bklyn designs ~ Home Design Ideas and Alternative

bklyn designs was a tough one to review this year. i've seen some online coverage of it so far that's pretty glowing, but for me the show was something of a dissapointment. it's really tough to give a brooklyn-based design show a lackluster review; this is a design scene i've covered intensely for over three years now and feel a strong emotional connection to. designers in brooklyn are an incredibly talented, vibrant and cutting-edge group, but for me the show didn't reflect that. that's not to say there wasn't some great new talent at the show (because there was) or imply that some of the "regulars" there were sub-par, but for me the show felt unfinished and lacked the energy and youthfulness for which brooklyn design has become known. i recognize and appreciate the value of quality woodworking and craftsmanship (brave space and city joinery showed great work as always) but hopefully next year there will be a bit more student work or more designers pushing the envelope with form and material. i'll be publishing a much more in-depth slideshow of bklyn designs coverage tomorrow (with more designers and pieces), but until then, here are my favorites from the show.

the booth that stood out the most for me this year belonged to a newcomer- designer paul loebach. paul showcased a beautiful series of furniture and accessories that included these gorgeous "chippenchair" chairs (first photo above) and yee-ha wallpaper. paul's theme was a twist on traditional cowboy/american imagery and i love the way he incorporated it into his modern work. behind paul is his gunshot mirror which was shot with a .22 rifle and inset into solid chesnut. i'll have additional (and better) photos of paul's work available in the slideshow tomorrow. until then you can find more info on paul right here and view his full collection. be sure to check out his broken mirrors- they're beautiful. [thanks, paul]

i love love loved brave space's booth at the show. this beautiful coat rack is actually made from leftover pieces of the chair above. can't beat that...

uhuru had a fab booth as well- i loved this zinc inlay table and the gorgeous ponyhair chairs and table. the designers were super nice to boot.

i always enjoy palo samko's booth. these sweet little wooden birds swiveled around a tiny rod inside this wooden lamp.

beautiful wooden sculptures (there were tables as well, which will be in my slideshow later today) by robert austin gonzalez.

a booth this fun was destined to be a big hit- it was tough to get around the video cameras filming longoland's beautiful felted cashmere creations. it was cute enough that i wanted to just curl up on the rug and read a good book.

this beautiful glass sculpture (part of the brooklyn glass booth) incorporated silver dipped glass and 20k gold leafing.

brooklyn water tower lamps from wang jinsheng design (sorry, no site for them).

pratt always has a fun booth at the show. the booth was smaller than i'd hoped this year but i'm sure the kids are busy with grad shows, etc. the IV lamp above is from ~~designer liz kinmark (we covered her egg pants here before)~~ student designer kevin mcelroy and the chaise is from patrick fricke.

andrea claire added three new lights to their collection. i particularly loved the subway scene above.

it's hard to describe how gorgeous these wooden bureaus from platform were. the wood was absolutely stunning. they were perfection.

wud furniture design (run by designer corey springer, who happens to be a total cutie) debuted a beautiful bed that had built in LED lighting in the headboard. it was a such a subtle but thoughful detail.