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Meet Our Residents Part I: Ember Studio, M.Pei Studio

The second year of Colony's Designer's Residency culminates next month on June 13th at 6PM, please join us then as we introduce the design world to four talent-packed, emerging studios. We caught up with Maggie Pei and Stephanie Betesh, one half of this year's cohort, and founders of M. Pei and Ember Studios, for a chat ahead of the launch of their collections. 

M.PEI STUDIO

Maggie Pei is the founder of M.Pei Studio. Her practice is rooted in a deep appreciation for objects, their narratives, histories, and the manner in which they come alive. Pei's furniture aims to transcend object and become subject, capturing the forgotten sensations of a moment on the threshold where past converges with the present, where the lucid co-exist with the hidden.

Maggie, what was the design process like for this collection? What or who were your influences?

M: The design process for this collection started with collaging, making collages from paper, from different materials, from found pieces of objects. Life felt a bit more like a collage to me last fall. I moved to  this city, both familiar and new to me and was bombarded with mixed cultures in this huge melting pot, carrying things from the past, discovering something new, or rediscovering things that have been put to the back of my head. The surroundings that I was experiencing clashed with my habits from the past, to become an influence I could not escape.

Describe your collection and/or studio in 3 words.

M: Mystical, Sentimental, and Poetic. 

How do you approach creating a new piece of furniture?

M: I view creating and living as a whole. I try to not overthink about what a collection or new pieces need to be instead focusing on the state of mind at the moment and revealing what they are supposed to be. New pieces, along with past and future creations, stories, and memories all work together to weave this ongoing narrative of the tale I am crafting.  If my previous works could be likened to prose pieces that could be compiled into an anthology, then I envision this collection as a short novel. I hope that it will articulate a more defined storyline and facilitate increased interaction among the characters.

EMBER STUDIO

Steph Betesh is the founder of Ember Studio. She holds a B.S. in Interior Design from the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture alongside a near decade of experience working on both residential and commercial projects. As a spatial designer, Steph's work implements a holistic approach emphasizing the harmonious relationship between the individual object and its environment to encourage moments of human connection.

Steph, what was your vision for this collection/for your studio?

S: My vision for this collection was to create a group of approachable and livable objects for thoughtfully curated spaces. I wanted the pieces to invite you in while using an eclectic mix of materials to create interest and add layers of depth to the space where the piece resides. My vision is a holistic approach creating considered spaces and objects with a unique charm and individuality.

What do you see as the future of design? 

S: The future of design relies on the process and the story behind what is created. The errors, trials, references, and inspirations create a conversation that makes the work authentic. That being said, the space or object should also be able to stand on its own, but the thoughtful foundation inherently makes it more interesting and honest.

What does the design world need more and/or less of? 

S: Less mass production. More opportunities for independent designers like Colony's residency program. When I first read about it I was so impressed because nothing else like it exists within the design world. I have felt so supported and encouraged throughout the duration of the residency, and a big part of that had to do with the academic, collaborative and conversational nature of the program. Having worked for design firms with many late nights and tight deadlines, I can say that process was oftentimes put on the back burner which inevitably hindered creativity and didn't allow time for collaborative conversations. Design can be its best when everyone in the room can comfortably express their opinion, have the space to agree/disagree, and the time to work through it to make it the best it can be.

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

Spec Sheet: Quadrant Quilt by Meg Callahan

Meg Callahan is doing the good work. Her newest quilts, Juno Circle,  Marrow, and Quadrant (featured here) are composed entirely of repurposed materials and mark a shift in her approach to making wherein the construction is dictated by the material at hand. Like many of us, Meg aspired to reduce her eco footprint and turned to the immensity of available deadstock, offcut, vintage, and scrap fabrics.

Says Meg, “This practice of working with scraps or byproducts of other production is the root of many quilting practices and traditions, but funnily enough new territory for me and more difficult than I imagined. Each patchwork pattern is attuned to the size, color, quantity and shape of the scraps as I received them. I am interested in shifting towards working with offcuts as a way to develop non-homogeneous production processes and developing alternative material sourcing practices.”

The designs/patterns of these three quilts are available for commission, but fabrics will change depending on availability of deadstock/scrap.


Notes

Standard Materials: Cotton, Linen
Dimensions: 93"L x 91.25"W
Lead Time: a one-off piece 

More Of 

Keep the pattern party going with the pieces below: 

Juno Circle Quilt


On your bed or wall alike, this new piece inspires zen.

Gambit Coffee Table


An alluring juxtaposition of Crema and Rosa Marble.

Single Tier Ruffle Side Table


BZIPPY’s Drippy Palladium glaze is giving idyllic rural.

In Detail: Hardware

The devil isn’t in the details here at Colony, it’s in the hardware. When our designers conceptualize a new piece, they are always finding new ways to ingrain unexpected flourishes. These subtle aesthetic inclusions can accent meticulously handcrafted hardwood or simply bolster the unique personality of the work. Be it an ellipse of bronze anchoring the feet of Grain’s 19th century inspired hanging cabinet, the brass detailing of an SSS Atelier dining chair, or the  custom brass pulls of Vonnegut/Kraft’s travertine-topped credenza, there are no shortage of glimmers on our showroom floor.

