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The Independents: A Recap

Madeleine Parsons
Partial Works on View: 

Wrap/Hinge Screen, KWH
White oak, Leather, Brass
96"W x  7/8"D x 72"H (48 rods)

April Scrap Quilt, M.Callahan Studio
Cotton and linen fabric patchwork
80" W x 80" H (King Size)

Rocking Rock Stool, Thomas Yang Studio
Pine, River Stone
12.5" W x 12.5" D x 17" H 

Stalagmite & Stalactite, Bec Brittain
Brass, Copper, Hand blown glass, LEDs
10"Dia x 63"H (floor light)
8.5"Dia x 16.5"H (pendant)

Still Gaze, M.Pei Studio
Aluminum,Glass
19W" x 12"D x 20"H

 

More Of

Take a closer look at some of the artful, limited edition works created for The Independents...

Studio Paolo Ferrari


Okia Pendant
Brass, Steel
18"W x 120"H

SSS Atelier


Curious Cabinet
Black Cherry, Rossa alicante marble, Velvet
39.5" W x 23"D x 67"H

Scheibe Design


Cumberland Plinth
Multi Species (walnut, oak, cherry); Painted maple
10" W x 15"D x 22.5"H

Colony at Shelter: Flood The Zone

Madeleine Parsons

Shelter, the exciting new NYC design fair reinvigorating the city, will host Flood the Zone, a series of talks curated and produced by gallerist and author Jean Lin, May 17-19, 2025. 

Rather than shying away from discordant conversations, Flood the Zone will use future-facing analysis and shared knowledge to foster open dialogue. 

Join us as industry and culture leaders explore how to use our creative voices as a tool for positive disruption. 

In order to register for complimentary trade access, please register here. Non-trade friends and family, please use our discount code: TALKTOME.

 

REGISTER HERE

Colony at Shelter: Booth #A57

Thomas Yang

Introduced in 2023, The Designer's Residency draws upon a rich foundation of curation, design education, and collaborative design development to introduce the next generation of Colony designers. Eleven years of Colony and three years of The Residency have culminated in the work which will present at Shelter this May, 17-19. 

This exhibition will bring together five Residency alumni—M.Pei Studio, Ember Studio, Thomas Yang Studio, Alara Alkan Studio, and Marmar Studio. Though each studio carries a distinct background and artistic approach, they are bound by a shared commitment to exploration and expression. Their works speak in varied design languages, yet all offer reflections on how we see, shape, and inhabit the world. Shelter unveils their latest creations—objects that carry personal visions, collective memories, and a quiet invitation to imagine new ways of being. 

In order to register for complimentary trade access, please register here. Non-trade friends and family, please use our discount code: TALKTOME.

 

REGISTER HERE

Notes from the Curator: An Invitation to the Independents

Madeleine Parsons

Year after year, our May group shows are fraught with stress. Yes, the physical and creative labor of making new work, but also the emotional strain of putting that work out on a limb for the world to see. Since our first exhibition 11 years ago, the nights and weeks leading up to the opening are always spent in an unhealthy realm where adrenaline and sleep deprivation weigh equally, pushing us over the finish line. I thought that after more than a decade, this process would become less arduous, but in fact, it may be even more so. 

This is the dichotomy; the beauty and the pain—the intense pride and crushing self doubt—the rush of exhilaration and impossible exhaustion of putting work that is solely your own into the world. This is both the reality of the independent practitioner and the heart of this year’s show. 

This year, our 11th in business, we asked our current designers, a select group of alumni, and graduates of our residency program to articulate their "why" through the work. We asked our designers—past, present and future: Why did you choose this path paved with unending challenge? What drives you to keep going?

The resulting exhibit will be a love letter to the spirit of the independent designer, and the meaning behind the work. THE INDEPENDENTS encapsulates my very own "why." My belief in the independent spirit is limitless, and so is my awe. 

Please join me on May 8 to celebrate together.

In shared community,
Jean Lin

 

The Independents
Thursday, May 8
6:00 -9:00 PM
196 West Broadway 
Entrance on Varick 

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

Meet Our Residents: Another.World, MTM Studio, Studio B.C. Joshua

Madeleine Parsons

The third year of Colony's Designer's Residency culminates next week on April 17th at 6PM, please join us then as we introduce the design world to three dynamic, emerging studios:

Another.World will present an exploration into their vulnerable inner worlds with the From Elsewhere collection; Studio B.C. Joshua brings his ancestral history to life with the Harlem Cottage collection; and MTM Studio looks closely at historical influences with their elemental and material-driven Recent Relics collection. We caught up with each studio to delve into the inspiration behind their work. 

