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!).
Standard Materials: Bleached Ash
Tearsheet download
Table: 48"W x 72"L x 17"H
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 1: Wood.
It's hard to put into words the magic that is the Nakashima Woodworkers campus. Brooke, Dan (our trusty production coordinator) and I were blown away by the beauty of the landscape, the history of the architecture and the Nakashima team's hospitality. I'm so proud of the images we captured here and so excited for you to read the words that Mira Nakashima shared with me.
Before I ever saw their apartment, I asked Adam and Martin if they collected anything, and they looked at each other sheepishly, explaining they had a lot of stuff but weren’t collectors. Then Adam nodded at Martin and said, “Boxes.” Both looked at their toes, as if they were embarrassed to call it a collection, or that the collecting had been unintentional, that one morning they had simply awakened to a pile of boxes. But in fact, the collection of boxes that Martin and Adam share—mainly wood, varying in shape, displayed and stacked with care— is thoughtful and considered.
“The boxes are Martin’s thing,” Adam declares boldly; then he pauses and redacts. “Well, conceptually they connect to both of us.” He continues to reflect on the collection in a stream-of-consciousness way:
“There is never anything in them.
“The boxes are all empty.
“They represent utility.
“Or the beauty in a lack of utility.
“Or the option for utility.
“We could put something in them. The option is there.
“They represent potential.”
We had the honor of shooting the home of Proem Studio founder Marie Trohman in Los Angeles for What We Keep. Some of my favorite shots in the book came from this project not just because the home was beautifully designed, but also because it was this Spanish style colonial architecture that is special to Southern California. Marie's design sense was matched only by her amazing art collection. As is the nature of editing, not all of the pictures made it into the final book, but I loved them all and wanted to share them here.
Brooke caught this shot of me snapping what was eventually going to become our cover image. It's in a bathroom! Architect Brent Buck's bathroom to be specific. Brent is an avid collector of many things, but most notably, he owns every Dansk pepper mill that was ever put into production.
Not only was I able to shoot this book with one of my favorite people, Brooke Holm, I also was able to profile and include so many of my best friends within its pages. I interviewed them and asked them questions I thought I knew the answers to, but quickly discovered that they had so much to share beyond what I already knew. It's one of the many unexpected joys of writing this book: rediscovering my friends and falling in love all over again.
Colony is moving! After 10 years in 324 Canal Street, we are moving to a new street-level gallery at 196 West Broadway. Keep an eye out for your invite to our opening bash. But until then, we're getting sentimental over here. 😭
The first time I walked up the creaky steps of 324 Canal Street to the second floor, I had already viewed dozens of commercial spaces in downtown Manhattan. It was 2013 and Colony was just a fledgling idea without a home.
The open loft space with 15 foot ceilings had graffiti on the walls, no lights, and the rotting plywood floor was pitched 14". Anything you put on the floor would roll to the front corner of the space. A thick layer of dust covered everything and the tin ceiling had all but rusted out in spots.
"It's perfect" I said, submitting an offer letter the same day. As a start up with no financials (and a girl with no financials) it was a long shot. But I went for it with my whole heart, because despite its rough edges, when I closed my eyes I could see the beginning of my dream taking shape.
I slowly started filling the space. First with the essentials like a floor and light. And over the past ten years, I've been fortunate to fill 324 Canal with friends and their work, with strangers seeking beauty, with anything, really, in the name of inspiration. Here at 324 Canal Street we've broke bread, downward dogged, bathed in sound, we've drank and we've drawn. We've made posters for protests, we've cried over election results, we've mourned losses and celebrated births. For the past ten years 324 Canal has been home.
Thank you all for wading through a sea of counterfeit bags on Canal Street to stand in front of a rickety door that did not have a number, but did have air conditioning water dripping on your head. Thank you for knowing which buzzer to hit, even when our little "Colony" sticker had peeled off. Thank you for not leaving when the cage door was impossible to open, and when the fluorescent lighting in the stairs flickered. Thank you for your smile when we popped our heads out at the top of the stairs to tell you to come on up, and thank you for your gasps when you came in (they never got old and always made me feel so proud). Thank you for coming back, again and again and thank you for making us a stop on your trips to NYC. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
The work we made here, the experiences we created, are without contest my proudest professional moments. It is hard for me to imagine loving a space as much as I've loved this one.
196 West Broadway has big shoes to fill, and I hope you all will (again) help me fill them.
With excitement for the future,
Jean Lin
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.
