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Countdown to Knockoff: A Sculptor So Impactful She’s On A Postage Stamp

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. 

There is a weightlessness to the ecstatic looped wire sculptures of Ruth Asawa, like rivulets of medieval armor somehow suspended in a breeze. Hand woven by the the artist in a painstaking process that left her with constant cuts on her hands, Asawa's work has been revered for decades. 

During her time attending North Carolina's avant-garde Black Mountain College, Asawa first developed her style, which continued to evolve for half a century thereafter, working with galvanized wire, stone, and bronze. Asawa's legacy is more than the sculptural forms we so admire, she was a lifelong activist and advocate for arts education, believing that dedication to be integral to her post. Her vision and commitment has inspired generations of students, artists, and novices; so much so that the weaving workshop taught by her daughter had to be disbanded after an influx of knockoffs hit the art market. Yet for every work relying on imitation, there are countless others that take inspiration from Asawa's buoyant forms while remaining wholly original.

Image Credits: 

Installation view, Ruth Asawa: A Line Can Go Anywhere, David Zwirner, London 2020

Ruth and Her Wire Sculpture, Photo by Imogen Cunningham,  2020 Imogen Cunningham Trust

Untitled (S.590, Hanging Open Undulating Form), Ruth Asawa, c.1960 

 

RSVP TO THE KNOCKOFF SHOW BELOW

MAY 18 | 6-9 PM

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

TRACES OF

We can see a nod to Asawa's legacy in the inventive works of the three artists below...

Korakot Aromdee

Thai designer Korakot Aromdee marries traditional techniques with contemporary forms; weaving bamboo and hemp ropes with sublime results.  

KENDALL BUSTER

Diaphonous, podlike, and striking a distinctively naturalistic tenor, artist Kendall Buster's Double Chalice is made architectural through exaggerated scale.

Doug Johnston

Sitting at the intersection of art and design, Doug Johnston's work is focused on a process of coiling and stitching rope using industrial sewing machines and is often made in collaboration with his partner, Tomoe Matsuoka. 

Save the Date: The Knockoff Show

One quick lap around our gallery here at Colony, brimming with the ingenuity of 17 North American independent designers, is enough to dispel the maxim that nothing is original. We’ve asked our cohort for an ardent and generative rebuttal to a bitter reality of our business.

A group exhibition opening May 18, 6-9 PM. We hope you can join us!

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

Spec Sheet: The Source Console Table No. 3

The Source Console Table No. 3 is inspired by the exceptional craftsmanship and architecture of Armenia. Anna Aristova and Roza Gazarian, the creative team at A Space, create one-of-a-kind objects inviting their viewers to connect with the most primal nature of its elements.

Hand-carved by two local masters in volcanic Black Tuff, The Source Console Table No. 3 balances the heft of materiality with the delicacy of light emanating from its slatted voids. While the porous material offers a visual density akin to stone, its subtle flecks and matte surface provide a softened, distinctive quality. We've neither seen nor felt anything quite like it before. 

Notes

Standard Materials: Black Tuff
Dimensions: 55"L x 10"W x 32"H
Custom dimensions & finishes available.
Lead time: 14-16 weeks

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Not composed of volcanic ash, but equally compelling alternatives: 

Cumberland Console Table

Triadic legs in bleached ash serving equal parts sculptural and functional. 

Movement Dining Table

If you are lucky enough to be blessed with a spacious entry way, the Movement Table makes a shapely statement. 

Repeat/Arc Console

An intricate layered arc detail extends the entire profile. 

Meet our Residents: Alexis & Ginger, Marmar Studio

The final countdown commences as we prepare for the Designer’s Residency Show this Thursday April 6th, 6-9PM unveiling the debut collections of our first class of residents. We ask that you join us as the design world embraces these three exquisitely talented, young designers launching their independent studios: Marmar Studio and Alexis & Ginger. We sat down with Ginger Gordon, Alexis Tingey, and Ingemar Hagen-Keith for a quick download ahead of the big night. 

RSVP HERE

ALEXIS & GINGER

Ginger and Alexis met in grad school at RISD and knew immediately that they wanted to work together; they each have a design process heavily predicated on research.

What was the design process like for the Ode collection?

