News/Archives
BKLYN DESIGNS™ 2006 GROWING AND GIVING BACK
Show Doubles in Size in 4 Years, Cameron Sinclair Keynote Speaker
(Brooklyn, NY - April, 2006) Now entering its fourth year, BKLYN DESIGNS™ 2006 will be premiering a record number of new, never before seen designers and products. The unique, juried exhibit, presented by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, will feature the work of Brooklyn’s brightest stars of contemporary furnishings, including: furniture, lighting, linens, rugs, and decorative accessories.
The 2006 BKLYN DESIGNS™ exhibitor line-up has grown to include 56 firms (up from 47 last year), which is nearly double in size since its inception in 2003. With 24 brand new exhibitors, new product launches planned by show veterans, and an expanding schedule of seminars and off-site events, the show is sure to be an action-packed kick-off for NY Design Week.
An exciting feature of this year’s program is a keynote presentation entitled “Design Like You Give a Damn,” by Cameron Sinclair, founder of Architecture for Humanity (AFH). Visitors to brooklyndesigns.net will have the chance to contribute to AFH by ordering a subscription to Time Out NY or Time Out NY Kids.
Other show highlights include a TONY Kids promotion, “Supe-up Your Stroller” featuring decorating pit stops and celebrity judges; and “Selling Out/ Selling In,” a lively debate about design as commodity versus design as art with Rima Suqi, New York Magazine’s Best Bets Editor, The Conran Shop, Target and Jonathan Adler.
Helping to make the 2006 show bigger and better than ever is a line-up of sponsors that has grown to include such premium brands as Benjamin Moore, MINI of Manhattan, Bosch, Thermador, Gaggenau and Brooklyn Brewery. Brooklyn Industries, a new sponsor, will be selling show tickets at its retail locations throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan.
According to Kenneth Adams, President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, “The growth of BKLYN DESIGNS™ highlights our borough’s burgeoning creative economy. Year after year, Brooklyn’s reputation for design excellence and craftsmanship attracts new talent, business and investment. In addition to blockparty, an art installation that will open to the public in conjunction with the show, we have reached out to DUMBO businesses from gallery spaces to restaurants and bars to create a neighborhood experience for visitors.”
Show hours are Friday, May 12, 10am to 8pm; Saturday, May 13, 10am to 7pm; and Sunday, May 14, 11am to 6pm. Pre-registered professional members of the design trade attend for free all day Friday.
Free shuttle bus service will be provided from DUMBO to State Street to Union Square. Click here for more information on this as well as all off-site events.
BKLYN DESIGNS™: MAY 12 -14, 2006
RECORD NUMBER OF NEW EXHIBITORS AND EXCITING PROGRAM OF EXHIBITS, SEMINARS AND PARTIES
(Brooklyn, NY – February 22, 2006) The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that the BKLYN DESIGNS™ jury has selected a stellar exhibitor line-up from a record-breaking number of applications. The 2006 show will feature a mix of returning Brooklyn-based companies launching their spring collections as well as 20 new designers introducing their products to the market for the very first time. Attendees will be among the first in the world to see the latest design trends as they are being set, from lighting to rugs to cutting-edge furniture.
The show will kick off NY Design Week on Friday, May 12 with a Trade Day highlighted by professional seminars and a special designer/architect high tea hosted by media sponsor Interior Design and Two Trees Management. Programming on Saturday, May 13 will be focused on green design from materials to architecture with an inspiring panel hosted by Metropolis. Signage throughout the show will identify exhibitors that have eco-friendly products on display. Highlights include an eco-lounge chair created in felt by newcomer Uhuru Design and the launch of sustainable side tables and shelves by returning exhibitor Scrapile.
The events for Sunday, May 14 (Mother’s Day), will celebrate the home and family. At a lecture called “What’s Cooking in Brooklyn” moderated by House & Garden, local restaurant chefs will share their kitchen trade secrets at BOSCH THERMADOR GAGGANEU’s state-of-the-art DUMBO showroom. In addition, Time Out New York Kids is planning a playful contest for best suped-up stroller called “Pimp Your Stroller,” with celebrity judges and hip prizes.
