Proceeds from the new designs by Shanan Campanaro,
the artist behind Eskayel, will be used to help wildlife

Eskayel’s announcment:

This is a small capsule we put together early this year with two new wallpaper patterns in two color-ways each and pillows. Everything in the capsule is made to order locally and 20% of the proceeds go to wildlife organizations. This is our first foray into soft goods- Pillows! Our pillows are made from 100% organic denim and stuffed with feather down. The 25 x 25 inch oversized overstuffed pillows are great floor cushions.

We are also offering this fabric with any of our other wallpaper patterns on a custom basis.

Please check out the Natives capsule at our brand new and improved website www.eskayel.com!

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce wouldn’t be able to attract an audience for a “Brooklyn Manufacturing Expo” outside of their own staff so every year they host the BKLYN DESIGNS exhibition. Walking around the exhibition though you are struck by how design, and by extension designers, drive manufacturing. With the collapse of manufacturing in the United States over the last few decades it’s hard to fathom just how many jobs we had in Brooklyn making things. All of the work was not only designed here in Brooklyn but as a matter pragmatism, most of it is made here.

Here are a few of my favorite things.

Tree table and stool by April Hanna

April Hannah gets the chutzpah award. She’s an artist who three months ago when she applied for a booth, saw a need, had an idea, and a couple of cardboard models. Twelve weeks later, her Tree Table Collection is debuting here. The collection, shown with a few of her artworks, as a sort of visual DNA, is smart, cohesive, well crafted (thanks in part to a brother who according to Hannah “can make anything”),and built with kids and the environment in mind.

Jeff Mayer’s bench and growing family

Jeff Mayer’s 718 Made in Brooklyn is “form follows environment”. His design and manufacturing is a direct outgrowth of his lifestyle and Brooklyn aesthetic. He’s a former professional bmx racer, a lifelong skateboarder, and denizen of the public transportation system. All of these things come through in the objects, clothing, and furniture he designs and manufactures.

Christina Fesmire’s Fugle Swing

Pratt Institute seeks to instill in all graduates aesthetic judgment, professional knowledge, collaborative skills, and technical expertise. Their booth there was evidence of a promise fulfilled. The quality of the designs and the execution did not suffer by comparison with their professional counterparts by any means. I was particularly taken by Tobin Spann’s spare, simple, beautifully executed Surface Series furniture. My other favorite work was Christina Fesmire’s Fugle Swing. Both of those students have bright futures ahead of them as long as we can get this economy moving again.

Sit and Read,

Invite Details:
To coincide with the launch of its Spring 2010 line, Unis is proud to offer an exclusive collection of furniture and housewares from Sit and Read. The collection includes a limited series of vintage chairs reupholstered in remnant fabric from the Unis Spring collection.

Please join us for cocktails and music at the Unis Flagship Store, at 226 Elizabeth Street in Manhattan, on Thursday, April 22, from 7 to 9 p.m. to preview the collection and help celebrate our collaboration!

Industrial Steel Table from Sit and Read: $850 ($950 w/ Umanoff stool)

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce has extended the exhibitor application for BKLYN DESIGNS 2010. Exhibitor applications, now due MONDAY DECEMBER 7th, are available online at bklyndesigns.com.All Brooklyn-based designers are encouraged to apply! BKLYN DESIGNS’ celebrity jury is a great way for designers’ work to fall into the hands of premier editors and design specialists. For more information please call Auster Agency at 718.243.1414.

By JULIE SCELFO

WHEN Sasha Haines-Stiles moved out of a crumbling brownstone studio in April and into a large loft in downtown Brooklyn with soaring ceilings and expansive views, she fantasized that the space would look as perfect as one of the many photo shoots and fashion shows she oversaw in her role as a vice president for communications at Bernard Chaus Inc. and its Cynthia Steffe fashion label. Visit article

Some people just get lucky finding valuable stuff in the trash. I just took on this restoration job for a client who found the above chair on the sidewalk in Park Slope. Other than the split in the seat, the chair is in perfect condition and is made from high quality solid wood. A seal on the inside leg says Johnson Chair Company. A few antique websites are selling Johnson Chairs for $300 and up. Below is a picture of the split. Clamps and glue will do the trick. After sanding off the old finish, Danish oil and lacquer will bring it back to life.

This chair’s lines are evocative of 1960’s design.
From its weight and joinery, you can tell it’s a good piece of furniture.

A postcard of the the Johnson Chair factory in Chicago.
In 1899, Johnson Chair Company made chairs for the US House and Senate.

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I have to thank Reclaimed Home for helping me restore the vintage light switch in my new apartment. It was caked with multiple layers of paint. I boiled it for about twenty minutes in water and baking soda. Paint slid right off and I didn’t have to use carcinogenic stripper with a gas mask. Here are the directions from Reclaimed Home: Boiling Hardware.

200 Bushwick Ave, Brooklyn NY, 718-599-4388

If you’re looking for a no hassle, fairly priced vintage store in Brooklyn, check out the little store that opened a couple of weeks ago on Bushwick Ave, opposite the large school off the Grand L.  I just walked in and met the owner, Andre van Hoek who sold me a set of turning chisels for $22. All six are pictured below. Andre has a real good eye for vintage, as his venue is filled with lights, lamps, bikes, and bowls. Plus, he plays good music and employs local people.

Turning chisels, after I sanded and removed a little rust.

Just came across a Brooklyn-based site called Sit and Read Furniture. All the pieces appear to be in good shape and are affordable. They also deliver.

Arthur Umanoff Bar Stools for Raymor
$250 for a pair, $450 for the set of 4

Mid Century American Hutch/Bookcase, $450 ON SALE! $275

Just came across the spectacular work of Robert Austin Gonzalez, a Brooklyn-based designer. He’s got a smart looking site that features several collections. His Grace series consists of oak and walnut turnings that form stools and legs for tables. See below.

The George collection, pictured below, is an homage to Nakashima and uses one one of my favorite materials, corian, to construct coffee and side tables.

Additionally, the Thoughts section of Gonzalez’s site is interesting. It’s a flash file, so I can’t post it here, but it explains his design philosophy. To reach the Gonzalez, click Robert Austin Gonzalez or call 718-596-7960 for an appointment at his DUMBO studio/showroom.

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