Standard Materials: FSC Certified Ash, Blackened Ash, Douglas Fir, Walnut
Dimensions: 18 ø x 16"H
Lead Time: 12-14 weeks
See below for more eye-catching Grain selections:
Standard Materials: Solid Cork
Dimensions: 14.5"W x 14.5"D x 16"H
Lead Time: 12-14 weeks
Standard Materials: Solid Cork
Dimensions: 8"L x 6"W x 7"H
Lead Time: 10-12 weeks
Standard Materials: FSC Ash, Cast Glass,Brass
Dimensions: 18"L x 18"W x 17"H
Lead Time: 12-14 weeks
Summers were once slow at Colony. With clients out of town between the hazy months of June and August, Jean and I would pass each day in the gallery dreaming up grand plans for the future. We’d sprawl out on floor cushions with a notebook and pen close by. Fast forward half a decade, and it’s a different scene. We don’t have much time for lounging, not even in the dog days of summer.
Out of the many dreams scrawled across these pages, I distinctly remember circling one of Jean’s in black pen:
Write a book.
Today, I have the honor and unique pleasure of announcing that What We Keep, written and styled by Jean Lin with photography by Brooke Holm, is now available for preorder.
Published by Abrams and officially in stores on May 14, the book celebrates the revealing nature of the objects we choose to surround ourselves with. The interviews, features and studio visits within these pages convey Jean’s belief that the industry we work in is built on a holistic ecosystem of respect that exists between the artist/maker, designer and collector. What We Keep encourages readers to consider objects in their own lives through a new lens, unraveling each collector’s unique narrative and the beautiful objects that embody it.
Over the months (and months) it took Jean to bring this book together, I listened to her interview various subjects— from close friends like Colony designers to idols like Mira Nakashima. She was determined that each and every one felt seen through her writing about their collection or practice. Yes, What We Keep is visually stunning, but I urge you to read its pages because hearing others’ truths only helps us find our own.
As someone who has moved apartments ten times across twelve years, the titular phrase “What We Keep” feels particularly significant. My first Christmas at Colony, Jean gifted me a pink half-moon chair by Vonnegut/Kraft because she apparently grew tired of me fawning over it. I’ve since moved that chair across Brooklyn over and over, deeming it my nightstand, bookshelf, or desk chair in turns. Through our friendship, she has helped me identify my own reasons for finding substantive beauty in the objects I surround myself with. I’m so proud that through the words and images in What We Keep Jean will inspire you to identify yours as well.
In gratitude,
Madeleine Parsons
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.
Standard Materials: White Oak, Walnut, Cherry, Wool bouclé
Dimensions: 42”L x 17”W x 19”H
Lead Time: In stock (various finishes)
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
Standard Materials: White oak, Walnut, Cherry, Bleached ash, Marble
Dimensions: 60”L x 36”W x 15”H
Lead Time: 8-10 weeks
These unmistakable pulls will have you opening drawers just for fun…
Standard Materials: Lexan
Dimensions: 30"W x 60"D x 16"H
Lead Time: 14-16 weeks
Standard Materials: Oak, Mirror
Dimensions: 42"W x 18"D x 55.25"H
Lead Time: 14-18 weeks
Standard Materials: Machined Brass and Blown Glass
Dimensions: 6" and 12"
Lead Time: Please Inquire
Standard Materials: Maple, Dyed black veneer
Dimensions: 21”L x 2.5" W x58" H
Lead Time: 10 - 14 weeks
It’s time to shine with these Colony staples…
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.”
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
Vonnegut/Kraft's sculptural ingenuity doesn't end with the Crescent Lounge...
Standard Materials: Oak and COM available
Dimensions: 35.5"W x 32"D x 32"H
Lead Time: 22-24 weeks
Couched on crimson cushions,
pink bleeds gold
and red spills into one’s heart.
Broad leather keeps time,
calibrating different hours
in different zones
unaware of the grammar
that makes sense.
Only random woofs and snores
of two distant dogs
on a very cold night
clears fog that is unresolved.
New plants wait for new heat —
to grow, to mature.
An old cane recliner contains
poetry for peace — woven
text keeping comfort in place.
But it is the impatience of want
that keeps equations unsolved.
Heavy, translucent, vaporous,
split red by mother tongues —
winter’s breath is pink.
Standard Materials: Linen, Kid Mohair, Wool
Dimensions: 36”W x 130” H (2 panels)
Lead Time: In stock
Standard Materials: India ink dyed ash, COM
Dimensions: 13” Ø x 17” H
Lead Time: 10-14 weeks
Standard Materials: FSC Certified Ash, Walnut, Brass
Dimensions: 48"W x 30"D x 14"H
Lead Time: 12-14 weeks
Standard Materials: Machined Brass, and Blown Glass
Dimensions: 25"W x 18.5"D x 10.25"H
Lead Time: Please Inquire
Standard Materials: Brass, Glass
Dimensions: 49"L x 10"W x 18.24"H
Lead Time: 10-12 weeks
Standard Materials: Cerused Oak and Brass
Dimensions: 20”H x Various Top Diameters
Lead Time: 16 - 20 weeks
Standard Materials: Aluminum, Glass Prism
Dimensions: 15"L x 11"W x 11"H
Lead Time: 14-16 weeks
Up the brass factor with these three Colony staples:
