If the 2021 International Contemporary Furniture Show that takes place in Manhattan each year is any indication, there is no shortage of local talent in the field of design.
From sculptural furniture that includes live plants, to subtly digitized wallcoverings—these goods all have one thing in common: they’re made in New York.
And for many in this local design community, lifestyle changes during the pandemic have not only inspired new, more purposeful designs, but led to sales growth.
“Consumers continue to invest in their living spaces,” said Phil Robinson, ICFF’s Director of Display. “There is more visibility for local businesses due to supply chain delays and consumers having to take advantage of more local resources, which can deliver design products more quickly.”
In Brooklyn, Robert Reimer, Principal Designer at Opiary, a biophile design and production studio, explores the many possibilities of glass-fibre-reinforced concrete (GFRC) – a material he prefers for its strength and versatility.
Remer and his team of artisans create custom-made graphic pieces such as tables, chairs, and sculptural accessories that incorporate design elements that allow for living green spaces.
“Our pieces are inspired by the dialectics of nature and culture and incorporate natural processes and man-made systems into their formation,” says Reimer. “It’s important to have living nature in each of our pieces to reflect the quality of our environment, both indoors and out, and to remind us of who we are and where we come from.”
Not too far down the road in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, is another local favorite that produces hand-tufted digital wallcoverings that are beyond the norm.
Flavor Paper has easily made wallpaper and wall decals a hot commodity by bringing in iconic styles from legendary contemporary artists – from Andy Warhol to Jane Stark – to expand the idea that nothing is beyond possibilities.
Their mural art gained permanent residence at design institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Museum of Design; And abroad at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris.
Other highly desirable locally made items are of the luminous type.
Feyza Koksal Kemahlioglu, founder and design director of Feyz Studio, manufactures custom lighting fixtures that can take up to 12 weeks to complete.
Kemahlioglu works with her team at Brooklyn Glass to perfect techniques and manufacture each piece to specifications such as glass color, metallic finish, and size direction – anything you can imagine is possible.
A unique aspect of her work is how merchium, a clay-like material obtained by craftsmen in her native Turkey, is incorporated and finished.
“I love handicrafts and I am very connected to my Turkish culture and history,” she said. “It is very important for me to use or refer to their ingredients in my art.”