A&G: We began by going to the NYPL picture stacks and sifting through the endless trove of folders filled with images of lace, gloves, architectural details, greek urns, and portraiture from every era. We find inspiration in the smallest details and the largest forms. Lines, textures, and materials are collaged, like the images we pull, as new forms slowly begin to reveal themselves.

What was your vision for this collection/your studio?

A&G: We were interested in creating objects embedded with moments of the past, sharing stories through abstraction and composition of materials. Each piece is a keepsake, an ode to the silhouettes of architecture and the under-celebrated details of tapestry. 

What are your favorite materials to work with?

A&G: The best part about making furniture is that you are never required to stick to one medium. Materials and their different capabilities and qualities draw us to push our designs and to think of new ways to incorporate them. Light and shadow, heavy contrast, is something we are always looking to capture in our work. By mixing materials we are able to create this weighted balance.

 

MARMAR STUDIO

Ingemar, how would you describe your personal and design style?

I: In one word, Fruity. 

What were your influences for Pet Collection?

I: The design process focused so much on the immediacy of attraction to an object. I wanted to follow my instincts and see the collection as what made meaning of those instincts, rather than using a framework to build something from. I think some of my greatest influences are the animals in my life, both in the joy they bring me and their beautiful forms and expressions.

Describe the moment this collection came into focus for you.

I: Quite honestly, when I finished the Clog Lounger. It was the piece I began with and the last piece I completed. Of all the pieces, it had the most iterations, and I think it is the product of everything I have learned making this collection.

At Large: Introducing the Colony Residents

The excitement is building here at Colony as we prepare for the much anticipated Designer’s Residency Show on April 6th. Throughout their eight month tenure, our three immensely talented residents have worked tirelessly to produce their respective first studio collections; the fruits of their labor are even more spectacular than we could have imagined. 

Founded by Ingemar Hagen-Keith, Marmar Studio unites the practical and the fanciful with Pet Collection. The Pippi Nightstand, a playfully abstract interpretation of Hagen-Keith’s cat, highlights the intersection of smooth curves and crisp edges while the Noon Valet follows the recurring theme of animation in inanimate objects, with its circular cut outs casting unique and dynamic shadows that wax and wane throughout the day.

Alexis & Ginger is the namesake design studio led by Alexis Tingey and Ginger Gordon; together they present their inaugural collection, Ode, inspired by the delicate balance of weight in materiality, form, and color. An alluring inlay of mother of pearl undulates around the India ink dyed wooden base of the New Morning Side Table, beckoning a closer examination of moments often overlooked. Similarly with the Tower of Song Light, the hand pleated and cut ivory shade recalls architectural forms and details of tapestry.

Believe us when we say these collections in their entirety will live rent free in your brain until they can live in your home.

 

Notes

Further details forthcoming
Customizations available

RSVP HERE

You’re Invited: The Designer’s Residency

On April 6th please join us to commemorate a momentous day in Colony’s history as we celebrate the launch of The Designers' Residency with the debut collections of our first ever designers in residence, Alexis & Ginger and Marmar Studio. Working from a rich foundation of curation, exhibit design, design education and collaborative design development, our 8 month incubator culminates this spring with the launch of two studios from 3 remarkable, emerging American designers. 

Founded by Ingemar Hagen-Keith, Marmar is a design studio guided by the harmony of animated gesture and refined form. In all designs, utility and form are aligned; making the use of an object an expression of its personality. Marmar’s ethos is to create the practical and fanciful - designing inanimate objects you can’t help but animate.

Ginger Gordon and Alexis Tingey, the designers behind Alexis & Ginger, are captivated with the tangible. Their objects are embedded with moments of the past, sharing stories through abstraction and composition of materials. Each piece is a keepsake, an ode to the silhouettes of architecture and the under-celebrated details of tapestry. 

We couldn’t be more proud of Alexis, Ginger and Ingemar, our first residents and three designers we believe will shape the future of independent American design. Join us for this moment of true discovery as we honor their extraordinary work.

