP to the May 18th opening reception here.
Wong Kar-wai doesn’t follow the rules. No storyboards, no rehearsals, no fleshed out scripts. This intense level of improvisation compels the casts of his dreamy, nonlinear films to rely on their instincts to mold a given scene, the way a bird builds a nest. It’s this reverence towards intuition which embeds his films with emotional truth, cutting to the core of human experience through the reflex behaviors we’re conditioned out of past infancy.
A darling of the second wave, Kar-wai got his start as a screenwriter before pivoting into directing. The results of his fly by the seat of your pants approach, combined with a historically dogged resolve (he shot 30 hours of unused footage for In the Mood For Love) has won him the admiration of cinefiles everywhere. His filmography is a striking, sometimes loopy, heart-pounding testament to what gold can be spun from trusting your gut.
Image Credits:
In the Mood for Love, Wong Kar-wai, 2000
Chungking Express, Wong Kar-wai, 1994
Happy Together, Wong Kar-wai 1997
If we could we dream in the style of Wong Kar-wai or these three auteurs...
Famed arbiter of the triumphant coalescence of blues and emotional punch that is Moonlight.
Coppola's distinct nuanced minimalism won her an oscar for Lost in Translation (she thanks Wong Kar-wai for his inspiration in her acceptance speech).
Thai director known for his lyrical renders of the quotidian in his films.