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

ANOTHER.WORLD

Artist, designer, and maker Youtian Duan and visual storyteller Yingxi Ji are the creative minds behind Another.World, an innovative design studio dedicated to reimagining the relationship between humans, inanimate objects, and nature. Their unconventional and humorous projects are gateways to an imagined realm, a safe and inclusive space where individuality shines. 

Youtian and Yingxi, where did you draw inspiration for the "From Elsewhere" collection?

Y&Y: From Elsewhere was born out of our wild, untamed imaginations and brings to life remnants of dreams and glitches in reality. To us, objects are not just objects. They are alive with their own magic, purpose and untold stories.

INQUIRE

STUDIO B.C. JOSHUA

Blake Carlson-Joshua’s work, of Studio B.C. Joshua, is infused with a unique blend of cultural and environmental influences, producing expressive furnishings that balance rawness with nostalgia, the rough and the refined, the ephemeral and the grounded. Blake splits his practice between London and his Minneapolis hometown. 

Blake, how did you find your way into the "Harlem Cottage" collection?

B: I took initial inspiration from the empowerment of the Harlem Renaissance, a period when artistic expression opened new conversations about identity and belonging in American culture. The pieces in this collection draw from that legacy of quiet transformation, were creativity helped reshape perspectives about community and place. 

Each pieces aims to integrate seamlessly into settings where people gather, rest and connect with nature—continuing a conversation about leisure that belongs to everyone. 

INQUIRE

MTM STUDIO

Brooklyn-based Maxwell Taylor-Milner of MTM Studio combines their background in design and art history to create work that engages not only the expressive capacity of materials but the history of the forms into which they are molded. In work at once essayistic and enigmatic, they strive to make objects that are as compelling conceptually as they are tactile. 

Max, how did the desert landscape of your childhood in northern New Mexico inform the "Recent Relics" collection?

M: Growing up in the desert, I was always finding artifacts in the dirt. Recent Relics reflects on the elemental effects of nature and how light, heat, and water shape the land and everything on it. I wanted for each single object to show evidence of the system that created it. 

INQUIRE

Palette: Let There Be Light

Madeleine Parsons

 

Legume Lamp

Standard Materials: Wood, Brass,
Kozo Paper, and Rattan
Dimensions: 11” L x 8” W x 28” H
Lead Time: In-Stock

 
PURCHASE

 

Phaedra Horizontal

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

 
INQUIRE

 

Casa Busetti

Standard Materials: Cherry, River Stone
Dimensions: 3.25” L x 3.75”W x 33”H
Lead Time: In-Stock

INQUIRE

 

Aria Pendant

Standard Materials:  Brass, Glass and Acrylic
Dimensions: 12: 15.75”H x 12ø
Lead Time: 16-18 weeks

 
INQUIRE

 

Madra Table Lamp

Standard Materials:  Bleached ash, White linen
Dimensions: 9”Dia x 30”H
Lead Time: In-Stock

 
INQUIRE

 

Souvenir Table Lamp

Standard Materials: Metal 
Dimensions: 10”L x 4”W x 2”H
Lead Time: In-stock

 
PURCHASE

MORE OF

Options for when you need a lamp that stands on its own...

KWH | Tripod Floor Lamp

A classic silhouette elevated by bleached ash and nickel hardware. 

 

Kawabi | Souvenir Floor Lamp

The brass centerpiece of the Souvenir Floor Lamp is not only decorative but functions as a conductive switch.

 

Bec Brittain | Unfurl Floor Light

Each leaf of Bec Brittain's Unfurl Collection is able to spin on its axis, allowing for adjustment of light direction. 

 

You're Invited: The Designer's Residency 2025

Madeleine Parsons

Working from a rich foundation of curation, design education, and collaborative design development, our third annual residency culminates on April 17th as we introduce the next generation of Colony designers. Following our intensive eight month incubator, we're proud to launch three nascent studios into not only Colony's collection but also the independent design world. 

 

Another.World

MTM Studio

Studio B.C. Joshua

 

Join us to celebrate the future of design. 

The Designers' Residency Opening Reception
Thursday, April 17
6:00 -9:00 PM
196 West Broadway 
Entrance on Varick 

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

What We Keep: How to Understand Textiles Online

Madeleine Parsons

"Whether you're purchasing clothing, a pillow, a rug, or even yards of fabric online, it can be nerve-wracking to know exactly what you're getting without seeing and feeling it in person. Not to worry: There are a few informational cues and keywords that let you know what you'll be getting, whether it's a brand-new piece or a well-loved vintage item.

Material content: There are two big categories, and a lot of gray area, when it comes to fabric content. Generally, fibers—the fluff that is spun into thread—are either synthetic or natural. Synthetics, such as polyester, nylon, and elastane, are much more durable than natural fibers but have a colder, crispier surface feel and can often look a little shiny. Because of the lack of water retention in synthetics, they have a lot of static. Natural fibers like cotton, linen, wool, and silk have a softer hand feel but are also much easier to damage through wear and tear. There are blended fabrics that use both natural and synthetic to give us the best of both worlds: soft fabric that is also durable. If you see a blended fabric, you can bet that the larger the percentage of particular fibers, the more that piece takes on the characteristic of either a natural or synthetic cloth.”

From What We Keep by Jean Lin. 
Studio photography by Brooke Holm. 

 

DUNES WOOL

Standard Materials: Wool, Alpaca
Application: Drapery, Screen
Dimensions: 54”W x 56"vertical repeat
Lead Time: Please inquire

 
  
INQUIRE

 

QUADRANT QUILT

Standard Materials: Cotton, Linen
Dimensions: Queen / 91.25"W x 93"L
Lead Time: In-stock

 
  
INQUIRE

 

ORDER A SIGNED COPY OF WHAT WE KEEP

 
  

 

Studio Visit: Hiroko Takeda

"I was eight or nine years old and walking through a toy store. I saw a toy loom and thought, Wow, that loom can make fabric?! Amazing! So I asked for it as my birthday or Christmas present. I remember thinking, If I get this, my life will be set. It turns out that weaver and textile artist Hiroko Takeda's nine-year-old self was on to something." 

From What We Keep by Jean Lin. 
Studio photography by Brooke Holm. 

Studio Visit: Meg Callahan

"The first quilt I ever made was in home economics," says Meg Callahan, a contemporary designer whose medium of choice is sprawling, geometric, jaw-dropping quilts. "It was a 'Quillow': a quilt that folded up and tucked into a pillow," Meg explains whil folding an imaginary blanket, hand over hand, ending with a smooth, forward, five-finger slide, indicating the final tuck.

I've known Meg for years—she was one of the first designers who said yes to joining Colony. But after all this time, I never knew that her first piece was the sewing equivalent of a spork." 

From What We Keep by Jean Lin. 
Studio photography by Brooke Holm. 

 

Collection Consultation with Colony

Madeleine Parsons

Stemming from Colony’s rich foundation of curation, interior design, design education, sales and design development, we are excited to open our books to offer one-on-one collection consultations. Recommended for furniture, lighting, textile and object designers in any stage of your studio, this consultation will be an in depth look at a body of work of your choice. We will offer candid insight, critique and actionable advice based on our 11 years in design curation and sales, 13 collective years in design education and two successful cohorts of the Colony Residency program.

What you can expect:

  • 1 hour in-person collection consultation at Colony with Jean Lin, founder/creative director, or Madeleine Parsons, art director, of Colony.

Within this hour, we will review:

  • Collection up to 10 pieces of your choice
  • Pricing
  • Sales strategy/placement recommendations
  • Photography
  • Website/sales collateral

Upon purchase, you will be contacted for scheduling. You will be asked to submit the body of work you would like reviewed two weeks prior to your scheduled consultation. You will also be asked to complete a questionnaire stating your goals and focus for the session. Sessions are held in person or over zoom.

Openings are extremely limited, but we may be opening up more availabilities in the future.

SECURE A CONSULTATION

About Jean Lin:

Jean Lin is a New York City-based gallerist, founder of Colony and author of What We Keep, published in 2024. Trained as a fashion designer, she has professional experience as a fashion designer, interior designer, editor, writer, trend forecaster, educator and curator. Jean has served as part time faculty at her alma mater, Parsons School of Design, and a guest lecturer and critic at RISD, Pratt Institute, Mass College of Art and Design, and Tama Art University in Tokyo.

About Madeleine Parsons:

Madeleine Parsons is the Art Director at Colony, where she co-directs the ongoing Colony Residency. Outside of her work at Colony, she writes Design in Verse, a newsletter on the dialogue between literature and design, and teaches within the School of Constructed Environments BFA Product Design at Parsons, The New School. She is currently an MFA candidate in Hunter College’s CNF writing program, where she is working on a book about the built environment