The Designers' Residency Opening Reception
Thursday, April 6
6:00 -9:00 PM
324 Canal Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10013

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

You’re Invited: SSS Atelier Debuts at Colony

On Thursday March 23rd 5-8:00PM Colony introduces SSS Atelier, the newest furniture collection by Sarah Sherman Samuel. Originally conceived as a virtual gallery home for a variety of her own original artwork and in-house furniture collection, each piece is fabricated in the designer’s native Michigan from the highest quality materials–oak, walnut, leather, and handpicked stones. Designed with legacy in mind, these unique pieces are heirlooms in the making. Please join us for a collaborative opening at Allied Maker’s Tribeca Showroom to toast this distinguished collection and addition to the Colony Family.

On View 3/23-3/31

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

Spec Sheet: Cove/Arc Credenza by KWH

Featuring a concave arc detail that extends around the entire profile much like a subtle track, the Cove/Arc Credenza by KWH is designed to be admired up close. In exposing the signature end grain detailing, the arc detail adds more than just a visual flourish, it elegantly highlights the piece's intricate construction. 

Composed entirely of solid hardwood with concealed concave pulls, the Cove/Arc Credenza is available in an orientation of either four doors, six drawers or a customizable combination of both.

We have a walnut drawer version on view at Colony, so hit the inquire button if you'll be in the neighborhood. 

Notes

Standard Materials: Ash, Walnut, Oak 
Dimensions: 71"L x 17"W x 30"H 
Custom dimensions & finishes available.
Lead time: 16-20 weeks

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Did you know "credenza" is the Italian word for confidence? These storage stars certainly have ours. 

Canvas Credenza

Stands apart from the crowd with exquisite hand-dyed canvas panels. Big nonconformist energy. 

NOCTURNE CREDENZA

Challenging the rigidity of traditional case construction with soft, undulating joinery this storage series includes the Nocturne Credenza INocturne Credenza II and Nocturne Chest

Roebuck Nightstand

A bold oxblood laminated leather drawer pulls from beneath a walnut or stone top, dealer's choice.

Spec Sheet: Cantilever Bench by Phaedo

A predilection for sculpture and appreciation for what lasts is evident in the timeless Cantilever Bench by Phaedo, based in New York’s Catskill Mountains.

Classically Bauhaus this stripped-down design embodies the principles of the movement with a subtle storage shelf below inspiring the delight of an unexpected functionality. Enduring craftsmanship for holistic living.

Notes

Standard Materials: Ash, Maple, Oak, Cherry and Walnut
Available with or without arms
Dimensions: 60"W x 18.5"D x 35"H / 18" Seat Height
Custom dimensions & finishes available.
Lead time: 14-16 weeks

LIFE/DESIGN

Available in a range of lengths from 60" to 108", the Cantilever bench has room for all three of our dream dinner guests:

Carl Phillips

Every good dinner party needs a bookworm, we'd pick the inimitable poet, Carl Phillips. Madeleine relishes the connection between the natural world and human relationships Phillips captures in his stunning verse which would undoubtedly make for some stimulating conversation. 

Lizzo

Equal parts ebullient, positive, and political, It's About Damn Time to invite Lizzo to Dinner. All Grace wants in this world is to hear her say, that meal was Good as Hell

Our Dearly Departed

We wouldn't be here today without them, the least we can do is cook them a meal. Jean would invite her paternal Great Grandfather, an agricultural maverick, who famously ventured over 2,000 miles to study farming methods in Japan and bring his specialized knowledge back to Taiwan for the good of his community. We feel accomplished when we send an email...

Spec Sheet: Bole Dining Table

Here at Colony, we love a little botany in our nomenclature. Taking cues from Naive painter Henri Rousseau, the Bole Dining Table from the team at Vonnegut/Kraft, derives its name from its very provenance: the trunk of the Sapele tree.

Abundance radiates from this piece with its root flare inspiration reflected in the curvature of its repetitive oversized reeded base.

Design so strong, accessories optional.

Notes

Standard Wood Finishes: Sapele
58"ø x 29"H
Lead time: 14-16 weeks
Custom dimensions and materials available.

 

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We all know a dining table is only as good as the chairs sitting around it. Here are some of our favorites.

Circlet Chair

A leather seat and back on this chair are available in natural veg tan leather, or black as seen here.

More info.

Layered Back Dining Chair 

Layered dual wrapping back support for double the functionality.

See more here.

Kana Chair

Mohair in conversation with lacquered wood? We're listening.

See more here.