Off-Grid Cabinet

Standard Materials: American walnut, Bronze hardware, Aluminum French Cleath
Dimensions: 30”W x 10.375”D x 44”H
Lead Time: 14-16 weeks

Aperture Table Lamp

Standard Materials: Brass, Glass and Wood
Dimensions: 17.75”L x 11.5”W x 27.25”H
Lead Time: 16-18 weeks

Phaedra Horizontal

Standard Materials: Finished Brass, Clear Glass Prisms
Dimensions: 33” x 9.4” x 5.1”H
Lead Time: 14 – 16 weeks

 Kamp Dining Chair

Standard Materials: White Oak, Brass, and COM Seat Height: 16”
Dimensions: 20” L x 20” W x 31” H
Lead Time: 8-10 weeks

Bombora Credenza

Standard Materials: Oak, Travertine and Brass
Dimensions: 84”W x 21”D x 30”H
Lead Time: 20 - 22 weeks

More Of

Don't miss the enviable hardware on some Colony favs below:

Bend/Arc Desk

Brass details on the desk of our dreams.

Brass X4

Machined brass and freely rotating arms—what more could we ask for in a pendant?

Black and White Lounge Chair

She's all angles and accents. 

Spec Sheet: EAE Daybed by Erickson Aesthetics

If you ask us, a daybed is always a sleek inclusion. The inviting ribbed cushion and leather bolster of the EAE Daybed proves this principle, enticing you to laze in unadulterated style. In this flagship piece of Erickson Aesthetic’s Tube and Dowel Frame series, patina’d hardware compliments hardwood, circular to oval legs and tapered corners set in a slender metal frame. Now that’s what we call Becky with the good hair-on-hide. 

Founder and designer Ben Erickson looked to some iconic design forebears, “The piece was initially inspired by ancient Egyptian beds, with the intent to create something even more minimal than the ubiquitous Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Couch. The gray and white brindle hair-on-hide versions with black bolster pillow in particular, are my play on the Corbusier cow print Chaise lounge.”


Notes

Standard Materials: Wood, Brass, Leather COL Available
Dimensions: 84"L x 31"W x 16"H
Lead Time: 16-20 weeks

More Of

The options for lounging are limitless…

Crescent Lounge

A study in balance.

Chaise Lounger

Wood frame meets circular arm in a divine intersection. 

Cloud Sofa

Peep the hand-hammered metal legs. 

Spec Sheet: Fort Credenza by SSS Atelier

For many of us, first forays into design might be traced back to the construction of our beloved childhood forts and the particular pride and delight of building with one's own hands. For SSS Atelier founder and designer, Sarah Sherman Samuel, those days of youthful dynamism have manifested in the Fort Credenza, inspired by the structural design of her own early creations. This hyper linear piece provides a generous 8 full feet of storage, and can be customized to accommodate the specifics of your space.


Notes

Standard Materials: Oak, Ebonized Oak, Walnut
Dimensions: 4101"L x 18"W x 22.5"H
Lead Time: 16-18 weeks

Life/Design

Top off your new credenza with our coffee table book recs below…

What We Keep

We would be remiss not to include the forthcoming pride of our Colony joy.

Faith Ringgold: American People

Her retrospective at the New Museum blew us away.

______is a breakfast food

Compelling as an art object and pragmatic for breakfast connoisseurs.

Spec Sheet: Arc/Shift Coffee Table By KWH

The Arc/Shift Coffee Table is a piece with magnetism. Its layered top rises out of an underbelly of expertly crafted contours to betray an otherwise monolithic presence. A staple of the Arc series, the table features solid, Bleached Ash of the hardwearing KWH caliber we can be sure of. Custom dimensions and finishes are available (we’d love to see this beauty in Black Walnut!).


Notes

Standard Materials: Bleached Ash
Tearsheet download
Table: 48"W x 72"L x 17"H

More Of

More coffee tables to hold your copy of What We Keep come May…

Mr. C Table

Stunning white oak Noguchi-inspired legs.

Ledge Coffee Table

It's the double bullnose top for us.

Radial Coffee Table

The more KWH the better.

Colony Classics: Dish Side Table by Grain

Grain has always been forward-thinking, be it in their commitment to environmentalism or in their progressive design. In 2012, they launched the Dish series, a collection distinguished by striking sloped underbellies, like that of the Dish Side Table. These sculptural tables are not only milled to avoid warping and cracking over time, but also double as stools. Co-founder Chelsea Minola recalls, ““Our first Dish tables were inspired by a collection of hand-carved stools that I inherited from my grandparents. The original tables have a great sculptural presence but warped and cracked over time. Our idea was to take inspiration from the basic dished-out top but to make them in a way that allows for more stability as well as providing a more useful flat surface.” 