Parties and gallery openings are planned throughout the weekend including a Saturday night open house at the Montague Street Design Within Reach Studio.
BKLYN DESIGNS™ is also putting the finishing touches on a series of off-site events and exhibits that will enhance the show experience. Top of the list is “blockparty: Art and Design of the New Urban House,” an art and design installation, curated by New York architect Jonathan Marvel, design firm TRUCK product architecture and the developer Abby Hamlin. The exhibit at 267A State Street, in Boerum Hill, is set in one of fourteen contiguous new townhouses, designed by Rogers Marvel Architects (http://www.14townhouses.com/). “blockparty” celebrates Brooklyn’s best art, furnishings and design ideas at work in a 21st century townhouse. Free shuttle buses will run throughout the weekend between Boerum Hill and the BKLYN DESIGNS™ DUMBO location. Visit http://www.blockpartybrooklyn.com/ for more information.
According to Brooklyn Chamber President Kenneth Adams, “BKLYN DESIGNS 2006 is shaping up to be an outstanding show. With our 54 exceptional exhibitors and affiliated events, this show will inaugurate NY Design Week with a real Brooklyn accent. DUMBO restaurants, shops and galleries are all planning special promotions for the show weekend.”
BKLYN DESIGNS™: MAY 12 -14, 2006
KICKS OFF DESIGN WEEK IN NYC Brooklyn Chamber Calls for Exhibitor Applications
(Brooklyn, NY – November 28, 2005) Kenneth Adams, President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that BKLYN DESIGNS™ 2006 will run from May 12 –14 at several DUMBO locations including St. Ann’s Warehouse. The annual three-day show will feature Brooklyn-based designers and manufacturers of contemporary furnishings, including indoor and outdoor furniture, rugs, lighting and accessories. It will signal the start of Design Week in New York City, America’s answer to Milan’s Salone Del Mobile.
Attracting thousands of visitors to DUMBO, Brooklyn’s hub for cutting-edge design – BKLYN DESIGNS™ 2005 showcased a jury-selected group of leading Brooklyn-Made products, and marked the debut appearance of some of the country’s hottest new designers. In its June issue, Dwell described BKLYN DESIGNS™ as “a boon for those seeking good design minus starchy attitudes…it featured young designers showing eclectic wares in DUMBO.” Metropolis added, “During the last ten years, Brooklyn has emerged as a vital scene for art and design in New York City.…The growing success of Brooklyn Designs…reflect[s] the strength of the new work coming from the borough.”
According to Adams, “This year we plan to grow the show while remaining committed to the high level of quality that our visitors have come to expect. We will again work with a jury of design industry professionals to select the very best work from across the borough. Buyers, design professionals and consumers will be making the trip to NYC for Design Week. We want to make sure that their first stop is Brooklyn. Our curated show will be their chance to see what’s happening in local studios and workshops that are setting home furnishings trends worldwide.”
Show organizers are working to put together an expanded series of events that will take place across the DUMBO neighborhood. There will also be a special focus on “green” production materials and products.
The Chamber has put out a call for exhibitors. Interested Brooklyn-based manufacturers and designers should click here to download a 2006 application form. The jury, made up of leading design professionals including editors from the top shelter and design publications, will review exhibitor applications in late December 2005.
BKLYN DESIGNS™ is sponsored by Two Trees Management, Con Edison, Time Out New York, Time Out New York Kids, Interior Design, Pratt Institute, AIA, ASID and IIDA. BKLYN DESIGNS™ receives additional support from Speaker Sheldon Silver and the Brooklyn Delegation to the NYS Assembly, Speaker Gifford Miller and the Brooklyn Delegation to the NYC Council and the New York City Department of Small Business Services. For more information, interested companies can contact auster*events for sponsorship and marketing opportunities at 718-243-1414.
BROOKLYN DESIGNS™ 2005: HAILED AS “CAN’T MISS EVENT FOR DESIGN IN NEW YORK”
DUMBO SHOWCASE FEATURES 47 DESIGN INDUSTRY LEADERS
(Brooklyn, NY – May, 2005) The streets of DUMBO were buzzing this weekend as design professionals and curious consumers headed to the hippest of New York hoods for Brooklyn Designs™ 2005. Presented by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the show featured Brooklyn’s brightest design stars. Designers and manufacturers of contemporary furniture, lighting, rugs and decorative accessories strutted their stuff in two locations - St. Ann’s Warehouse and the newly renovated and expanded Brooklyn Designs™ Gallery.
The show attracted 4,400 qualified buyers, architects, designers and consumers. According to Kenneth Adams, president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, “Once again the show exceeded all of our expectations. The overwhelming feeling was that the show is really maturing. We kept hearing over and over again how impressed the attendees were with the overall look of the exhibits as well as the quality of the work being shown. Brooklyn Designs™ has clearly staked its claim not only on the borough but the design industry overall.”
Innovative products on display celebrated new materials and ideas. Some of the crowd pleasers included: everyspace’s lounge chairs that can be broken down into compact pieces in a matter of seconds; Glide’s high-tech colorful cabinets that use fingerprint recognition for access; Bart Bettencourt’s lights made from recycled scraps of wood; Here There Design’s delicate light fixtures created with innovative abaca fiber from palm fronds; Aswoon’s room dividers crafted in metal and curved wood; Oso Design’s lightweight rolling cement stools; Decoradar’s bucolic wall treatment, that upon closer inspection, featured playful hidden images and Asterisk’s Venetian plastered wallcoverings.
In the words of one visitor, Art Osborne, an interior designer from Westport, CT, “I came to the show last year and was even more impressed this time around. I met people who live, breath, eat and sleep their craft. These exhibitors are extremely talented and as a designer finding them is truly a godsend.”
Jill Ayers of everyspace, a new exhibitor, said, “We have been so overwhelmed by the amount of positive feedback we’ve received from attendees, not just retailers and buyers but also consumers. All of our work is modular. Visitors were intrigued by the flexibility of the design and the materials.”
Manabu Inada of Forest Hills, Queens had this to say: “It’s so interesting to see the great mix of natural materials and cutting edge technology. Some of these designers are using things like biotechnology concepts in furniture. The work is very professional and sophisticated. I am a designer myself, and I learned a lot at the show about how to move my business forward.”
Elana Frankel, Senior Editor for Architecture and Design at Metropolitan Home Magazine and a member of the Brooklyn Designs™ jury, added her thoughts, “I was really impressed with the quality of the products and the exhibits on display. The show has grown up so much in three years. It was a pleasure to walk the halls.”
While this year’s exhibitor line-up included 19 newcomers – some that used Brooklyn Designs™ to launch their businesses – many “veterans” also returned to the show. As Azy Schecter of KEA Carpets & Kilims put it, “This was our third year at Brooklyn Designs™ and we got some great response. We had a constant flow of people through our space. We were excited to see that so many people had made it across the bridge for the show.” Her partner Susan Gomersall added, “It was like a high school reunion for the design world. Everyone was here.”
Paul Priven, of Zia-Priven Design, was thrilled with the quality of the attendees, “In addition to design savvy consumers, we met with high-level architects, designers and buyers. It was an ideal target audience for our company.”
According to Scott Braun of Scott Braun Furniture, “We had serious attendees that resulted in more solid sales and new relationships. In fact, I brought a table so new I was still working on it during load in, and sold it by Sunday afternoon. That’s about as rewarding as it gets. It’s a pleasure to watch this show get better each year - it’s become a ‘can’t miss’ event for design in New York.”
Brooklyn Designs™ 2005 was made possible thanks to generous support from the following sponsors: Bosch, Thermador, Gaggenau, Two Trees Management, ABC Carpet & Home, Corcoran Group Brooklyn, Con Edison, Brooklyn Brewery, Time Out New York Kids, Interior Design, Pratt Institute, AIA, ASID and IIDA. Brooklyn Designs™ receives additional support from Speaker Sheldon Silver and the Brooklyn Delegation to the NYS Assembly, Speaker Gifford Miller and the Brooklyn Delegation to the NYC Council and the New York City Department of Small Business Services. For more information visit http://www.brooklyndesigns.net/ or call 718-875-1000 ext. 146.
BROOKLYN DESIGNS™ 2005 SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON BROOKLYN’S BEST
NEW EXHIBITORS, SPEAKERS AND SPECIAL EVENTS MAKE SHOW A MUST-SEE
(Brooklyn, NY – March, 2005) The countdown is on for Brooklyn Designs™ 2005. Presented by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Brooklyn Designs™ 2005 promises to break 2004’s impressive records with expanded exhibitor space and all new programming that includes hands-on demonstrations and inspiring speakers. The show will return to St. Ann’s Warehouse (38 Water Street) and the Brooklyn Designs™ Gallery (37 Main Street), which thanks to a recent renovation, is close to double in size.
“We are very proud to see that Brooklyn Designs™ is flourishing. With new sponsors and exhibitors joining the team, a newly expanded exhibit space and an informative series of panels and discussions, the show is truly a testament to the important role Brooklyn plays within the design community. And this year, thanks to the early registration information, we know that Brooklyn Designs™ has not only made its mark on the borough, it has been having an impact across the region. We’ve been receiving calls and requests from New York City and beyond,” said Kenneth Adams, President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
The list of juried exhibitors includes a mix of new and returning designers. According to newcomer, John McDevitt of McDevitt Metal Smithing, “It will be a pleasure to participate in Brooklyn Designs™ 2005 alongside several designers/craftspeople I have known and respected for years. To me the show is a three-day representation of a longstanding community of the best Brooklyn-based furniture makers.”
Other new faces include: Here There Designs, innovative lighting pieces that are 100% recyclable; Wüd Furniture Design, one-of-a-kind custom wood furnishings; artist, custom textile and rug designer Amy Helfand; and Oso Industries, unique, contemporary furnishings merging traditional materials with concrete.
Pratt Institute, a new association sponsor for the show, will once again put together a group exhibit of some of the most innovative new student work from the Pratt industrial design department.
In addition to the exhibits, the show organizers will present a series of informative seminars and panel discussions on design that will be free for all attendees (click here for event schedule). Highlights of the program include an enlightening lecture by design industry expert and editor-in-chief of Metropolis, Susan Szenasy. She will explore great breakthrough design ideas from Brooklyn and beyond. Tom Otterness, world-renowned sculptor, will discuss his public art projects including his 5-mile exhibition on Broadway’s Malls, his work in the New York City Subway System, his current major show in Indianapolis and his new project for the Indianapolis 500.
For those trying to get a handle on the growing number of hip, design stores located around the borough, interior designer Chris Kraig will present an insider’s guide that will reveal all of his sources. Also on the program are several timely design panel discussions including a Furniture New York session on “Commissioning Custom Work,” Dwell’s thought-provoking “The Big Apple goes Design-Build” and “What’s Modern Now” as seen by Metropolitan Home magazine.
The program even includes inspiring tastings and demonstrations at the Bosch, Thermador, Gaggeneau DUMBO showroom. Katy Sparks, Culinary Director of Balducci’s, will participate in a special Mother’s Day event co-sponsored by Time Out New York Kids. Sparks will share some of her trade secrets while Time Out staff keeps kids busy with special crafts.
Show hours have been set for Friday, May 6, 10 am to 8 pm; Saturday, May 7, 10 am – 7 pm; and Sunday, May 8, 10 am – 5 pm. Pre-registered professional members of the design trade attend for free all day Friday.
Brooklyn Designs is sponsored by: Bosch, Thermador, Gaggenau, Two Trees Management, ABC Carpet & Home, Corcoran Group Brooklyn, Con Edison, Brooklyn Brewery, Time Out New York Kids and Interior Design. Additional support is provided by the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York State Assembly in cooperation with NYS Empire State Development Corporation, the Brooklyn City Council Delegation and the NYC Department of Small Business Services. For more information visit http://www.brooklyndesigns.net/ or contact auster*events at 718-243-1414.