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You're Invited: The Designer's Residency 2024

Madeleine Parsons

Working from a rich foundation of curation, design education, and collaborative design development, our second annual residency culminates on June 13th as we introduce the next generation of Colony designers. Following our intensive eight month incubator, we're proud to launch four nascent studios into not only Colony's collection but also the independent design world. 

 

Alara Alkan Studio

Ember Studio

M.Pei Studio 

Thomas Yang Studio

 

Join us to celebrate the future of design. 

The Designers' Residency Opening Reception
Thursday, June 13
6:00 -9:00 PM
196 West Broadway 
Entrance on Varick 

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

Spec Sheet: Quadrant Quilt by Meg Callahan

Thomas Yang

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 

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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.

Notes from the curator: What We Keep

jeanlin

Even in my wayward youth, I loved to write. I loved how, if I bent my brain just so, the words came together on the page and danced. I loved how, in heartbreak I could frantically scribe my revenge and somehow feel a little less devastated. Even then, I found power in the freedom, the creativity and the precision of thought that words allowed me. 

As childhood dreams tend to do, my dream of someday writing a book faded into the background. I discovered new loves, and loved them voraciously. Design felt foreign and urgent at first, but over the years it has become my most fluent language. As an adult, I've settled comfortably into my role in this world: Finding and sharing the substance behind beauty beyond what is most readily prescribed.

It was just then, comfortable with my path narrow before me, that the opportunity came to write this book. My editor Shawna Mullen and my publisher Abrams handed me this unbelievable imperative to explore the precision of thought that I could achieve through both words and design, my childhood love and my life's work.

In the process of writing What We Keep, I have had to, over and over, ask myself what is important enough to share. Beauty and substance are just the beginning. Community, skill, diversity, authenticity, vulnerability, compassion, courage, family. This book is my small contribution to these big conversations, using the language I know best.

What We Keep officially launches Tuesday, May 14. We are hosting a celebratory launch at Colony and I would be honored for you to join us. I will be joined in conversation by Asad Syrkett, editor in chief of Elle Decor (who wrote the foreword in the book) at 5 PM, with a public reception to follow. A few spots have opened up for our talk, and I've included the RSVP details below. 

Thank you, as always, for reading.

Jean Lin

Join us to celebrate the launch of Jean Lin’s first book, What We Keep. Asad Syrkett, Editor in Chief of Elle Decor, joins Jean in conversation about the book, design media, and the intersection of words, images and objects.

May 14, 2024
Colony
196 West Broadway
New York, NY

5:00 - 6:00 pm conversation 
6:00 - 9:00 pm public reception 

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.
The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

My hope is that this book is a testament that the stories of what we keep, and why we keep them, are worth telling. Because it’s in the telling, and retelling, that we can find ourselves and one another in a universal understanding: The beautiful life is not only to be pursued alone, but also uncovered together as a collective.

You're Invited: What We Keep Book Launch

jeanlin

Join us to celebrate the launch of Jean Lin’s first book, What We Keep. Asad Syrkett, Editor in Chief of Elle Decor, joins Jean in conversation about the book, design media, and the intersection of words, images and objects.

May 14, 2024
Colony
196 West Broadway
New York, NY

5:00 - 6:00 pm conversation (sold out)
6:00 - 9:00 pm public reception (RSVP below)

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.

If you can't make it to NYC...

We're taking the book on the road! Jean will be visiting six cities in the coming months. Local friends and co-hosts will join her at some of the stops. Come for a drink and a book!

5/24/24 - TORONTO
Swipe Design - 401 Richmond Street W, Suite B04
RSVP

5/30/24 - AUSTIN
First Light Books - 4300 Speedway
RSVP

6/6/24 - LA
Marta - 3021 Rowena Ave
RSVP

6/20/24 - MIAMI
Books & Books - 265 Aragon Ave
RSVP

6/27/24 - NASHVILLE
The Green Ray - 3237 B Gallatin Pike
RSVP

9/19/24 - PORTLAND, OR
Spartan Shop - 60 E 42nd Street SUITE 1201
RSVP INFO TO FOLLOW

In Detail: Hardware

Thomas Yang

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

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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

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Phaedra Horizontal

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

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 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

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Bombora Credenza

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

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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. 

What We Keep: Behind The Book 4

jeanlin

My first book, What We Keep will be published on May 14 (available now for preorder). I can hardly wait for you all to see it. In the meantime, I'm so thrilled to share some behind the scenes content with you here. Excerpts, b-roll images, video clips from my interviews with contributors, will hopefully give you a sense of what went into writing, styling and photographing this book, as well as a little peek into its pages. 

My professional path has always been informed closely by my personal passions, so I called upon my Taiwanese heritage to structure the book in five sections, each named after one of the Traditional Chinese elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Much like the elements, the sections of the book are distinct in style and sentiment, yet deepened by their kinship to one another. Here is a preview and behind the scenes look at Section 4: Metal.

 

Order what we keep 

Amazon
Bookshop

Getting The Shot

Brooke and I shot 52+ projects at an unheard of clip for this book. It felt like a super power to be able to walk into a new space and find the beautiful shots, angles and frames. It wasn't always easy and we alternated being tired and having energy so the other could lead when necessary. 

From Section 4: Metal

“The small collections we do keep when moving has forced us to edit out possessions, and are the treasured exceptions. A mid-century Danish wall unit from my childhood home came from my grandmother’s bedroom, so it holds sentimental value for me. I think it was even in my family’s house when they first emigrated from Germany in the 1950s. When we moved here, my friend Fabi used it in her LA apartment for a few years, and when she moved to San Francisco, she asked to buy it from me. I did sell it to her, but we have an agreement that if I want it back, she’ll sell it back to me.

