Desu Design displayed their sleek surface line at this year’s BKLYN Designs, but their real show-stopper at the show was their cutting edge Inversion bowl. Composed of a single slab of eco-friendly, renewable Richlite, the bowl’s functional form resides in that which has been carved away. The simple and sustainable tabletop monolith was a big hit for its beautiful sheen and smooth, tactile feel.
One of the show-stoppers at this year’s BKLYN Designs was the Pratt Institute’s student exhibition. There’s no better place to catch great new work by young designers, and we were particularly impressed by Ian Collings’ reclaimed wood “Urban Driftwood” stools. They’re beautiful pieces that balance reclaimed natural and man-made materials in a design that is simultaneously rough and refined.
This stunning LED chandelier lit up this year’s BKLYN Designs with a stellar low-energy lighting solution for light emitting diodes. Recent Pratt graduate Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn wowed attendees at the BKLYN Designs show with his constellation chandelier, which takes the form of a gorgeous starburst, breaking LEDs free from their circuit-mounted domain.
Worrying that you don’t think about death enough in your day-to-day life? Pratt student Charles Constantine is looking to change this and inject a bit of morbidity into the daily routine, with his new design for a coffee table coffin. On display in the Pratt Institute student design booth at BKLYN Designs, this ‘Coffin Table’ is a typical coffee table which packs a punch when it comes to storage. Not only can it store books and other knick-knacks like personal mementos, but its ultimate goal is to store YOU - or what remains of you - when you pass on to the next life.
Inhabitat was on the scene all three days of BKLYN Designs this weekend and we have a lot of great finds to report back to you. The BKLYN Designs furniture exhibition, which is held in DUMBO every year in May, is not a large event by any means (unlike the upcoming International Contemporary Furniture Fair at the Javitz center this weekend). However, what the small, carefully curated show lacks in scale, it more than makes up for in the quality of the work on display. Every year there are a handful of designers that knock our socks off, and the best part is that they are always local designers, using locally-sourced materials, sustainable production methods, and high-quality hand-craftsmanships. This year we were especially impressed with the designs coming out of Pratt students, as well as some new designs from old favs like Brave Space, Uhuru, and Argington. We’ve got lots of pics of the event in our Inhabitat Photo Gallery >
We love our wholesome kid-friendly furniture here at Inhabitat. A modernist sensibility combined with the fun of living with a versatile, ‘growing system’ of organic pods equals the best in green design and family-friendly solutions. Iglooplay Tea Pods by Lisa Albin are unmatched when it comes to children’s furniture pieces that integrate organically with home décor as well as engage the ever-curious peeps. Sculptural, space saving, and moveable, we love that Iglooplay is all about eco-friendly design via dynamic and ergonomically modules at play. We are visiting Iglooplay’s display at BKLYN Designs today during our Mother’s Day Green Design Walking Tour to highlight how Iglooplay is all about the best in sustainable design and true organic versatility.
We’ve been having a great time at this year’s BKLYN Designs discovering new eco-friendly designs from inspired Brooklyn-based designers. Today, we invite you to join us for a unique event, a green design walking tour in celebration of Mother’s Day. Inhabitat editors Jill Fehrenbacher and Abigail Doan will be at BKLYN Designs today at 2pm to lead a Green Design Walking Tour of kid and family friendly furniture, décor, and much more. If you are looking for a great way to celebrate Mom, gain green design insight and meet some of the Inhabitat team, join Jill and Abigail for this wonderful event!
We only have a few spots left for the tour, so if you are interested in joining us, please email us at inhabitat at gmail.com, so we know to expect you.
Yesterday’s rainy weather did nothing to deter our spirits as the Inhabitat team of Jill, Abigail, Mike and Ali headed to BKLYN Designs to check out this three day local design extravaganza. Your intrepid Inhabitat team took to the streets of Brooklyn to scope out the sustainable scene at this year’s event, and we’ve found plenty of fresh, new green designs to share with you. We discovered beautiful lighting ideas in LED designs from PRATT Institute (pictured below); new eco-friendly pieces from some of our favorite Brooklyn-based designers like Brave Space, IglooPLAY, Argington; and many debut green designs that are destined for greatness.
Any of you looking for something fun and designy to do this Sunday? Wanna meet the faces behind the Inhabitat blog, and check out some hot green furniture design in the process? This Sunday, at 2pm, in honor of Mothers Day, Jill and Abigail from Inhabitat will be leading a Green Design walking tour at the BKLYN Designs furniture fair - and it is sure to be a lot of fun.
We’re taking a limited number of people on the tour, so if you are interested in signing up, please email us at inhabitat at gmail.com.
BKLYN Designs STARTS TODAY!!
We are thrilled to be on the scene at this year’s BKLYN Designs - it is one our favorite springtime events, and we couldn’t be more excited! Locally sourced and inspired, the BKLYN Designs furniture fair captures a side of sustainable design that is near and dear to Inhabitat’s mission - drawing local designers together into a familiar, yet fresh, environment to celebrate design innovation. This year is especially exciting as four of our Inhabitants (Jill, Ali, Mike & Abigail) have converged upon Brooklyn to scope out the scene and partake in eco-conscious events during this design extravaganza. We will be here all weekend reporting back with the best in sustainable design from BKLYN Designs 2008!