For her partner James, the tables are more about the fabrication process itself, “Traditionally, if you are going to make a wood dish or bowl you would use a lathe, but that process is quite limiting in terms of scale.” They utilize a robotic milling arm in its stead, allowing them to refine massive cuts of lumber to smooth distinction.


Notes

Standard Materials:  FSC Certified Ash, Blackened Ash, Douglas Fir, Walnut
Dimensions: 18 ø x 16"H
Lead Time: 12-14 weeks 

Life/Design

See below for more eye-catching Grain selections: 

Clover Side Table

Standard Materials: Solid Cork 
Dimensions: 14.5"W x 14.5"D x 16"H
Lead Time: 12-14 weeks

Circlet Single Sconce 

Standard Materials: Solid Cork
Dimensions: 8"L x 6"W x 7"H
Lead Time: 10-12 weeks

Drift Side Table

Standard Materials: FSC Ash, Cast Glass,Brass
Dimensions: 18"L x 18"W x 17"H
Lead Time: 12-14 weeks

In Detail: Roebuck

The elegant swoop of joinery which defines Scheibe Design’s Roebuck collection exemplifies what we’ve come to love about this studio: their penchant for detail. Says co-founder Nate Scheibe, “The collection began around a unique connection between the legs and top which is carried on throughout.” The father/son team out of Nashville seamlessly blends materials to harmony as seen in the winning combo of laminated leather and bleached Walnut in the Roebuck Nightstand or the restrained pairing of Oak and light bouclé in the Roebuck Bench. The Roebuck dresser, with its distinctly curved facade, debuts this month with the segmented, obround pulls of our dreams. 


Roebuck Bench

Standard Materials: White Oak, Walnut, Cherry, Wool bouclé
Dimensions: 42”L x 17”W x 19”H
Lead Time: In stock (various finishes)

Roebuck Nightstand

Standard Materials: White oak, Walnut, Cherry, Bleached ash, Leather, Marble
Dimensions: 30”L x 19”W x 22.5”H
Lead Time: 8-10 weeks
In stock: (1) Walnut, Oxblood leather

Roebuck Coffee Table

Standard Materials: White oak, Walnut, Cherry, Bleached ash, Marble
Dimensions: 60”L x 36”W x 15”H
Lead Time: 8-10 weeks

More Of

These unmistakable pulls will have you opening drawers just for fun…

Cove/Arc Credenza

Concealed concave pulls for the smoothest possible finish.

Roebuck Dresser

Aforementioned pulls we relish.

Pippi Nightstand

Signature button nose pull couldn't be cuter.

Palette: Reflections

Lexan Series Table

Standard Materials: Lexan
Dimensions: 30"W x 60"D x 16"H
Lead Time: 14-16 weeks

 

Upon Further Reflection

Standard Materials: Oak, Mirror 
Dimensions: 42"W x 18"D x 55.25"H
Lead Time: 14-18 weeks

 

 

Crux Pendant

Standard Materials: Machined Brass and Blown Glass
Dimensions: 6" and 12"
Lead Time: Please Inquire 

 

Braided Mirror

Standard Materials: Maple, Dyed black veneer
Dimensions: 21”L x 2.5" W x58" H 
Lead Time: 10 - 14 weeks

 

More of

It’s time to shine with these Colony staples…

Aperture 4, 20",30"

An ambient glow emits through four cast glass domes.

Drift Bump Sconce Small

The making process echoes through its wide scalloped glass diffuser.

Mr.B Side Table - Round

Oxblood lacquer, need we say more?

Colony Classics: Crescent Lounge by Vonnegut/Kraft

Vonnegut/Kraft’s iconic Crescent Lounge is a study in balance. Inspired by Ancient Egyptian headrests, the semi-circular bolster support rises above the frame to create a distinctive profile in Oak, Ash, or Walnut. This minimalist piece first launched in 2014, and would come to be a barometer for the studio’s designs moving forward. Katrina Vonnegut, co-creator and founder, noted it was the first piece they really felt they wanted to live with and have in their own home. “It’s still our most popular piece, and I think that’s because it's a timeless framework for many different iterations: upholstery, finishes and even custom sizes. It's the piece that has resonated with the most people, which I think has to do with the sculptural simplicity, the joinery, and playful elegance that can work in any space.”


Notes

Standard Materials: Ash, Oak, Walnut, Wool Canvas and COM available 
Dimensions: 40.5"W x 80"L x 18"H
Lead Time: 22-24 weeks 

Life/Design

Vonnegut/Kraft's sculptural ingenuity doesn't end with the Crescent Lounge...

Bow Chair

Standard Materials: Oak and COM available 
Dimensions: 35.5"W x 32"D x 32"H
Lead Time: 22-24 weeks

Bole Dining Table

Standard Materials: Sapele
Dimensions: 58"Dia x 29"H
Lead Time: 22-24 weeks

Mesa Shelf 

Standard Materials: Walnut 
Dimensions: 72"L x 16.75"W x x 30"H
Lead Time: 22-24 weeks