“When you buy or inherit pieces of quality, they last,” continues Allyson. And the beauty of Allyson’s arrangement with her friend Fabi is good advice for all collectors: “Do we expect any of that stuff back? No, but we know it isn’t gone forever.”

Julius adds, “This was the rhythm we were in, editing down our pieces to only what we needed with each move. But that was all amplified when we bought this house.”

And what of this house? You see, Allyson, a consumer- trend forecaster, and Julius, a director and cinematographer, own a house designed by preeminent modernist architect Richard Neutra—an architect’s architect whose works are on historic-preservation lists, celebrated as Southern Californian icons. When a Neutra home comes on the market, architecture aficionados of the Southern California ilk—read, Hollywood—come knocking.

“We are so, so lucky,” says Julius of how they came to own a piece of architectural history. A friend and colleague, and the previous owner of the house, had toured Julius through just as he and Allyson were starting on their search to buy a place. “The feeling of walking onto the property and down to the house, it was incredible. There was a feeling of peace, and I knew that this was our dream house.” 

 

Order what we keep 

Amazon
Bookshop

At Large: Introducing BZIPPY

Madeleine Parsons

We are thrilled to welcome BZIPPY to the Colony family! We have long admired artist and founder Bari Ziperstein, who opened her studio in 2008 and her collection pushes the boundaries of what ceramics can achieve in both scale and form. The colorful, and seemingly endless glaze and finish options add a lovely pop to our new gallery floor.

Working tirelessly to develop engineering methods that challenge conventional notions of slab construction, BZIPPY devises creative solutions to both formal designs and technical concerns. The studio's architecturally scaled ceramic vases, vessels, lamps and furniture bring a sense of innovative playfulness to the Colony collection. 

RSVP here to see the BZIPPY pieces in person at the opening reception of our new space on April 25 from 6-9 PM.

Double Tier Cloud Side Table
Single Tier Ruffle Side Table
Tall Scallop Vase
Tall Twisted Castle Side Table
Circle Top Small 6 Vase

Notes

Variations occur throughout the handmade process; final products may vary slightly from images of listed dimensions. The tension between uniformity and character is inherent to the BZIPPY fabrication process.

All products can be made to order in any color from the glaze palette.

Glazes are indoor/outdoor safe. 

10-12 week lead time for made to order. 

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Spec Sheet: EAE Daybed by Erickson Aesthetics

Thomas Yang

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

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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. 

What We Keep: Behind The Book 3

jeanlin

My first book, What We Keep will be published on May 14 (available now for preorder). I can hardly wait for you all to see it. In the meantime, I'm so thrilled to share some behind the scenes content with you here. Excerpts, b-roll images, video clips from my interviews with contributors, will hopefully give you a sense of what went into writing, styling and photographing this book, as well as a little peek into its pages. 

My professional path has always been informed closely by my personal passions, so I called upon my Taiwanese heritage to structure the book in five sections, each named after one of the Traditional Chinese elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Much like the elements, the sections of the book are distinct in style and sentiment, yet deepened by their kinship to one another. Here is a preview and behind the scenes look at Section 3: Earth.

 

Order what we keep 

Amazon
Bookshop

Photographing Hiroko Takeda

I've known Hiroko Takeda for more than ten years and I've always loved visiting her studio. Chock full of inspiration, her looms themselves are works of art. I loved the chance, after all these years, to capture her at work.

From Section 3: Earth

For a designer with a knack for collecting, Maya has a house that is refreshingly clear of clutter. Nicknamed the 6ft Up House, it manages to delight without overwhelming. No art hangs on the walls, she points out, because that feels so permanent, and her family likes to change and move and shuffle their favorite objects often. The cutting boards could one day be stacked tall and aslant as a centerpiece on the dining table, the next day leaned against a wall of the kitchen to dry. The quilt collection is stacked tall, a living barometer of how fast her kids are growing.

Each collection started with one item and eventually grew to “critical mass,” she says of her cutting boards and quilts and blankets. Each piece has a meaning, a story behind it, and a use. Creating a new tradition of heirlooms for her family may seem like a tall order, but the kids get it. “They understand that someday these things will be theirs.”

Those Author Portraits!

As I was crafting the sections of the book, I had a somewhat unorthodox idea: author portraits themed to each chapter. My editor, Shawna hated it immediately.

Still I persisted, hanging onto the fact that I was doing a terrible job explaining the concept. I really believed that artful, fashion forward images would anchor readers to my personal voice, as well as provide a visual starting point for the pages to follow.

I knew that to pull this off, and convince Shawna, I would have to call in the dream team. I asked a long time favorite, Winnie Au to shoot the portraits and a true fashion star, Diana Tsui to style me. Flora Kamimoto did my make up and Mayumi Maeda did my hair. Each element of the shoot: the set, the props, the makeup and the hair, all pulled aesthetic inspiration from the chapter that follows. 

Shawna came around. 

 

Order what we keep 

Amazon
Bookshop

You’re Invited: 196 West Broadway

Madeleine Parsons

Please join us for an evening of celebration in our new home: 196 West Broadway. On Thursday, April 25, 6-9 PM you're invited to come take in fresh work by our designers and raise a glass to our exciting next chapter.

We hope to see you there!

The deadline to RSVP for this event has passed.