Named after one of the world’s most treasured natural wonders, Argington’s new Ayres Twin Bed tucks in your little treasures with the sleek signature style of this next generation minded furniture maker. We’ve featured many of Argington’s modern children’s pieces, but are particularly pleased by this sweet, sustainable, timber trundle bed. Presenting at BKLYN Designs this weekend, the Ayres Twin Bed upholds this sustainably-grounded company’s commitment to beautifully crafted children’s furniture made with the earth in mind.
We’ve long been fans of Brooklyn green furniture team Uhuru Design. Every year at BKLYN Designs we eagerly look forward to seeing Uhuru’s latest work, from the beautiful recycled scrap wood Stoolen series that we spotted in 2006, to the clever Cutoffs Table from 2007, both of which utilize reclaimed wood as the main design concept. In fact, Uhuru’s most recognizable style seems to be their unique sensibility in finding innovative ways to turn old wood scraps into stunning pieces of contemporary furniture. So, what are we keeping an eye on for 2008? The answer is Bourbon Barrel Furniture. Uhuru will be launching a brand new line of furniture at BKLYN Designs 2008, featuring a chair, bench, table and stool, all made from reclaimed bourbon barrels.
New sustainable furniture company EcoSystems creates cute, family-friendly furniture that is as thoughtful of the environment as it is to the owner. Starting with renewable materials, EcoSystems follows an earth-minded agenda from start to finish, including taking responsibility for their designs at end of its (first) lifecycle, by taking back and recycling their furniture when you are done with it. Did we mention this stuff is super cute and durable - coming in a variety of primary colors and innovation seating/table configurations? Ecosystems will be showing at BKLYN Designs this weekend, and you can be sure that Abigail and Jill will be stopping at this booth during Sunday’s Mother’s Day Green Design Walking Tour >
Forget Habby and Inhabipuppy, and get ready for the next round of eco-cuteness! Lotta Jansdotter’s adorable sustainable soft toys are the latest eco-apples of our eye with their beautiful color palette, smoothly shaped designs and environmentally friendly composition. The line consists of a blissful green whale, a sagacious herringbone owl, and a vibrant vermillion giraffe, each lovingly crafted by Scandinavian born Lotta Anderson. Her store, Lotta Jansdotter, is named after her daughter Jan, and carries a stunning selection of warm wool knits, playful prints, and pristine stationary. We love Lotta’s modern, natural aesthetic that stems from her childhood spent on the island of Åland (between Sweden and Finland) and her travels throughout the globe. We’ll be getting our hands on these sweet, sustainable toys at BKLYN Designs this weekend, and you can be sure that Abigail and Jill will be hitting this booth in the upcoming Mother’s Day Green Design Walking Tour on Sunday.
We are perennial fans of Brooklyn-based Brave Space Design, and not just because their pieces helped turn the Inhabitat-curated Green Room at Designers & Agents into a sustainable style eco-haven this week. We adore Brave Space for their fresh, fun, multi-functional eco designs that are driven by a “think global, design local” philosophy.
We’ve just discovered Brave Space’s new Light Block lamps, which will debut at BKLYN Designs this weekend. Made from FSC-certified walnut and 3 Form EcoResin, these modern lighting fixtures are definitely on our must see list in Brooklyn this year.
NY DESIGN FANS GET READY!!!
One of our favorite springtime events, BKLYN Designs, is coming to town THIS WEEKEND, and we couldn’t be more excited! Locally sourced and inspired, the BKLYN Designs furniture fair captures a side of sustainable design that is near and dear to Inhabitat’s mission - drawing local designers together into a familiar, yet fresh, environment to celebrate design innovation. This year is especially exciting as four of our Inhabitants (Jill, Ali, Mike & Abigail) are gearing up to scope out the scene and partake in eco-conscious events during this design extravaganza. And, of course Inhabitat will be there from start to finish to report back to you on the best in sustainable design!
MOTHERS DAY GREEN DESIGN WALKING TOUR - Sunday May 11th @ 2pm
Your favorite Inhabitat editors Jill and Abigail will be leading a Green Design Walking Tour this coming Sunday. In honor of Mother’s Day, it will be a mom-focused, family friendly event, so bring your kids, your mom or whomever else to learn more about local sustainable furniture design with the Inhabitat team. The tour will fill up fast, and we have a max of 15 spaces, so if you’d like to partake, please email us at to sign up inhabitat at gmail.com.
Argington’s Taj Chair is simple in form, highly functional, and supremely green, bringing great design to your tots’ play rooms. Designed with longevity in mind by Jenny Argie and Andrew Thornton, the chair starts at a height suitable for children between the ages of 2 to 4, with extendable legs that accommodate kids up to age 6. The materials are safe and non-toxic, so you don’t have to worry about it when your tykes start to gnaw on them.
Here’s a piece of furniture that lets a child spark their imagination without having the parents run for the wood protector, Windex, or an upholstery cleaner. The Fundy Play Table, shown here with the Taj Chair, comes with its very own drawing surface in the form of a chalk board or a dry erase board (whichever you prefer), in a very clean white finish or a more playful orange. Complete with enough storage room for all the necessary tools any child requires when drawing their next master piece, other arts and crafts, or even the toys you want kept out of sight, the Fundy Play Table is also safe for the little ones complete with slow closing hinges and locking casters.
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