On August 1, 2017 - Colony

EMERGENCE 7 | THREE QUESTIONS, MKCA

On September 15, 2017 - Jean Lin

Before we had a fully functioning showroom, weeks before our official opening exhibit, architect Michael Chen rang Colony’s doorbell. He was working on a massively impressive townhouse on the Upper East Side and when I explained the concept of Colony, our cooperative model that was still in its infancy and untested, Michael immediately “got it.” Not only was he our first client, Michael was the first designer to give me hope that this crazy idea might actually work. Colony very literally would not be what it is today without MKCA.

EMERGENCE 6 | RECOVERY

On September 8, 2017 - Jean Lin

As is true with many things, we all start in the same place when it comes to drugs and alcohol. We all remember a time as kids when they were an exotic unknown, something mysterious and a little dangerous. Over time, however, our relationships with these substances evolve and change, and we diverge. Some of us become familiar, some grow weary, and some become dependent.

My friend K is like so many of us in so many ways. He’s an artist, a designer and a small business owner. He’s been driven by an instinctual need to create for his entire life. K is also a recovering addict and has been sober for 16 years.

EMERGENCE 5 | SELF REFLECTIVE

On September 1, 2017 - Madeleine Parsons

While exhilarating, the physical output for Colony’s annual NYCxDesign Week exhibition each May is also exhausting. All of the work put into our 2016 show, The Collections 02, including showroom layout, install, and event management was being tackled by a team of two – Jean and myself. In addition to exhibit prep, I was battling an impending breakup and finding release in the physical aspects of install at Colony – live wiring chandeliers, tracing then painting wall circles, suspending a dining chair over a tambour side table; I could go on.

EMERGENCE 4 | THE TIME WE WERE SUED

On August 25, 2017 - Jean Lin

In spring 2014, VIDIVIXI (vid-ee-vix-ee) debuted its first collection of graphically driven furniture to a receptive market. By fall 2015, the founding partners were in a devastating legal skirmish that resulted in the end of the partnership and friendship with the fate of the company in question.

EMERGENCE 3 | IMMIGRATION LESSONS

On August 18, 2017 - Samir Nandwani

When I tell people I’m from Gibraltar, I get one of two responses:

“Oh, I’ve never met anyone from Gibraltar!”
or
“Where??”

Their confusion makes sense, as my hometown Gibraltar, Gibraltar (as in city, country) is just a 2.5 square mile stretch of peninsula at the mouth of the Mediterranean. It’s a beautiful little melting pot of cultures with Spain and Africa neighboring the UK territory, but while our small town charm overflows, Gibraltar, Gibraltar sorely lacks an inspiring design scene, or a design scene at all. So after spending four years in New York City studying product design, going back home wasn’t a great option for my professional development. The only problem? A student visa stipulating that I’d do just that.

EMERGENCE 2 | INDEPENDENT AMERICAN DESIGN AND DAVID BOWIE

On August 11, 2017 - Jean Lin

If we look at the emergence of contemporary independent American design through a lens as beautiful as images of David Bowie, nothing can go wrong. No one will be offended and the design public will thank me.

Right? Right.

VOLUME ONE | EMERGENCE

On August 4, 2017 - Jean Lin

In our third year, a new chapter of Colony has started. One where we are no longer the new kids on the block, but still not experienced enough to feel entirely comfortable with our place in the industry. Thus, it seems appropriate that we are just now launching Volume One of our Journal, an ongoing exploration of the intersection of design and the world it inhabits.